Not too long ago I sold my 98 Olds Intrigue (155K) to the local junkyard. Prior to them hauling it off it had been sitting in my driveway for eight months and had a bad transmission. Aside from the transmission, the car was in excellent shape mechanically and cosmetically. I had attempted to sell very, very cheaply privately in hopes someone mechanically inclined could fix it cheaply and have a decent car. That turned out to be a PITA which is why the junkyard picked it up.
The tow truck driver who picked it up said the car would probably be the size of a tin can in a couple of hours. I told him that was too bad because the car was in such excellent shape otherwise. After saying that, I started the car and rolled it into the street for the tow. Almost immediately smoke started pouring out of the engine bay that smelled like burnt oil. I’m assuming the leak was from a dried up seal of some sort as a result of sitting for eight months. I read advice here frequently about long term storage etc. and was wondering if anything could have been done to prevent the issue. The engine oil had been changed about 180 miles before the car was parked.
It’s possible that the smoke was a result of the car sitting for eight months combined with the car’s age. Since the smoke was coming from the engine bay rather than the exhaust, I’ll suggest that oil trapped under the valve covers had seeped through the valvecover gaskets and wet the exhaust manifolds.
Out of curiosity how much did the junkyard pay for the car?
The going rate is 2 cents a pound for crushing. Salvage yards that see some value will pay $100 or so, in view of the age of the car.
The gave me $150 in cash. I had it for sale for $200, so I wish I had called the junkyard in the first place.
There’s a junkyard in my area that advertises $300 for any complete car. But you have to bring it to the junkyard gates, they won’t come pick it up.
Huh? The engine shrank and the fluids squished out?