[NA] Getting car running after sitting for years

ArrowFlyer86

ArrowFlyer86

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The Little Arrow That Could
A family member owns a 5 year old Toyota Camry that has been sitting in the garage unused (not even turned on) in 4 years.

They've offered it to me since they won't be driving again (too old - lost their license in 2019).

My question to the mechanically inclined folks here... What sort of work would I be looking at doing to get it in back into shape? I figured the gas is bad and needs to be drained at a minimum, probably needs new tires, fuel system probably needs to be cleaned?... I just put a new battery in it today.

Any other things you would say I should plan on doing? Not sure if car engines are like airplane engines where they might be crap after sitting for so long.

Any help is appreciated!
 
Modern engines are pretty well sealed, so there isn't much issue with corrosion. Same for the fuel system, although automotive gas doesn't store well. A five year old Toyota....I'd put a battery in it and crank it. I bet it'll start. If not, I'd drain the fuel and put in fresh. If you're lucky they parked it without much fuel in it, so you could just fill it up with fresh gas and the old stuff will blend off. The lines could be bled, or you could just crank it for a while until the fresh fuel gets to the engine. I'd change the oil and fuel filter after I got it running. Everything else should be fine. Check the air filter box for mice before you do anything, that would probably be worth replacing due to age as well. Tires will be fine.
 
Put in a battery and turn the key. It’ll probably be fine. Put fresh gas in it and drive it. You probably don’t even need to drain the tank on one of those.
 
I'd also do an oil and filter set change fairly soon. Look at the tires too...if the date code is over 6 years and any sidewall cracking is showing, then new tires. Drive it.
 
Being kept in a garage is a big advantage. I'd recommend to do an oil & filter change, add fresh gas and drive.

In the near future consider a cooling system flush, new fuel & air filter, and a set of tires & wiper blades. A Toyota Camry is a fine automobile and should last you for many years ...
 
I would check under the hood for rotted belts and any wiring damage from being chewed on. Check the air filter, too. Make sure there's oil and coolant in it. Something that might happen when you connect the jumper battery is the alarm might trigger. Other than that, start it and see what happens. Air up the tires, see if the parking brake releases, drive slowly until you know the brakes work. Get an oil change. I helped my neighbor start up her Honda that hadn't been run in well over a year. The tires had been low, but not flat, and they still had flat spotted from not being moved for so long. Made a rough ride until they returned to normal.
 
I'd replace the brake fluid too, and all belts and hoses.
 
May be more trouble than it's worth, but maybe not. I would not start it until you determine the gas is good. I generally just take a sniff with the old snoz. If it smells like varnish have it drained and cleaned out. A lot of things can deteriorate, but there is really only one way to find out, start it and drive it.
 
ArrowFlyer86 said:
I just put a new battery in it today.
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And you didn't try to start it?

How full does the gas gauge indicate?

I'll bet the tires will tell you from a drive around the block if they went out of round from sitting. But only 5 years old and 4 years sitting, I wouldn't be surprised if they were still good.
 
Thanks everyone -- super helpful!

I guess I expected the damage from sitting to be more severe for a car.

The car is an hour away so I'm going back tomorrow, checking oil level, and then and will try adding fresh gas and then seeing if it can start. I've already peeked under the hood and inside the car. It's clean. No sign of damage or torn up/chewed components. Frankly, it looks brand new. Small amount of body damage that I'm confident can be repaired and shouldn't impact drivability/safety to get started.

Add'l facts:
- I already replaced the battery today; the only casualty was a 12mm screw for the battery mount that went MIA during the process. It's now lost somewhere in the engine compartment. Whoops! Everything else in the engine compartment looks fine.
- Car has been in an attached garage for 4 years
- Tank about 40% full; all old gas from 4y ago
- Opened hood/cabin/trunk -- looked under car. No signs of any animals minus a couple cob webs in one of the wheel wells.
- I only tried starting it for about 2 seconds. It cranked but didn't start. I backed off of it b/c I was afraid trying to run the crap gas maybe doing damage to the engine. I also didn't want to drain the brand new battery down cranking it until I had a plan.
- It didn't leak any oil; but I'd plan on getting an oil change right away
- Another complicating factor is the car is way out of registration and registered in MI, not IL. And my relative has no idea where the title is. Gonna google around and see how to solve that.

The only thing I'm paying for the car is the effort/money to get it running again. So it seems worth the headache since Toyotas, once taken care of, normally run forever.
 
Let me give you a professional opinion.

It's a Toyota, so it'll probably start right up with minimal effort. That said, I'd still change the battery, and change the oil (like you said). The problem with the fuel is that, yes, pump gas doesn't keep well over about a year and if there's ethanol in it, I wouldn't be surprised if the injectors and fuel system needed some TLC.

Good luck!
 
My brother's shop got a car in earlier this year. Customer complained, "wouldn't start, had to tow it in".

Guy saw the low gas light come on in his driveway, rummaged around in his garage and found a can of gas, then poured it in the tank.

Apparently this can of gas had been sitting around for a very long time. Here's what the tech drained from the tank.


tempImagekvyh56.png
 
Matthew said:
My brother's shop got a car in earlier this year. Customer complained, "wouldn't start, had to tow it in".

Guy saw the low gas light come on in his driveway, rummaged around in his garage and found a can of gas, then poured it in the tank.

Apparently this can of gas had been sitting around for a very long time. Here's what the tech drained from the tank.


View attachment 122684
Click to expand...
I pilfered a couple gallons of gas from a fuel can I found in a friend's barn and put it in my '47 Chevy pickup.

When the engine finally fired up it cleared out the mosquitos for 3 counties.

It was gas for his 2 stroke chainsaw...
 
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I probably would have went ahead and drained the fuel tank, personally, but it may clear itself out.
 
Why change the belts and hoses? Modern serpentine belts don't deteriorate like v-belts from forty years ago. Same for hoses, plus the coolant doesn't go bad just sitting. Brake fluid? Nah.

Tires? Yeah, get new ones. Other than that, drive it to a gas station and fill it.
 
I'll bet lunch money that it won't start until new gas gets to the injectors. And I'd bet that other than gas, battery, tires it's fine.
 
3393RP said:
Why change the belts and hoses? Modern serpentine belts don't deteriorate like v-belts from forty years ago. Same for hoses, plus the coolant doesn't go bad just sitting. Brake fluid? Nah.

Tires? Yeah, get new ones. Other than that, drive it to a gas station and fill it.
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I agree with you on all but the tires. I'd bet those saying to replace everything have belts, hoses, and fluids in their cars that are more than five years old, unless they're the person who still changes their oil at 3000mi/3mo. Everything besides engine oil is more or less made for the lifespan of modern cars, although it's worth looking at once you hit ten years or so if you plan on running it another decade.

I have a '97 Chevy pickup that lives outside. I put tires on it a couple years before we moved to our last house, so they're at least ten years old, and still look, ride, and handle beyond the capabilities of the rest of the truck. The rubber will dry out and harden some with time, but unless you're driving a performance car (which a Camry ain't) you'll never notice it. Most of the damage comes from UV, which is why you often see sunshields on RV tires. If they aren't cracked, they're fine. Hoses and coolant in that truck date from the time the radiator failed (which they pretty much all did) fifteen years ago.

I just retired some 25 year old drive tires off the semi, but I kept the best couple for spares. I would've run them longer, but I wanted some more aggressive tread for those muddy days.
 
3393RP said:
Why change the belts and hoses? Modern serpentine belts don't deteriorate like v-belts from forty years ago. Same for hoses, plus the coolant doesn't go bad just sitting. Brake fluid? Nah.

Tires? Yeah, get new ones. Other than that, drive it to a gas station and fill it.
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I just had to replace a timing belt with less than 75 thousand miles and five years because it shredded and left me by the side of the road. I have looked at the ribbed side of serpentine belts after only a few years to find the rubber all cracked, while the smooth side looked great. While I haven't had a hose burst in many years, I still replace them when they bulge. I don't believe the "these new components last forever" line. In my experience, they don't. And quality of a lot of auto parts has gone downhill of late.
And no, I don't change the oil and filter at 3k. I wait till 5k.
 
Hey, I revived my 1990 Saturn SC a year or so ago which was sitting for two years in the garage and another two before that outside. It started right up! The reason it sat was rotted brake lines and rusty rocker boxes, so I finally fixed those up. Then I only used it on local trips for awhile to gain confidence in it. That was smart. The tires had flat spots and weather checked tread, so I replaced them all. The EGR and purge solenoids were constantly throwing codes and the injectors just needed a tankful or two of treatment with cleaner. The alternator needed replacement, the instrument cluster lights and speedometer needed repeat "open heart surgery" and the headliner fell down too, so I removed and replaced that. Had the transmission oil replaced because of some "slamming", but found that turned out to be a bad connection in the fuse box. Then it was a wiper motor (pita) replacement, an air conditioner refill that fixed what I thought for sure was a bad compressor and therefore I wasted my money on buying a new one. Oh, did I mention the exhaust system I needed to have custom built? They don't sell new down pipes, so most of the pipes and muffler had to be cobbled together from raw materials (go far into the countryside for the best deal). Same goes for pre-bent brake lines, get the copper/nickel coils and bend 'em up yourself. Did the rear brakes, too, now that I think about it. The cylinders were leaking. BUT, I LOVE DRIVING MY PRACTICALLY NEW 1990 SATURN SC! I get over 30 miles per gallon, 27 with AC. Now, though, I have to fix the CV joints. And the front struts need changed. Oh yeah, the headliner's coming loose again over the rear seats. And the floor over the muffler is rusted and the trunk carpeting is getting wet when it rains. Never mind, I re-read your post. I thought you got an OLD car that was sitting for five years, not a five year old car that was just sitting. Carry on.
 
dtuuri said:
Hey, I revived my 1990 Saturn SC a year or so ago which was sitting for two years in the garage and another two before that outside. It started right up! The reason it sat was rotted brake lines and rusty rocker boxes, so I finally fixed those up. Then I only used it on local trips for awhile to gain confidence in it. That was smart. The tires had flat spots and weather checked tread, so I replaced them all. The EGR and purge solenoids were constantly throwing codes and the injectors just needed a tankful or two of treatment with cleaner. The alternator needed replacement, the instrument cluster lights and speedometer needed repeat "open heart surgery" and the headliner fell down too, so I removed and replaced that. Had the transmission oil replaced because of some "slamming", but found that turned out to be a bad connection in the fuse box. Then it was a wiper motor (pita) replacement, an air conditioner refill that fixed what I thought for sure was a bad compressor and therefore I wasted my money on buying a new one. Oh, did I mention the exhaust system I needed to have custom built? They don't sell new down pipes, so most of the pipes and muffler had to be cobbled together from raw materials (go far into the countryside for the best deal). Same goes for pre-bent brake lines, get the copper/nickel coils and bend 'em up yourself. Did the rear brakes, too, now that I think about it. The cylinders were leaking. BUT, I LOVE DRIVING MY PRACTICALLY NEW 1990 SATURN SC! I get over 30 miles per gallon, 27 with AC. Now, though, I have to fix the CV joints. And the front struts need changed. Oh yeah, the headliner's coming loose again over the rear seats. And the floor over the muffler is rusted and the trunk carpeting is getting wet when it rains. Never mind, I re-read your post. I thought you got an OLD car that was sitting for five years, not a five year old car that was just sitting. Carry on.
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General Motors ... go figure ;)
 
Matthew said:
My brother's shop got a car in earlier this year. Customer complained, "wouldn't start, had to tow it in".

Guy saw the low gas light come on in his driveway, rummaged around in his garage and found a can of gas, then poured it in the tank.

Apparently this can of gas had been sitting around for a very long time. Here's what the tech drained from the tank.


View attachment 122684
Click to expand...
Did the tech drain the milk out before putting that varnish in?

Take a whiff on what the gas smells like. That would tell you if it needs to be drained.
 
Matthew said:
My brother's shop got a car in earlier this year. Customer complained, "wouldn't start, had to tow it in".

Guy saw the low gas light come on in his driveway, rummaged around in his garage and found a can of gas, then poured it in the tank.

Apparently this can of gas had been sitting around for a very long time. Here's what the tech drained from the tank.


View attachment 122684
Click to expand...
Yeah I've got a jug of milk in the fridge which looks like that too.
 
It'll need tires oil, brake fluid, filters and maybe fresh fuel. I would leave belts and hoses alone.

That's still a new car.
 
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When my brother was helping his wife clear her parent's estate, there was a 1985 MBZ Turbo Diesel station wagon in the garage. It too sat for a very long period of time and had 75K on the clock.

He didn't even bother with trying to get it running, instead, he had it towed to an independent MBZ shop, told them the situation, and they went to town on it - he is not a mechanical guy. I believe this was in 1993 or 94... and they still have it. And, I seem to remember that had to put a new fuel tank in it.. guess diesel does not age well.
 
Ventucky Red said:
When my brother was helping his wife clear her parent's estate, there was a 1985 MBZ Turbo Diesel station wagon in the garage. It too sat for a very long period of time and had 75K on the clock.

He didn't even bother with trying to get it running, instead, he had it towed to an independent MBZ shop, told them the situation, and they went to town on it - he is not a mechanical guy. I believe this was in 1993 or 94... and they still have it. And, I seem to remember that had to put a new fuel tank in it.. guess diesel does not age well.
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I was always under the impression diesel aged better than regular gas, is that not true?
 
Jim K said:
@ArrowFlyer86 in my head this car is that beige/gold color that old people seem to love. Please confirm.
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Quite the opposite, in fact. Camry XLE with a a sort of greyish hue exterior with mixed black/creme colored seats. Definitely modern looking.

Now... If it was beige and gold I'd just drive it right into the river.
 
ArrowFlyer86 said:
I was always under the impression diesel aged better than regular gas, is that not true?
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Diesel fuel can grow an algae in it that will really stop up the fuel system.

An elderly gentleman at the curch let his 2005 Duramax sit for a few years. Several mechanics have told him what it will take to get it running and he does not want to spend that much money. It sits for sale for too much money IMO.

For a 2005 it has less than 20,000 miles on it.
 
All these stories of needing everything. It might need something but probably not a lot. That’s a nearly new car and it hasn’t been sitting very long. Plus, newer gas doesn’t seem to varnish nearly as bad as older stuff did. If the fuel tank is fairly empty I’d give it a splash of gas and crank it up.

Watch any of the various YouTube entertainers drag cars out of tree lines that have sat for 20 or 30 years and see how little it takes to drive many of them home. I just drove one of my spare beaters out from my backyard after sitting for about 7 years. All I did was put a battery in it and inflated the tires. Once it was in the driveway I had to fix a vacuum line that was chewed off but that was it. I’ve been driving it 100+ miles a day for the past few months now.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Been watching for an outcome; did I miss it?
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Negative. Right now it's still Schrodinger's Camry, both out of service and maybe just a half tank of fresh gas and an oil change from being in service. Will advise on this frequency once outcome is known!

(Worst case I have it towed to a mechanic who drains the tanks, cleans fuel lines, and makes sure it generally won't explode like a 1983 lebanese militia truck when I try cranking the engine).
 
ArrowFlyer86 said:
Negative. Right now it's still Schrodinger's Camry, both out of service and maybe just a half tank of fresh gas and an oil change from being in service. Will advise on this frequency once outcome is known!

(Worst case I have it towed to a mechanic who drains the tanks, cleans fuel lines, and makes sure it generally won't explode like a 1983 lebanese militia truck when I try cranking the engine).
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oooh, wait, I didn't think about the exploding Lebanese militia truck scenario...

Please, for all that is good in the world, hold your phone in landscape mode!
 
mondtster said:
All these stories of needing everything. It might need something but probably not a lot. That’s a nearly new car and it hasn’t been sitting very long. Plus, newer gas doesn’t seem to varnish nearly as bad as older stuff did. If the fuel tank is fairly empty I’d give it a splash of gas and crank it up.

Watch any of the various YouTube entertainers drag cars out of tree lines that have sat for 20 or 30 years and see how little it takes to drive many of them home. I just drove one of my spare beaters out from my backyard after sitting for about 7 years. All I did was put a battery in it and inflated the tires. Once it was in the driveway I had to fix a vacuum line that was chewed off but that was it. I’ve been driving it 100+ miles a day for the past few months now.
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Q: Know what you get when you add 1/2 tank of fresh fuel to a 1/2 tank of bad fuel?

A: 1 tank full of bad fuel

 
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