Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General Dangers of letting a car sit without being driven?

There's a bunch of stuff that can go wrong, but I had a 95 mystique sitting for a year and a half, outdoors, and it started right up...after i replaced the battery (which was going bad when we stopped driving the car...and IIRC it was the original unit). car started right up. I recommended changing the oil to my parents, but it's their car and their problem so i don' tknow if they ever did.

I'm in the process of resurrecting several abandoned Subaru's, so maybe we can help each other out? Of course, my cars have sat for at least 5 years. I doubt you'll have all the same problems I'm having/will have, though.


Since the fuel goes to pot after such a long time, you gotta drain the fuel tank. Not only that, but bear in mind that there's all that gunk in your fuel system; ie: lines, injectors, etc. All that gunk will eventually work its way out, but at the exspense of your injectors and spark plugs. Don't bother buying a nice set of spark plugs right away. A set of $1 plugs will do fine, since they'll gunk up pretty soon anyway. Clean the injectors and plugs as often as possible, as well as change the oil as often as possible. Also flush the coolant along with the oil changes. Basically, all the fluids in the car are crap, and you've got to get them out before any damage is done to the car. As with any oil change, replace the oil filter, too. Replace it each time you change the oil; as the oil will be full of junk, too.


Of course change the obvious things like the battery, air filter, and maybe spark plug wires; depending on milage.


It'll take a little while to get the motor and tranny back to their original running condition. I'd run premium gas and a bottle of fuel injector cleaner in every tank for a while to be sure.




I hope you don't have the same problem with ants that I do.

Yeap. Ya learn something new everyday.

My car started right up after not running for a year.

Remember to the general public that knows nothing about cars, if a car sits and doesn't run, it is "saved".

I.E, you can say the car was "stored and therefore the mileage is low". People will eat it up.

Some will say "I have my late great aunt's 1979 AMC Pacer, it must be a classic, and it's well preserved from sitting in the garage for 10 years!"

this thread is scaring me

my car has been sitting for 2 months with a blown headgasket and I've got a lil water in the oil plus the gas is still there.

I've heard that the piston rings can rust from this? I hope I'm ok.