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I have an '87 Mustang 5.0 convertible V8 that I'm going to list for sale on Craigslist, Kijiji and Backpage. It hasn't been started nor has it ran since 2006. That means the gasoline is super old so I need to drain the tank so I don't ruin the engine.
Question: can I use an old-fashioned siphon hose to perform the drain job or do I need to have a professional mechanic put the car on a lift and drop the gas tank? Dropping the gas tank would be problematic as my budget is limited and I don't have easy access to a cheap tow truck. So can I use a siphon kit to get the job done and do it myself in my driveway or do I need to have a mechanic do something like this?
yes you will need to drop the tank and since it has not been run in 4 years chances are thae battery is shot and your brakes are going to be rusted and ceased and the shocks might be shot from sitting so long unless you sell it as a cheap fixer upper or invest about $2K into it you will have a hard time selling it
Removing the gas from your tank is the least minor problem you have living next to the beach. You have the possibility of salt air entering the exhaust system going thru the open exhaust valve in the head. There may be some rust in the cyl walls.
Assuming you use the old hose trick...then pour in 2-3 gals of fresh gas to mix with the old gas/varnish still in the bottom of the tank (there will be some ) then the need to check all fuel lines (hoses if any) should be done.
Fresh battery...remove spk plugs...squirt some red auto tranny fluid in the holes...allow to sit over night and hope it cranks over in the morning. Be SURE to disconnect any wire to the Dist/coil as you do not want any spark messing with any gas that may be fed to the cyls.
When the engine cranks over smooth and being lubricated...reinstall spk plugs and connect coil/dist wire. Make sure the Radiator is full and try starting engine and hope things work out. Engine will sputter a little considering the gas in the tank but will smooth out after running a while. I would let it run for 30-60 mins to burn up the fuel and allow engine to lubricate all internal parts thoroughly before attempting to drive.
Okay...the engine is running...now what about the brakes? are they frozen/locked up...maybe needing to be inspected?
I went thru a car that sat for one yr near the beach and had to loosen the motor and redo the entire brake system.
I'm a mechanic and did all of the above on a car I bought.
I don't know if your car has this or not but on my Buick, the fuel rail has a place where you can remove the schroeder valve and install a hose into a bucket. Then near the fuel rail is a wire that when a 12VDC charge is placed on it, activates the fuel pump.
The result is you can drain the tank completely before you attempt to drop it. Just have a fire extinguisher or two on hand and if you don't know what you're doing, don't try it.
I don't think the gas is all that bad. I stored a 460 cu in Mercury for 10 yrs before I tried to restart it. To my amazement it fired right off and ran like a top so I drove it out of the shed to the gas station for fresh fuel. My son then drove it to junior college for two years after I put fresh tires & battery in/on it.
So throw a battery in the car and see what happens.
A agree with tightwad. I had a car stores for years and it fired right up. The gas lost all its octane but it still ran. Drain it with a siphon and put new gas in
I would take Steve Bagu's advice adding a bottle of Seafoam to the new gas, if you only add 2 or 3 gallons of gas only add 1/2 a bottle of seafoam to the tank.
I let my car sit 10 months with gas as i went off on a bike with my wife to see the USA. When I came back the car being parked on a hill in a field on a tarp, the gas was dead, the engine ran but with no power, the clutch was rusted, so I had to warm the engine, shut it off, start up in reverse since going down hill backwards was my only choice for a tree ahead. Get into the field and re-start in 1st, and romp that clutch around till it broke free.
Then I found in not much time, the rear calipers were seized.. Not a problem for me, I got the car jacked up on stands and pushed the pistons back in and pushed them out several times, Then did a 4 wheel brake fluid change and the calipers work in that car today.
Yeah just put some fresh gas in there, with time the old gas will work its way out.
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