Already posted something identical before but tomorrow is the big day. Would love some pro pointers and warnings to avoid a mess.

My sister's car hasn't moved since she suffered multiple brain aneurysms end 2017. The cost of insurance, automobile club service, etc its eating us alive and we think it's is time to sell it.

Got a mechanicaly inclined friend coming tomorrow to lead the rescue operation but SF is the Fountain of Wisdom.

Car is 2013 Ford Fiesta Kinetic Titanium. Battery is dead so there ain't much else I can tell.

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Since you're just going to sell it, I;d say put a fresh battery in it, add gasoline off necessary, and give it a rip. My bet, it starts right up. The next owner should probably do a complete maintenance on the car, but that's his/her issue to address.

How did it run before it was parked? Has it been indoors, or left sitting outside? The battery is probably dead beyond hope of salvage, and the gas in the tank may be stale. If bad enough and long enough, it could clog the injectors. Sometimes piston rings can rust to the cylinder walls. Cross that bridge when you come to it. Take the air cleaner and its ducting out and make sure there are no vermin nests in it (or in other places, for that matter). Try to charge or jump start the battery (replace if it won't take either) and see if it will even crank.

I'd check the oil, charge the battery, and remove any critters that have moved in. Then I like to pull the plugs and put a bit of oil in each of the cylinders, pull the fuel pump fuse, and turn it over for a few 15 second periods with the starter. This will help build oil pressure and lube the cylinder walls. Put it back together and see if she goes.

If you really want to be safe, pull each spark plug and squirt some marvel mystery or motor oil in each cylinder. A healthy squirt. Let it sit for about 10 minutes then fire it up. Since all the oil has long drained into the pan it gives something to lube at initial startup. I do agree, however, after two years it should fire up. Gas is bad. If less than full I would add as much fresh gas as you can before starting.

We learn of the existence of the vehicle almost a year ago. Had too many other priorities.
For all we know, it got into the garage by its,own means. Allegedly well kept until abandoned.

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Oil in each cylinder before starting is a must. Once the battery is installed, put the switch in 'run' and wait about a minute before beginning.

Pulling the fuel pump fuse or relay as dbgeek suggests before trying to crank it is a good idea as most engines will need to register some kind of oil pressure before the ECU will start to ground the injectors. After you reinsert the fuse/relay, and turn the key to 'run' you should be able to hear the fuel pump run in the tank. Have your friend listen for it while you turn the key. Some ECUs will only prime the fuel pump in 30 second intervals so it may not hear it every time.

Is the oil filler cap engineered in such a way that you can see the oil once it makes it to the top of the engine?

Other things worth mentioning is have it run up to operational temperature before shifting the transmission into gear or turning the steering wheel allowing them to warm the fluids after such a long period of disuse. Fill the radiator if it is low and see if the coolant begins to circulate properly. Also check to see if the cooling system has a bleeder valve (most don't) just in case.

Later, seat the brakes by pumping the pedal a few times with the engine off. Start the engine and the booster should kick in and the pedal should go further to the floor (this does not work if your booster is hydraulic or electric).

Good luck.

I'd mist some oil into the cylinders with the plugs out, and if able, also mist some oil into the top cover if it's an overhead cam engine so some of the oil mist will land on the cam.

You don't want fuel or spark initially, so pull the appropriate fuses, breakers, or relays to prevent the fuel pump operation, the injectors firing, or the ignition coil(s) from generating spark.


Crank it in 15 second intervals allowing the starter a chance to cool down a bit between usage. Continue several additional periods of cranking beyond when oil pressure indication comes up.

Reinstall everything you removed, start engine and allow it to come up to operating temperature gradually, don't attempt to drive it or rev the engine during this time.

quote:

Originally posted by dbgeek:
I'd check the oil, charge the battery, and remove any critters that have moved in. Then I like to pull the plugs and put a bit of oil in each of the cylinders, pull the fuel pump fuse, and turn it over for a few 15 second periods with the starter. This will help build oil pressure and lube the cylinder walls. Put it back together and see if she goes.

All good things to do and I'll add a few more.
- check all the belts that you can physically touch. Make sure they're not in really bad shape.
- check radiator hoses, coolant hoses and the like.
- check the air filter box. Get any critters out.
- look under the car to make sure you don't see any wires or fragments of wires laying on the ground. I'll explain this one a bit.
Mother died in 2006 and her 2001 Chevrolet Impala sat for at least 2 years but possibly 3. I had to replace a lot of things to get her back on the road.
The wire checking suggestion has to do with mice that will chew on most anything and in my case, part of the main wiring harness that the mice decided to chew on.
Took me a while to figure this one out.
Good luck and I hope everything works out for you.

I step further would be to get a breaker bar on the crankshaft via the hermonic balencer/pully bolt and rotate the engine through a time or two prior to cranking with the starter. That would tell you if it's seized pretty quick. Highly unlikely, but a step that would only take a few minutes generally.

What are your plans for it. If getting it running to drag it to Carmax for appraisal and sale, do the minimum. If more than that, I'd be most concerned about phase separation in the gasoline, but that's also the biggest PITA.

I just started my box truck that's been sitting for 2 years after replacing the batteries, but it's diesel. That's the second time it sat for an extended period. First time, I started it up, and put it to work. Taking it out for a ride around the block tomorrow. We'll see how it goes.

Guys,

I'm suspecting the car is in Argentina because that's his location and his reference to automobile club service.

I don't think they have CarMax down there...

Check the fuel open the filler door see if it smells ok or not, drop in battery and pull gas pump fuse and let it crank watch oil pressure replace fuel pump fuse if fuel smells Bad don’t start get tank drained and replace gas with fresh fuel

It’s got an in-line fuel filter to catch any dirt so you should be ok

I’ll bet it starts right up, it’s not like you found a 65 mustang in a barn that’s sat for 30 years.

Take plenty of Coffman cartridges....

quote:

Originally posted by the_sandman_454:
I'd mist some oil into the cylinders with the plugs out, and if able, also mist some oil into the top cover if it's an overhead cam engine so some of the oil mist will land on the cam.

You don't want fuel or spark initially, so pull the appropriate fuses, breakers, or relays to prevent the fuel pump operation, the injectors firing, or the ignition coil(s) from generating spark.


Crank it in 15 second intervals allowing the starter a chance to cool down a bit between usage. Continue several additional periods of cranking beyond when oil pressure indication comes up.

Reinstall everything you removed, start engine and allow it to come up to operating temperature gradually, don't attempt to drive it or rev the engine during this time.

^ Best plan. Like you see done endless times on Youtube. Even a 70-year-old Russian SU152.

It's probably worth trying to charge the battery, but it may not work. Deeply discharging lead-acid batteries causes the sulfate in the acid to react with the lead plates and crystalize out.

In severe cases, it can deplete the acid solution too much for the battery to function, eat the lead plates, or short adjacent plates together.

I would try to pump out any old gas first before adding new gas turning the fuel pump on.
The other stuff, battery and some oil in the cylinders are covered above.^^
Also open the radiator cap just to double check the level.

quote:

Originally posted by cruiser68:
If you really want to be safe, pull each spark plug and squirt some marvel mystery or motor oil in each cylinder. A healthy squirt. Let it sit for about 10 minutes then fire it up. Since all the oil has long drained into the pan it gives something to lube at initial startup. I do agree, however, after two years it should fire up. Gas is bad. If less than full I would add as much fresh gas as you can before starting.

Yes, but let the oil soak in for overnight if possible. Leave the plugs out while you crank it over, better yet crank it by hand first. Also put rags over the cylinders to catch all the oil that will blow out.

If you crank it with oil and plugs you, most likely you will get hydraulic lock, and possibly bend some connecting rods.

The car is for sale. Put a new battery in it, make sure no critters moved into the air box and engine, start it. It will start right up. Air the tires back up. No need for anything else. Drive it to work, burn off the old gas, fill the tank with fresh gas. Put a for sale sign on it.

quote:

Originally posted by bubbatime:
The car is for sale. Put a new battery in it, make sure no critters moved into the air box and engine, start it. It will start right up. Air the tires back up. No need for anything else. Drive it to work, burn off the old gas, fill the tank with fresh gas. Put a for sale sign on it.

Sheesh .... I agree with bathtime .....