You know this may just be a case where you might want to talk to a shop about getting it going again. Get the battery for it and maybe change the oil and turn it over by hand to make sure its not seized, but then let someone else drain the tank and flush the fuel system and do the other fundamental checks. That alone will probably shoot the $400 with a tow but it will be very hard for you to drain the tank in your garage, and that’s the biggest thing. Might be worth trying to get a sample of the gas though. Can’t believe it would still be ok but lots of cars sit for a while without being driven.
Case 1 . . . with a fresh battery and nothing else, the engine started pretty well, and ran just fine on that 5 year old gasoline. No ill effects
Case 2 . . . the 5 year old fuel destroyed the fuel pump and fuel sending units. The tank had to be drained and cleaned, the pump and sending units all had to be replaced, and the fuel lines flushed out. Then fresh fuel was added to the tank, and the engine started okay. It took awhile to even out, but all was fine in the end
At least where I live you don’t have to pay for registration for a car that hasn’t been used. Even if they wanted proof that it hasn’t been used, I wouldn’t think that would be too difficult with this car since it hasn’t been used in so long.
I think this may depend on where you live. In Arizona, it used to be (not sure anymore,) that to get a car registration up to date, the owner would have to pay $4 per month late fee. This could be gone around by transferring ownership. New owner isn’t responsible for late fees, but may have to pay for a vehicle inspection.
It’s been several years since I have had to deal with that, though, so things may have changed.
In Illinois, at least 30 years ago, we had to sign a document in the license branch that the vehicle was not running and up on blocks (and of course, not on the street and out of public view) to forgo getting license plates renewed each year. The caveat to that was that once it was done, you had to bring the vehicle in for a safety inspection. I only did this once with a project car which took me a few years to finish.
Here in Calif they collect back fees. I had a small utility trailer that I pulled behind my truck to take things to the dump. After a relocation I had no place to keep it, so I parked it for a couple years behind a friend’s house. I didn’t pay the yearly registration fee on the utility trailer b/c – dumb me for thinking such a thing – I thought it wasn’t required b/c it was just being stored off of any public street. I’d just start paying again when I was able to use it. I discovered this is not gonna happen in Calif. I tried to start paying the registration fee again to put it back on the road, and they sent me a bill for $500! Apparently there’s a bit of a fine they impose for not paying, in addition to the back registration fees of around $40, $20 per year. Oh well, such a thing is part of Calif life I guess. At least there’s palm trees … lol …
Good for you @CGRIGGS2011! Your first car will be one you always remember and having $450 to get it running will be plenty. My advice to you would be to seek the help of an older friend, neighbor, or relative who may be able to assist you with the great advice above. If there is a Voc-Tech in your town or county, consider talking to the teachers there. Perhaps they would let you have it towed in and the students could drain that old gas and get the fluids replaced? You will be fine if you go it alone, but it is shocking how much one can learn from a person who has a bit more hands-on car repair experience. My final advice. Take about $50 of that $450 and join AAA immediately (if you have not already) and get the membership that offers longer included towing. It will pay for itself, and maybe in the first month.
@at the same mountainbike, here in OK they will hit you heavily on back fees for a vehicle whose registration has lapsed.
Say the car sits in the back yard for 10 years without being driven. When the registration and tag is caught up they will charge you the full 10 years and then some.
The only way of escaping most of it is if one has a signed statement on a shop letterhead stating the car has major engine, transmission, or body work and said shop is fixing it. Then you only get hit for a couple of years…
I’m going against the grain here and recommend against too much maintenance. The very first thing you need to do is research, research, research. You need to find out when the last time the timing belt was changed, when the last oil change, last coolant change, the exact age of the tires.
For the tires, you can look for the date code to see exactly how old they are. If they are less than 6 years old, you can probably get by with them for a little while. If the timing belt is over 7 years old, that will be a priority. Oil is not so critical, it doesn’t breakdown just sitting there like rubber does.
Your brakes will have a lot of rust on them. If you do all the work yourself, you may not need much money if the parts are good and just need a little cleanup.
The cooling system is more critical as the coolant has been protecting the engine from corrosion even though the car has just sat there. If the coolant appears cloudy at all, drain the system (radiator and block) then refill with a 50/50 antifreeze and distilled water mix or just a premix straight from the bottle. I would not flush the cooling system, that is asking for trouble.
I think this model has a drain plug for the gas tank so draining it should not be much of a problem, except maybe for getting a container large enough. If it was full when it was parked, that could be 16 gallons of gasoline. Good luck with that. You might need a child"s swimming pool or a large cement mixing tray for a drain pan.
The first start is critical. Everything in the engine is dry. I would remove the spark plugs and spray some oil in the cylinders. I would use Seafoam but there are other options. Spray the Seafoam the day before you intend to start it so it can soak in around the rings. Pull the valve cover(s) and spray a little oil, or pour a little oil over the cam lobes. Use a new gasket when you put it back on. Put in the new battery and crank her up.
Ha! My '89 Colt (with 250k miles) has been sitting since '02! Still looks good, but never installed the new gas tank because I couldn’t find a replacement fuel pump “holster” for a reasonable cost. Then the dealer didn’t even have it for the outrageous price of $400 anymore. Finally bought one off EBay about 5 years ago (for $60), but it still sits in the box. Fallen too far down the priority list now.
But I hadn’t even thought about any “back fees” if I were to ever get it running again. Don’t think they do that here, though. Was surprised to learn, however, that they do continue to charge property tax even if you take the plates off a car because they say “it’s based on possession, not registration”. Funny that I get charged on my '97 Taurus but not the Colt. Must be a rule that only looks back so far
I agree, but there are so many things that this vehicle could need that the $450 might not even cover half of it. Take in account someone with limited mechanical skills I think it should be taken to a real mechanic.
Definitely, but in my opinion, brake system flushing should be at the top of the OP’s priority list.
Even though I am a bug on changing trans fluid every 3 yrs/30k miles, and even though I agree that the cooling system almost surely needs to be serviced, I would put those maintenance procedures much further down the priority list, as compared to something that is potentially in the category of a matter of life and death–and I put a properly functioning brake system into that category.
This depends upon what state the car is in and what their laws are. In California you can get a PNO (Permit for Non Operation) which is about $10.00/year when the registration is due, then when the car is ready to be registered for operation you get a smog check done and if it passes you can register it for the current registration fee (note: this is assuming a PNO was bought for every year the car sat; if this was not done there would most likely be penalties due for the year/s this was not done). You have to get the smog check done before you can register the car. This is good because a smog check may give you an idea of some problems to correct.
I didn’t notice if this was mentioned in any of the responses but I would recommend you try to locate and purchase a Chilton’s manual for your car (they are specific by model and encompass only a range of years applicable to your car due to major changes made between model years).
Even a ‘maintenance-free’ battery has removable covers on the cells. They are not as obvious but they are there, and, yes, they should be filled, preferably with distilled water, to the bottom of the fill tube.
UV rays from the sun attack rubber, and the most critical items are the tires. Watch for cracks in the sidewalls; they can appear on the inside of the tires, although are easier to see (duh!) on the outside. They look like miniature cracks in a dry creek bed. They can cause slow leaks in pressure, and they also can disintegrate suddenly while you are driving. I’m sure you have seen tire carcasses on the side of the highway. (Although these are mostly from recapped truck tires, they are undesirable)You don’t want that to happen!
Whether the car has a four or a V6, you will have a reliable engine that is pretty easy on gas and can keep up with traffic without much strain. No hot rod, but reliable as the sunrise.
All good comments but really the first thing is to just get it running on a limited budget. The kid doesn’t even have his license yet. That’s why I suggested just taking it to a mechanic so they can assess it and get it started, and then go from there on a priority list. Sure, tires, brakes, etc. are important, but gas, corrosive coolant etc. are needed to get it running and reduce any potential damage to the engine.
Like you said, it varies by state. If the state you move to won’t accept a legitimate excuse as to why you had your car off the road and you pay a fee to the state you previously lived in to do so, the underwriter for the new insurance company policy has the right to reject you.
