Thanks for the tips, I'll definitely floor the brake pedal repeatedly before venturing off into the unknown. The battery might still be useable, but I needed to charge it for a long time before it even registered 12 volts. I still need to top off the charge every time I try to start the engine. Could a weak battery kill an alternator?
Reviving an old car
- Thread starter Oversteer
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Neighbor's son bought a 1999 Ford Contour as his first car for a higher than should have price as the car had sat at least a couple of years but had only 59k on it. Engine and trans was good but the car was sounding to need brakes at least for the front. His Dad and son visited.
All four wheels were rusted on the car. An overnight with PB Blaster and an eight pound persuader to get them off. The rear drums were a nightmare to take off. The front rotors had to be sectioned off with a sawsall and grinder like a piece of pie to break the rust on the backside in close quarters to the hub. A workout for sure.
After the rebuild of both axles, the car ran well but it quickly nickel and dimed the kid into a 2000 Toyota Camry that he drove off to college with. The kid paid too much for the Contour, put too much into it for a year to keep it road worthy and ended up selling it for $1k. A $$ lesson learned.
All four wheels were rusted on the car. An overnight with PB Blaster and an eight pound persuader to get them off. The rear drums were a nightmare to take off. The front rotors had to be sectioned off with a sawsall and grinder like a piece of pie to break the rust on the backside in close quarters to the hub. A workout for sure.
After the rebuild of both axles, the car ran well but it quickly nickel and dimed the kid into a 2000 Toyota Camry that he drove off to college with. The kid paid too much for the Contour, put too much into it for a year to keep it road worthy and ended up selling it for $1k. A $$ lesson learned.
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sooo.. y'all are saying that if i were to go get the 98 mustang my brother never drives(has less than 17k mi, I don't think it's left his block in 5 years, if he does drive it, it's just to shuffle cars in/out/the garage/driveway), that i should seriously inspect/rebuild some stuffs before embarking on the 1100 mi drive home?
He did replace the fuel pump about 3 years ago b/c the old one was "varnished up".(never put stabil or some such in the tank)
He did replace the fuel pump about 3 years ago b/c the old one was "varnished up".(never put stabil or some such in the tank)
Leave the oil alone for now. If you drain it and refill it you'll get a heck of a dry start.
Agree with others re the brakes being your biggest thing.
These contours had wiring that shed insulation wicked. If mice got in, even worse. The only way you'll know is when you get it running-- or not.
The gas might be fine but go easy on the first tank in case it lost octane. I'd squeeze a gallon of fresh in just to perk it up then run it down near empty before refilling.
Agree with others re the brakes being your biggest thing.
These contours had wiring that shed insulation wicked. If mice got in, even worse. The only way you'll know is when you get it running-- or not.
The gas might be fine but go easy on the first tank in case it lost octane. I'd squeeze a gallon of fresh in just to perk it up then run it down near empty before refilling.
Originally Posted By: Oversteer
You folks might cringe at this, but my plan was to make a few hard stops to get the rust off the rotors (it's not really thick).
I'm pretty sure that normal braking is enough to do this.
You folks might cringe at this, but my plan was to make a few hard stops to get the rust off the rotors (it's not really thick).
I'm pretty sure that normal braking is enough to do this.
Originally Posted By: eljefino
The gas might be fine but go easy on the first tank in case it lost octane. I'd squeeze a gallon of fresh in just to perk it up then run it down near empty before refilling.
Thats good but I would run at least 5 gallons out of it, then refill with 5 gallons fresh gas PLUS a 2X dose of GumOut Regane or Techron. After that, run til near empty.
The gas might be fine but go easy on the first tank in case it lost octane. I'd squeeze a gallon of fresh in just to perk it up then run it down near empty before refilling.
Thats good but I would run at least 5 gallons out of it, then refill with 5 gallons fresh gas PLUS a 2X dose of GumOut Regane or Techron. After that, run til near empty.
Originally Posted By: Stanley Rockafeller
HA! when I read the heading, I thought he meant an actual OLD CAR, not a recent car LOL
Yeah, all fluids etc. then just run it hard (italian tune up). That'll get 'er running again
+1 on the Italian Tune-Up.
I also Seafoam every car I get a hold of. I know some say that is "useless," however, every single car this has been done to has a lighter-feeling throttle response after.. so, it is not "a waste" or "useless," whether it has never been done and there is smoke show that leaves two minutes after you do (you best be on the move from that smoke show, lol) or it has been done last weke and there isn't much of one due to not as much carbiin.. is why you sometimes DONT see smoke shows when you do this..
So, with that experience.. I find the brake booster, if it has one, let the engine bog down on Seafoam, then drop the empty Seafoam container and turn the key off as fast as I can since those few seconds waste the product.. Let it sit for anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour, start her up, and drive away. Smoke clears out in 10 minutes of hard revs, not necessarily hard driving.
Some cars don't have a brake booster line, so, no Seafoaming them.
Also, in addition to an italian Tune-Up, do a regular tune up.
ITUs get the engine good and hot.. and doing that really does it dome good. I lost all the coolant on my truck a few days ago. It runs better than ever now! And, no new leaks, thank God. I feel that would have killed a lesser vehicle. Mine just started right back up, all the way from hot enough to melt my coolant sensor to.. running very well.
HA! when I read the heading, I thought he meant an actual OLD CAR, not a recent car LOL
Yeah, all fluids etc. then just run it hard (italian tune up). That'll get 'er running again
+1 on the Italian Tune-Up.
I also Seafoam every car I get a hold of. I know some say that is "useless," however, every single car this has been done to has a lighter-feeling throttle response after.. so, it is not "a waste" or "useless," whether it has never been done and there is smoke show that leaves two minutes after you do (you best be on the move from that smoke show, lol) or it has been done last weke and there isn't much of one due to not as much carbiin.. is why you sometimes DONT see smoke shows when you do this..
Some cars don't have a brake booster line, so, no Seafoaming them.
Also, in addition to an italian Tune-Up, do a regular tune up.
ITUs get the engine good and hot.. and doing that really does it dome good. I lost all the coolant on my truck a few days ago. It runs better than ever now! And, no new leaks, thank God. I feel that would have killed a lesser vehicle. Mine just started right back up, all the way from hot enough to melt my coolant sensor to.. running very well.
Well it turns out a Contour can indeed run on 2 year old gasoline. There was a funny problem with the fuel pump. It wasn't working the first few times I tried starting the car, but it could still draw current from the battery. After hammering out the retaining ring and shaking the pump around, the impeller would actually spin again when I tested it outside of the car. All I had to do was reinstall the original pump and it fired up almost immediately.
Now the bad news: The brake lines are actually pretty rotten towards the rear of the car unfortunately, and I think one of the strut bearings is seized judging from the clunking noises while turning the steering wheel. And of course, the engine oil is blacker than death. At least the brake rotors cleaned up nicely after a gentle trip around the block:
The lines didn't pop when I stomped on the brake pedal, so I guess that's a plus too.
Now the bad news: The brake lines are actually pretty rotten towards the rear of the car unfortunately, and I think one of the strut bearings is seized judging from the clunking noises while turning the steering wheel. And of course, the engine oil is blacker than death. At least the brake rotors cleaned up nicely after a gentle trip around the block:
The lines didn't pop when I stomped on the brake pedal, so I guess that's a plus too.
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