Advice on the car which was not in use for 2 years

Ailfenergy · Post by **Ailfenergy** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 10:51 pm

Yesterday I bought another 5th gen from a colleague. It has been parked on his driveway for 2 years.
It started without any single problem as soon as we put my battery in. The engine bay looks very clean (much better than mine anyway). The exhaust pipe snapped straight after the exhaust manifold. He told me about it before I bought the car. So realistically I can't judge the performance because of that problem. It sounded horrible and the car was slow as hell. Engine management light came up after 5 miles of driving. In total the car made 20 miles long journey.
My question is, what do I need to replace to get it up and running? (as in which parts might brake/lose the ability to do what they are designed to do because of 2 years of stationary condition)

Obviously, the exhaust needs some welding. Brake discs and pads are knackerred. I was advised to replace the cambelt and water pump. Is there anything I'm missing? Suspension parts maybe? Bushes?

Any advice is highly appreciated.

Thanks.

Post by **Pushki** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 10:58 pm

All fluids........

YouTube · Post by **Sailor** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 11:00 pm

I'm no expert, but ...

Start by cleaning out the old petrol. If the EML stays off after that and the car ticks over smoothly when warm, you can at least take a punt with the engine. An oil change wouldn't hurt.
What did the brake discs look like after 20 miles? That should tell you if they've warped.

Then have a good look over for obvious corrosion, dried-out rubber etc.

Let us know how you get on, please.

The "S" express · Post by **honda-hardy** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 11:06 pm

also check the flexy brake lines for perishing.

Post by **NafemanNathan** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 11:10 pm

If you want to be thorough...

Redex in the new fuel to clean the injectors. You might be ok just filling the tank right up rather than syphoning the old fuel out if there was only a little bit left in the tank.

New fuel filter.

All new engine oil with new filter.

Depending on the state of the old oil it might be wise to check and clean out the oil pick up, especially whilst the downpipe is off.

All new coolant in the system. Most antifreeze is supposed to be replaced every 2 years anyway regardless of mileage.

Bleed the brakes through once you've replace the pads/discs.

Check the tyres for cracks and perishing.

Then after refitting the repaired downpipe (I assume you meant downpipe?) go for a whirl to see how she performs

Ailfenergy · Post by **Ailfenergy** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 11:13 pm

Sailor wrote:Start by cleaning out the old petrol

What's the best way of doing that? Is it enough to fill in a tank of fresh petrol or there is a tank cleaning involved?

Sailor wrote:What did the brake discs look like after 20 miles? That should tell you if they've warped.

Brake discs look normal. However, the brake pedal felt too soft and the car didn't stop as good as it should. But I was expecting worse to be fair.

Sailor wrote:Then have a good look over for obvious corrosion, dried-out rubber etc.

There is no rust on rear arches. That's one of the reasons why I'm thinking of keeping it. The arches on my BB6 are getting worse every day.

Ailfenergy · Post by **Ailfenergy** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 11:16 pm

NafemanNathan wrote:If you want to be thorough...

Redex in the new fuel to clean the injectors. You might be ok just filling the tank right up rather than syphoning the old fuel out if there was only a little bit left in the tank.

New fuel filter.

All new engine oil with new filter.

Depending on the state of the old oil it might be wise to check and clean out the oil pick up, especially whilst the downpipe is off.

All new coolant in the system. Most antifreeze is supposed to be replaced every 2 years anyway regardless of mileage.

Bleed the brakes through once you've replace the pads/discs.

Check the tyres for cracks and perishing.

Then after refitting the repaired downpipe (I assume you meant downpipe?) go for a whirl to see how she performs

Thank you!

YouTube · Post by **Sailor** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 11:17 pm

As above. If there's not much left in the tank, Redex and some fresh petrol might be OK.

Ailfenergy · Post by **Ailfenergy** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 11:27 pm

Is it worth changing a cambelt?
The previous owner told me that he changed it roughly 2-3k miles before he decided not no drive the car anymore. I know the guy quite well, so he wouldn't lie. Is the any harm to the cambelt when the car is not in use for a long time?

Post by **NafemanNathan** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 11:38 pm

Ailfenergy wrote:Is it worth changing a cambelt?
The previous owner told me that he changed it roughly 2-3k miles before he decided not no drive the car anymore. I know the guy quite well, so he wouldn't lie. Is the any harm to the cambelt when the car is not in use for a long time?

It should be ok. Always dependant on the conditions it's been left in really, but that really hasn't done much distance.
At least give it a visual inspection. Turn it over manually so you can check the whole thing.