# Car won't start after sitting for overa year **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [November 21, 2015, 8:59am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-after-sitting-for-overa-year/91771 "2015-11-21T08:59:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![krod619](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@krod619](https://community.cartalk.com/u/krod619)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2015, 8:59am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-after-sitting-for-overa-year/91771/1 "2015-11-21T08:59:55Z")
ok so i have a 1997 Honda crv 4wd 2.0l with 133k and its been sitting for over a year and a half. 5 months ago i decided to get it running so i replaced the battery changed the old oil and coolant and the power steering fluid and freed the brakes up and did a flush. The car started and ran fine. I drove it up and down the block fine no problems it had a little bit of gas right above the E mark when i stored it. SO 5 months ago i was going to insure the car but never did. now im trying to and it wont start. Symptom Car turns over but does run What i tired so far - Checked for spark by removing spark plug and ground it - replaced battery - sprayed engine starting fluid and can get the engine to run for a short time maybe like 20 secs if i keep spraying engine starting fluid in there but when i stop it stalls. - recently put 5 gallons of fresh gas still nothing ---
**Author:** ![SteveCBT](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/stevecbt/32/3192_2.png) [@SteveCBT](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SteveCBT)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2015, 5:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-after-sitting-for-overa-year/91771/2 "2015-11-21T17:40:52Z")
Good news/bad news. The good news is that the engine runs on starter fulid, this means you are getting spark, the engine basically works, but you are not getting fuel. Bad news, what little gas you had probably has gone bad, gumming up the works. Try to replace the fuel filter to see if that allows the car to start. If not you are going to have to see where the problem lies in the fuel system. Could be anything from the fuel pump to clogged injectors. ---
**Author:** ![missileman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/missileman/32/1366_2.png) [@missileman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/missileman)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2015, 7:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-after-sitting-for-overa-year/91771/3 "2015-11-21T19:08:28Z")
+1 for **SteveCBT.** You missed the very first thing to do when you start a vehicle that has been sitting for a long time…clean out the fuel system. You got some work ahead of you before your car runs right again. ---
**Author:** ![UncleTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9a140/32.png) [@UncleTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/UncleTurbo)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2015, 7:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-after-sitting-for-overa-year/91771/4 "2015-11-21T19:10:08Z")
That gas is very old and it went bad on you. The fresh gas in the tank hasn’t made it up front to the motor yet. If you can take off the fuel line somewhere in the engine bay, put the end in a container and see if you can get the fuel pump running. If you can get a pint of gas in the container then you will have fresh gas in the fuel line. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 12:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-after-sitting-for-overa-year/91771/5 "2015-11-22T00:34:31Z")
+1 to Steve’s post. ---
**Author:** ![krod619](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@krod619](https://community.cartalk.com/u/krod619)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 5:26am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-after-sitting-for-overa-year/91771/6 "2015-11-22T05:26:09Z")
I fix the problem turned out the fuel pump went bad the fuel filter was gunked up and when I removed it no gas came out so let to believe the pump was bad I took the back seats apart and removed the pump and was able to replace the fuel pump then the car started right up no problems ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 6:47am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-after-sitting-for-overa-year/91771/7 "2015-11-22T06:47:02Z")
Good diagnosis and repair OP. Glad you got your CRV back on the road. If you think about it, it is sort of a shame that the car’s diagnostic system isn’t able to flag a “low rail fuel pressure” problem straight away, would have saved you some effort. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 10:09am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-after-sitting-for-overa-year/91771/8 "2015-11-22T10:09:17Z")
Perhaps, but the onboard diagnostic system is really only there to meet the fed requirement to monitor things related to emissions. It’s actually amazing how much it actually does tell us beyond just emissions stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Sloepoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Sloepoke](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Sloepoke)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 2:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-after-sitting-for-overa-year/91771/9 "2015-11-22T14:31:07Z")
I had the same problem when trying to cabbage the fuel pump out of a parts vehicle I have that had been sitting . Ran fine when parked but when I went back later to cabbage the fuel pump it was so gunked up it wouldn’t work . ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 6:10am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-after-sitting-for-overa-year/91771/10 "2015-11-24T06:10:22Z")
“cabbage” the fuel pump? I’ve never heard that term before, what do you mean @Sloepoke . Is it the same as “cannibalize”; i.e. to remove an unused part from one vehicle and use it in another?