I have a friend that has a 1982 collectors that has been sitting about five years in the garage. Low mileage. Good condition. What steps are best to get it going?

 

Wash it. Clean out the mouse poop. Check the oil is full. Check the coolant is full. Drain the old gas and put in new. Pour some down the tbi and have a fresh battery. When it starts, bring it to 2000 and hold it there for about 3 minutes to ensure the oil pressure stays up.

Bleed the brakes.

After it is warm, change the oil.

When cooled down, change the coolant.

Take it for a drive around the block.

Many say to prime the oil pump to get oil in the system, but you should have decent oil pressure within seconds. If you are really concerned, it is easier to pull the plugs out, the distributor wire off, and crank for a minute. No plugs and not firing put no load on the crank, so it can spin quick and put oil pressure up in a hurry.

 

On the 82, I would change the fuel filter under the passenger side on the frame also.

 

I would strongly suggest not starting it with the old oil and filter!

 

hmm... if this isn't sarcasm (cause i can't tell).. i would suggest starting with this. You know since it has been sitting, that all the oil is in the pan. Change the oil and filter. Then, after you prime it and have it running for a little while, check the oil again. If there is stuff in it, i would change it again. My car sat for close to 10 years, and let me tell you, i changed the oil 3 times before it didn't have any crud left in it... ever seen those sludge commercials!!!!

My suggestion would be to goto wal-mart and get the oil in the blue jug. Just for the first and or second time you change it. I think it costs about 5 bucks for the 5 qrts. Then put the good stuff in after you are sure you got everything out.

Just a suggestion. Good Luck!!! ... oh yeah, and don't forget to get the fuel in the lines out too........ man does that stuff start to look/smell/get nasty!!!!!! ....

-John

 

Not sarcastic at all. I wouldn't even think of starting an engine with 5 year old oil!

 

I would guess that the brakes aren't going to work very well either. You may find that the car won't even roll if the e-brake hardware has rusted.



Rick B.

 

You should read as many posts as possible everybody has there own idea .Write the best ones down and try to stick to that plan.I would not try to drive it around the block. Maybe up and down the driveway."Why do we park on a drive way and drive on a parkway"(SR)?

 

With one exception. If you just want the motor running temporarely (I can't spell!!!) as in you plan on rebuilding soon, then thats fine. But if not, then splurge a little on the oil. Even though you will be throwing it away fairly soon get Rotella. It has the best additive package out there now (anti-wear and cleaning additives). Oils on the market now have been reformulated for modern engines, roller valvetrains, lower emmisions, not messing up cats, etc. There's been issues lately with flat tappet cams wearing down the lobes prematurly from this. Rotella since it's mainly for the diesel market hasn't had to worry about that and of course diesels have to last, so they've stuck with the good stuff that our older gas engines need also. If you want high end synthetic for the long haul switch to Royal Purple when you have it cleaned out good.
Good luck

 

Alrighty!! ... wasn't sure at first!

-John

 

AMEN.... I just went through all that.. I didnt crank it over until i had everything done that i was told... Might wanna change the hoses as well. Mine fired up just as soon as the gas reached the carb!!!

 

i bought a 1973 corvette that wasn't started for 10 years. the gas tank had a leak, i replaced the calipers, master cylinder, had the fuel tank repaired, had the carb rebuilt, new intake and valve cover gaskets, changed the oil and primed the motor by removing the distributor and turning the shaft(using special tool and drill) until oil came up through the push rods. car started up and ran great. never had any issues. wish i would of kept my 73. good luck pat

 

Starting a car with old oil is fine as long as it is clean.
Oil does not rot....and takes a very long to break down.
I have started cars with oil that was 30 and 40 years old.
Without hurting anything....I often add marvel mystory oil to the cylinders first.
Oil filters do decay so dont run the car long like this....because it will clog the filter and start to bypass it.
I just let them run a few minutes then do the oil change.
This way you are not just throwing away 3x the amount of oil you should be.
On a car thats been parked 5 years if the oil was good when parked it is now.
I know a bunch of guys that buy old cars all the time.....we do things like this almost every few weeks.

 

 

When I put my 70 pickup back on the road after sitting 7 years my objective was to first see if it would even run at all, so I did very minimal stuff to it to get it started. I took a battery from a running car, ran a gas line from a red gas can to the pump, I knew the trucks tank had bad gas in it, and had at it. It fired, so then I changed the oil, coolant, put new hoses on it and belts, plugs, had the carb rebuilt, put a new gas tank in it and have been going good since then. It cranked long enough before it started that the oil pressure was up before it ran.

 

Thanks for a lot of great information and responses. I will keep checking back and collect it all before I get back to him. I love this forum.

 

My car had been sitting for several years before I started it. I pulled the plugs and cranked a bit to circulate oil, then put them in, fresh gas in the tank, a little down the carb, and then started it. Took a little bit of cranking and then it fired right up. Let it run for a few minutes, then turned it off and changed oil & filter. Backed back into the garage, repaired the brakes, and have been driving it several years since.

 

I wouldn't even turn it over with the old oil and filter in it. Who knows what's in the oil pan ! 5 quarts of oil and filter is not that expensive. If it is then your starting the wrong hobby.

 

What about the valve seals & springs in a (then new engine) thats been sitting 20 years?

 

For the first start after sitting, I have been successful with my original post on most.

I should add that you should check the oil level first. The oil on the dipstick will give you a good indication of whether or not to change the oil first. In two, I have found it several quarts HIGH, meaning either water or gas leaked in. Those were drained to check, then refilled and started, after determining the reason for the excess. If water, you have to decide if it is coolant, rain, or flood water. If coolant, you have to take it apart. If gas, you may have a fuel pump or a carb problem, but frequently, it is the pump.

A couple I found low. This could be they were left low or maybe they had leaked. I know none of us have ever seen a Chevy oil pan plug leak before.

If the oil is like tar, it has to come out, but it will have to be hot to get it out. It obviously was run that way, so another 5 minutes to warm it isn't going to make or break the engine.

If it does, you needed to pull the engine anyway.

The reason I start on the old oil is I like to have the oil warm to hot when I drain it. This gets it mostly out. A cold oil drain will leave a lot behind, which contaminates the new fresh oil.

It often separates. Starting on it mixes it back up to be sure the junk gets drained out with the oil, not left behind.


Bottom line, do whatever makes you comfortable. I'm fine with old oil starts. If you aren't, then change to fresh oil.