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my 2000 Honda civic has been sitting outside for almost a year. I am about to get it back up and running, I know I have to change oil and filter, brake pads and rotors, ,the tires are good no flat spots, the gas tank is half full should I drain it and put new gas in it?. anything else I need to do for my car ?
I have car that sits about 9 months a year unused at my home overseas. Since I know what to do before leaving it there (in the garage), in a case you don't, there are few tips I would like to share:
Battery! Hope you disconnected it before you let sit your car for so long. Otherwise... it might be dead by now. Consider buying a new battery and installing it with new cables. Battery cables lose their effectiveness over time, and as the copper in the cable ages, it loses its conductive properties.
You probably need to drain any gas in the tank, carburetor float bowls and flush the fuel lines.
Drain, flush and replace radiator coolant. Check all other fluid levels. Check the tire pressure.
Next are spark plugs - inspect and replace them if they look corroded, white or oily.
Crank the engine several times till the oil pressure gauge reads normal. With a couple of pumps of the gas pedal and giving it a little choke, your sleeping machine should come to life.
Let it idle and warm up. Open the hood and check for leaks. Then check the belts. Thorough check of the brakes - friction linings, drums and rotors; calipers and wheel cylinders are subject to corrosion.
Take your car for a short spin around the block, check the brakes and listen to the engine. Check turn signals, headlights, brake lights and high beams to ensure they work.
There might be other things to do, let others to chime in... https://jalopnik.com/heres-what-you-...age-1732796696
Also check this: Service recommendations after a year sitting
elnina hit it pretty good, though with a 2000 honda you have no carb to deal with, just EFI. i recommend a new fuel filter as well, and i would run a good fuel injection cleaner at the same time you put in fresh gasoline. another suggestion would be to pull the throttle body and give it a good clean with some good throttle body cleaner, and you might also clean the EGR system as well.
when you start this engine, let it idle until you get good oil pressure, i dont think there is a way to prime the oil system before starting it with a modern engine without tearing it down or without a pressure system. either way dont ref the engine until you have good oil pressure. once the pressure comes up, check for leaks, coolant, fuel, oil. these all need to be fixed
be aware that the engine might run a bit rough for the first twenty minutes, this is the fuel system cleaner working, and the engine clearing the cobwebs out. after the engine has run for about twenty minutes, take the car for a drive, an easy drive, for about twenty minutes or so to let the car exercise a bit.
Location: San Ramon, Seattle, Anchorage, Reykjavik
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Why not just start it up? I have cars that sit for years and, other than a battery charge, they fire up and I drive them. This isn’t the 1950s. You’d be surprised how resilient modern cars and fuel is.
Why not just start it up? I have cars that sit for years and, other than a battery charge, they fire up and I drive them. This isn’t the 1950s. You’d be surprised how resilient modern cars and fuel is.
Good answer..! Some of these backyarders like to overdo things to the extreme. It's good to be vigilant, but some get carried away. As you stated, this isn't 1950..!
I have a 2003 Chevy S-10 that just turned 21k miles. That averages out to around 1400 miles a year, some years much less, some years much more. It's not unusual for it to sometimes sit for many months at a time.
The truck is well maintained and I occasionally take it for a trip to the store or what ever, just to keep the juices flowing, but for the most part, it sits in the garage looking pretty and resting, waiting for my beckon call...
I am a ASE Master Auto Tech with over 40 years of experience....
I have recent experience with this, having bought a 1999 Ford Ranger last fall that hadn't been started for a well over a year. Here's a step-by-step list of what I did:
1. Moved all the junk the seller had piled around it.
2. Started it up and drove it out of the barn.
3. Put the guy's junk back in place.
4. Washed the bird crap off the windshield.
5. Drove it.
6. Repeated #5 on a daily basis.
Seriously, don't overthink this. Your battery might be low, if so jump it or throw it on a charger for awhile. Don't waste your money replacing it "just in case", find out if it really needs it first. You could throw some gas treatment in if it makes you feel better, but you probably won't need it.
I'm not saying your car won't need anything; but beyond what I mentioned, anything your car needs now it probably needed before you parked it.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I agree, a year is not that bad, and even the gas shouldn't need to be replaced. Check everything, and let it idle until the oil pressure light goes out before moving it. I would fill it the rest of the way when you get it running. The brakes may be a little grabby but after going down a few hills should smooth out. The rust on the front rotors will have to wear off.
The gas and battery are all I'd be concerned about. Today's gas is much more apt to give you problems than gas from years past. If it will start with the gas that's in it, use it. The battery? Just like Duster says, throw a battery charger on it for a couple hours. It it won't take a charge, replace it.
My dad had a '58 Chevy that he stopped driving in the early '60s. He was always going to sell it or trade it, but instead it sat in his driveway, mostly as a "storage shed". Once every year he'd start it up and let it run for a few minutes. That went on as long as I can remember -- several years. I think he finally drove it to the scrap yard with about 40K miles on it.
Do not buy a new battery unless you have to. First put it a low charger for about 2-3 days.
Pour a bottle of fresh oil into the engine, let to flow a little and then turn the engine over a few times slowly with a wrench on the crank bolt. (BE SURE THE BATTERY IS DISCONNECTED).
Check for Squirrel damage to wires and hoses.
Add fuel injection cleaner to the tank.
Air up the tires.
Pump up and make sure the brake pedal doesn't go to the floor.
Install the charged battery and crank it over.
If there are problems found, address them as they come up.
As BostonMike suggested, I would change the oil AFTER the car has come up to and been run at temperature.
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