After 6-months of storage, what to do?

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Chuck1986

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My 2001 Eclipse will be coming out of storage in July, at which point it will have been sitting untouched for six long months in my garage.
Is there anything in particular I should do or considerations to look out for? I'm a tad nervous since I've never stored her this long. Before it went into storage, here's everything I did:
-Washed & waxed
-Topped off the fuel tank; added a bottle of fuel stabilizer
-Inflated tires to 40 PSI all around
-Charged battery; disconnected the (-) post

Did I miss anything? One particular concern is that having sat this long, the timing belt will have sat on the same sprockets for a very long period of time. Hope this isn't a bad thing.
 
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You may have slightly flat-spotted tires since they didn't move at all. They may come out of it though.
 
First I would check all fluid levels.

Then I would disconnect the coil(s) and crank it over for a few seconds, then wait, then do it again for a few cranks. Then connect the coil(s) and start the engine. This will pump some oil around before the engine is actually fired up and creating heat and help to reduce some wear on startup. Especially these engines where lifter drain is common.

You may set the check-engine light doing this, but nothing removing the battery power for 30 seconds shouldn't cure. (Do this later on)

You may also be able to crank it over with the gas pedal to the floor creating a WOT. This usually shuts off the injectors and just allows the engine to crank without fuel, as it enters "Clear-Flood" mode. This method will not set a CEL and may be an easier alternative than disconnecting the coils.

After it's running, let it warm up until at least 1/4 on the temperature gauge (if equipped), then take it for a nice long drive at highway speeds for at least 1/2 hour. The reason for the long warm-up is to ensure proper oil circulation and lubrication. These lifters can take up to 20 minutes to properly refill with oil after sitting for so long.

Top it off with some fresh gas (if possible)

And you will be all set!

I would think about some UCL in the fuel tank after the tank with the Stabil is all gone.

cheers3.gif
 
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Pretty good write up StevieC!

Disconnecting the coils and cranking pumps lots of gas. I forget that maybe flooring the gas might prevent fuel being pumped into the cylinders.....

Thanks for the reminder.
 
Nice write up Stevie.

All I would add is make sure that nothing built a nest in the air intake or in the exhaust. Mice have a way of doing that, even in a garage. I've seen them nibble on wires too, so a complete under hood inspection is a good idea too. Other than that you should be fine.
 
Hook the battery up, check the fluids and get in and drive. 6 months is nothing-I've parked a lot of vehicles for 6 months or more with no ill effects and no special preparation.
 
My 96 sunfire sat for almost three months a few years ago from a car accident. (don't ask) When I first fired it up, all this white smoke was coming out of the tailpipe. The engine rpm's were high but came down slowly. Of course the oil was full. Talk about a dry start up!
 
Originally Posted By: oilboy123
Pretty good write up StevieC!

Disconnecting the coils and cranking pumps lots of gas. I forget that maybe flooring the gas might prevent fuel being pumped into the cylinders.....

Thanks for the reminder.

It won't do it on this engine... I know the ECU well in this car and if there is no spark making it to the cylinders the ECU shuts down the injectors and sets a CEL to prevent flooding. I just can't remember if this ECU has the "Clear Flood Mode" with the WOT (Peddal to the floor) while cranking.
 
Charge batter, check underhood fluid levels. sstart and run at an idle for several minutes and you are good to go. 6 months is no biggy, comared to several years.
 
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Hook the battery up, check the fluids and get in and drive. 6 months is nothing-I've parked a lot of vehicles for 6 months or more with no ill effects and no special preparation.



Seriously! It's not like you're starting a rare Ferrari worth a million bucks or something, or some hot rod with a nasty flat tappet cam. No need at all to crank the engine with no spark and fuel to get oil moving. I believe Chris142 has indicated this can do more harm then good as the starter won't spin the oil pump fast enough to do any good. A car that's sat for a week will be in a similar condition as far as oil drain down.

Check the tire pressure, do a once over of fluids, connect the battery, fire it up, and go drive the thing!
11.gif
 
Originally Posted By: StevieC
Originally Posted By: oilboy123
Pretty good write up StevieC!

Disconnecting the coils and cranking pumps lots of gas. I forget that maybe flooring the gas might prevent fuel being pumped into the cylinders.....

Thanks for the reminder.

It won't do it on this engine... I know the ECU well in this car and if there is no spark making it to the cylinders the ECU shuts down the injectors and sets a CEL to prevent flooding. I just can't remember if this ECU has the "Clear Flood Mode" with the WOT (Peddal to the floor) while cranking.

I have a 98 Ford Taurus with the standard V-6 vulcan engine. Does this engine shut off the fuel when you floor it?
 
I don't know... I have more experience with the Mitsu engines than American engines.

You can try it and find out. If worse comes to worse and you flood the engine you can just wait until it evaporates and start it later.

I would imagine Ford has this same feature in their ECU's
 
I saw an episode of cops where a guy was cranking an engine with no spark, it flooded the cylinders, and when he went to finally start the engine, it caught on fire and burned his friends garage and house down!

The guy was yelling "I forgot to purge the cylinders".
LOL.gif
 
Must be an early/American fuel injection or carburetor system.

I know with my Santa Fe it will turn the injectors off with WOT.

If my engine has been sitting in the cold for a couple days I will do this WOT start to push some oil to the top of the engine before I start it.

Works great
thumbsup2.gif
 
I would start the engine without 'prelubing'.

No way can you get oil to where it is needed faster than by starting it. [We are not talking about a fresh rebuild, with no oil.]
Since the oil is fresh, there no need to take it out for an extended drive. No contamination or moisture is there.

The disc brakes may be problematic because of sitting in one spot.
Not much you can do except drive it and see - maybe they'll seat OK.
 
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