[KKM]

Any auto mechanics out there?

Switching jobs and had to give up the company car. Need to start back up my car after sitting in the garage for 2 years. What do I need to do to avoid damaging the car or am I overly concern? Should I just install the new battery and start it up? Is the gas still ok? TIA

[Bob in St. Louis]

Hi KKM,
What's the year/make/model of the car?
Here's the easiest way: Tow it to a shop, let them do it. 

Here's my definition of 'the right way' to bring a car back in service after an extended dormant period;

Push, pull, or drag the car to a suitable level hard surface and jack up the front, use jack stands. Be safe.
{EDIT: Nevermind..I just re-read your 1st post, noticing the car's in the garage}.
Using a large catch pan, drain the oil completely. Pour about one gallon of something in there to flush out the sediment. "Something" would of course be something that won't harm the engine. I'd recommend kerosene, motor oil, transmission fluid.... (cheap stuff).
Change the oil filter, prefilling the new filter with new (good quality) motor oil before installing on engine.
Replace the drain plug and refill with proper amount of oil (need to know year/make/model to give quantity spec).

Most likely the battery is shot and will not be reviveable. Get a new one.

Preferably the fuel should be drained and replaced with new, but this is a severe pain in the ass, dangerous, messy, and now you've got a lot of hazardous waste to worry about disposing of. If the tank is 'low enough', you can drop in a few 5 gallon gas cans of new stuff to dilute the stale fuel with new.

Disable the ignition or fuel system. Once again, need more info for 'how-to' advise, but most likely will be pulling a fuse for the fuel pump preferably. Crank engine for about 30 seconds to prime the engines internal lubrication system. If you have an oil pressure gauge, you'll see it rise slightly above zero when the system is primed.
Reconnect the fuel pump connector.

NOW you can start the car. It'll most likely run like Hell, cough, sputter and protest. You may even here a little knocking (SHOULD go away quickly!!) It'll "get over it" after several seconds. Should smooth out quickly. The yellow check engine light may come on, but this is to be expected, especially if it "protests" much.
Careful with the throttle, give it a little, but don't get crazy. Keep an eye on the oil pressure gauge/light.

As the car warms to operating temperature, check the transmission fluid level (is this an automatic?). Ideally, this is only checked when hot after being driven, but we don't want to idle the engine too long with no, or low trans fluid. That'll be bad. Check the level often and top off as necessary.

Occasionally, peek under the car for leaks. Old dryrotted, brittle gaskets may start leaking when put under the rigors of use and heat.

Put the transmission in all of the gears (if it's an automatic), this allows fluid to circulate through all of the passages in the valve body. Also "works" the various solenoids in the trans.

Make very short trips around the block, bringing the car back to the driveway occasionally for fluid level checks.
Remember, if you layed in bed for a few years you'd be stiff and slow to respond. Give it time to 'work in', and be easy on it for a while.

Miscellaneous things to check and or change:
Moisture has found it's way into vital fluids and various components and should be flushed or replaced with new.
- The brake fluid being the most important one.
- Replacing the coolant/antifreeze would be recommended.
- Replace the fuel filter, check the engines air filter
- May need spark plugs. The way the engine runs will determine this.
- Air pressure in tires. Check for dryrot cracks in sidewalls of tires. This is bad.
- Check condition of belts for cracking/dryrot.
- Check hoses (when cold). Squeeze them, if you hear a cracking sound when you squeeze them, replace them. The cracking sound you're hearing is the fibers inside breaking. Like a tire, these fibers are woven like the belts in a tire giving the hose (and tires) their structural strength. Just like a tire, the hose will/can blow out.



More advise to come when I know the type of beast we're dealing with.

Bob

[Bob in St. Louis]

.........Oh, I forgot;
As the engine warms to operting temperature, keep an eye on the coolant temperature gauge/light (which do you have?), don't let it overheat. The thermostat has been been closed for two years and may not open causing the engine to over heat. Of course shut it off if this happens.

Keep fingers clear of the radiator/condenser fan under the hood. When the engine is warmed fully, this fan SHOULD come on. This is a good thing. Now the thermostat should be open.

Bob

[TheChairGuy]

By no means a mechanic here...just slightly knowledgeable enough to be dangerous 

My next door neighbor (who currently owns 13 vintage British and Italian cars and has bought scores more over the years - even supported himself thru college with the hobby) and I have the same 'secret'....Marvel Mystery Oil. About $4.99 for a 32 ounce bottle.

Chuck 4 ounces per 10 gallons in the gas tank.....and another 4 ounces in your crankcase. It goes to work right away dissolving gum and varnish throughout. 

Assuming your battery still has juice, you should be able to start her. If you have another car and can jump start it, that should get it moving.  Lead-Acid batteries are funny beasts (all batteries are peculiar in some way as to energy storage, just funny in different ways), so it may not work even after a jump.

I'd add a bottle of Water Remover ($1.49 at any auto store) to your gas tank, too - especially if it's fuel injected (as nearly everything in the past 20 years has been) - it may have gotten a bit too soggy for comfort in the fuel tank and lines. 

Then, take it to a good mechanic for the once-over and replacement of anything more. 

[Bob in St. Louis]

Agreed on the Marvel Mystery Oil John. Good stuff. 

Agreed on the water remover for the fuel tank. "Heat" brand works well, use two bottles. 

Strongly disagree on the battery. 
Lead acid batterys have the ability to release explosive gases when they're having a bad day, just waiting for a source of ignition. Hydrogen to be exact. You'll be bathing in battery acid.... Don't mess with it dude. I'm NOT a fan of cheap aftermarket car parts, but one product I've found to be remarkably good are the batterys at Walmart. Look for the yellow case with black top. Can't remember the brand name...something "MAX" I think. They're about $60 and they give you $5 back for your old battery. Just make sure the + and - terminals are on the correct side. If you're poor, Autozone has $20-$30 batterys but they're crap. 

KKM, where do you live?
Bob

[TheChairGuy]

Okay, well, I said Lead-Acid were funny beasts....didn't think and realize they had a gaseous (Hydrogen) core, tho.  KKM - best heed Bob-o's advice and buy a new one for $60 

Wal-marts price in Marvel Mystery Oil and Water Remover is even cheaper than any auto stores I've seen...so you can do one trip for many things.

[KKM]

Thanks guys, I do have a new battery that I'm planning to install.

The car is a 1993 Volvo 850 GLT, manual transmission. I live in California.

Good advices.

[DaveC113]

I'm not too familiar w/ Volvos, but if thats a turbo model, you absolutely NEED to drain the gas tank and get a fresh tank of premium gas. I would do this regardless, unless its an old low-compression carbureted V8, then you could probably get away with it. It is a PITA, but your gas has a much lower octane rating than new gas, and that will cause pre-ignition, which can destroy a turbo motor very quickly. Don't ask me how I know 

Dave

[BRILEY804]

While good advice has been given on this, but a lot of this could have been avoided probably if the car was started a few times during the week and driven around the block.        I also have the privilege of using the company van for work, but make it a point of at least starting the car and driving it at least once during the week.

[Levi]

You probably have flat spots on the tire if you didn't follow procedures in storing a car for over a year.  You may also need to buy 4 new tires as you cannot fix flat spots.

[Scott F.]

Hey Bob. one other thing to add (unless you alrady mentioned it).

Pull the spark plugs and squirt some sort of lubricant down in each of the cylinders and let it sit for a few hours, minimum. I happen to use Kroil. What this will do is loosen any of the rings that might be stuck to the journals or the cylinder walls. With the plugs stil out, take a breraker bar and socket, place it on the bolt that holds the harmonic balancer and manually turn the motor over several rotations.

Last thing you want to do is crack a compression or oil ring that happens to be rusted stuck. this will also help knock down the ridge left by oil and carbon that will be in the cylinder wall  from years of inactivity.

Hope that helps.

[Bob in St. Louis]

So far so good on the advise KKM.

Scott has a real good one:

Pull the spark plugs and squirt some sort of lubricant down in each of the cylinders and let it sit for a few hours, minimum.

Scott's recommendation of Kroil will work, as will regular motor oil, transmission fluid (very high in detergent) or even some of the Marvel Mystery oil since you'll have some anyway.
That vehicle has spark plugs that are easy to replace to by the way.
If you do this, use about 3-4 tablespoons of oil per cylinder.
When you start the car, THIS WILL SMOKE BAAAAAADLY     Great entertainment though, and good healthy fun for the kids. 
It really is a good idea. I'd highly recommend it.
{If you're a nice guy, you'll warn your neighbors first. That way they won't call the fire department.} 
If memory serves, that vehicle has a relatively easy harmonic balancer bolt to get to. If you can, follow Scott's advise and give it a few revolutions after you put the oil in the spark plug holes, and before you re-install the old plugs.
-------Now that I think about it.....That is an in-line engine and Volvo tilted it heavily to the drivers side??? (It's been a while since I've worked on one). The goal is to get oil all of the way around the cylinder wall so it soaks down into the piston rings. Since this engine has such an exaggerated tilt, try to squirt oil "up hill", if you know what I mean.

Since you'll be going to the parts store, get a new set of plugs. Don't install before the first start-up, as the "smoke show" you'll be giving may foul the new plugs. Install them later when the engine is cold.

KKM, The dealership I work at also services Volvo's, although I have little direct connection with the Volvo side of the building, I'll ask the fellas Monday if there is anything special you should look for on that particular vehicle. All of the advise you've been given so far is generic and will work on any vehicle that runs on gasoline. Forget all the transmission advise I gave you except for the part where you should check the fluid level.
Yours is a PITA being a manual to check, fill or change.

Bob

[warnerwh]

Unless I missed it I'm surprised nobody brought up getting any gas out of the gas tank you can and pull the fuel line and turn the key to get the fuel pump to pump out a little more. The last part you can probably get away with not doing.

My worst worry is that the fuel injectors will be varnished closed or mostly closed which will cause your car to run like shit.  Running some Techron or Seafoam through I'd do. Actually leaving gas in something for two years is best avoided. If you put a bunch of Stabil in the gas before it sat and ran it through you are probably ok.

I'd definitely squirt some oil into the spark plug holes.

[DaveC113]

Thats true as far as the injectors... if its a turbo car, a clogged injector can also destroy the motor. They can be removed, cleaned and tested easily. 

[lazydays]

OK, the first thing you want to do is push the car outside, and far enough away from you house as not to worry if it caught fire. If the car lights come one then your battery may be OK (you have to have 12vt to activate the onboard computer & ecm). If not remove the battery and put it on a charger for about a day. You can drain the oil and change the filter while waiting for battery, or start the car with the old oil (it's your call). Myself I'd drain the oil & refill it with fresh oil. Lets hope the gas tank was full when you parked it; otherwise you have water in the gas tank for sure. The Marvels is a must in the gas tank as well as the oil pan. Then just turn the ignition on, but don't start it just yet.
Raise the hood and check for gas leaks around the injectors. If all is OK then start the engine. I'd expect it to run alittle rough due to collapsed lifters and stale gas. It should smooth out in about fifteen minutes.
    Now for the bad part (s) :
* because the engine has been unused the oil rings may have lost the tension, and the second compression ring maybe just as bad (DONOT rev the engine when you start it!!)
* Now for an even worse thought: Put the car on a pair of Jack stands so the drive wheels will freely rotate. Turn the wheels about a dozen times in each direction without the engine running. That way the ring gear will have an oil coating. After doing this and restarting the engine, put it in low gear and let it run for about five minutes. Now put it in reverse, and do the same. Now is a good time to check for leaks in that ZF transmission (well known for bad seals).
OK, all's OK. Put the car on the ground, and drive it around the block. Not too fast; say 25 mph max. If it works Ok then it's probably good to go. You may encounter a sluggish transmission shif at first, but it should go away in about ten or fifteen minutes of stop and go driving.

After the car is driveable you need to keep a close watch on oil consumption & smoke out of the tail pipe. If you see smoke it's either the valve seals or the rings have lost their tension.
gary

[KKM]

Thanks for the suggestions so far, I'm not mechanically inclined so I'll do whatever I can base on the suggestions. The car is not turbo so I won't drain the gas tank since everyone's saying it's a PITA. The car has 130k miles on it and I only plan on keeping it for another 1-2 years. Here are the steps I'll take, in order:

1. Add 2 bottles of Heet to gas tank
2. Add Marvel to gas tank and crankcase
3. Pull spark plugs and add Marvel, re-install plugs
4. Wait 2 hours
5. Push car out of garage
6. Jack front end up, since it is a FWD
7. Turn both wheels in both directions a dozen times
8. Check for bald spots, hope it's fine since it only has 18k miles on it
9. Install new battery
10. Pull fuel pump fuse and turn ignition on for 30 seconds, re-install fuse
11. Cross fingers
12. Turn engine on and put in gear forward and reverse
13. Drop car on ground and drive slowly around the block, will then let car idle for 1/2 hour
14. Take car to change oil, coolant, and brake fluid
15. Replace spark plugs

Hopefully this will take of it, thanks gain everyone, let me know if there are any other suggestions.

[Scott F.]

Hey KKM,

I'd rearrange one and add one item.

3. Pull spark plugs and add Marvel, re-install plugs
4. Wait 2 hours
4.33 turn engine over a few times to loosen (potentially stuck rings)
4.66 re-install plugs

 

[S Clark]

Two year old gas!!! You will certainly have problems with gum in the fuel injectors- and although it might be a pita to drain the old fuel, you should do it.  At the very least, try to siphon as much out as possible and replace with a gallon of fresh fuel.  I second the recommendation of using Seafoam or Techron. Both are very good products.  Hope this work out for you.
Next time you store a vehicle for that long, use a stabilizer or just run it til empty.

[Bob in St. Louis]

You sure that's front wheel drive?  I can check in the morning when I get back to work, but I thought those ol' Volvo's were rear wheel drive (VERY bad things happen if you jack up the front of a RWD and put it in gear. 

Tire: you're not checking for bald spots, you're checking for flat spots since it's been sitting so long.

Bob

[doug s.]

wolwo 850's are definitely front wheel drive.  i know, cuz that's what made me lose interest in wolwo's.   

i wouldn't bother replacing the gas, but i would definitely recommend the additives mentioned.  i would also consider an octane booster, as the gas will definitely have lost some of its octane rating.  and, regardless of how much gas is in the car, top off the tank immediately; & do it frequently, if it has a full tank of gas presently.  best to dilute the old mixture asap.

i recently went thru this w/two motorcycles, but they were started every few months, & they're carb'd, which is a bit more forgiving than f.i.

doug s.