My son’s car has been sitting in the driveway for three years while he was in the Peace Corps. Now he’s home and needs to get a job. I’m wondering what should be done to get the car up and running. I thought I heard that after a while oil separates so even if we get the battery charged the car should not be turned on.
You Forgot To Introduce Your Son’s Car!
Please tell us the make, model, year, approximate miles, engine (if you know), manual or automatic transmission. It could have an influence on what advice you will receive. The more information, the better.
Was the car just parked and left sitting with nothing done with tires, battery,
or anything? This will help us, too.
CSA
The battery in all likelihood is shot. Buy a new one. Todays gasoline is unstable and degrades over that much time. IF you added a gasoline stabilizer 3 years ago, it MIGHT still be OK. If not, siphon out all the gas you can and replace it with fresh gas. Attempting to start the car on this old gas can damage the engine. Check all the fluids, pump up the tires, (replace the flat ones) I would purge the fuel line, and it should fire up and be OK. Drive cautiously the first few days…