Engine hasn’t run in 3 years.

[Oldsfiatguy]

I parked my car in the garage 3 years ago never thinking it would sit this long. Is there anything I should do to the engine before I try to start it? Any suggestions are appreciated.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

It depends on the condition of the car/engine before you parked it, but here are some general suggestions. I'm sure I've missed some things, so let's see what others have to say.

1) Make sure the oil and coolant levels are OK.
2) If you can, turn the engine by hand to make sure it hasn't locked up. A large socket wrench on the crankshaft pulley nut works for this.
3) Put a new battery in it, or at least make sure your existing battery is fully charged.
4) Remove the spark plugs and crank the engine to get the oil circulating with no load on it (in other words, you see some pressure on the oil gauge).
5) Put the plugs back in.
6) It's almost certain that your gas has evaporated from the carb and drained back to the tank, so to avoid having to crank it endlessly to get fuel pumped up from the tank to fill the carb, shoot some starter fluid into the carburetor. Don't get carried away, and it may take several "doses" until it starts and runs.
7) Try to start the engine.

Be prepared for some things to act up after sitting so long with no use. Things like belts, fuel lines (hoses) and the mechanical fuel pump may have gone bad. The carb can also be pretty crudded up as the fuel evaporated a long time ago and likely left residue, so you may need to take the carb off and clean it thoroughly.

After it starts and runs a while, change the oil and filter and coolant. The transmission and differential oil levels should also be checked at some point, and it's not a bad idea to change the oil on these. Maybe not immediately, but at some point.

-Bryan

[Oldsfiatguy]

Thanks. Sounds like excellent suggestions.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Forgot to mention: 3-year old gas may not work very well, so you may need to drain the tank and put in some fresh gas. If there are only a couple gallons in the tank, you might be able just to add 5 or 6 gallons more and it will work well enough until you get some new gas flushed through it.

-Bryan

[tima01864]

I would add a little oil or mystery oil once the spark plugs are out. Let it soak in overnight.

[SteinOnkel]

2) If you can, turn the engine by hand to make sure it hasn't locked up. A large socket wrench on the crankshaft pulley nut works for this.


-Bryan

Just wanted to add that this is a pita on some cars (the Spider included). An alternative is to jack up one of the rear wheels and put it into a high gear (like 4th or 5th), then spin the wheel that's in the air by hand. This should rotate the driveline, transmission and engine. It should take some muscle but not excessively so and you should be able to feel the cylinders go through their compression strokes one by one.

[Oldsfiatguy]

Thanks again for all suggestions. Planning on putting them into use this next weekend when I have 4 days off. Will post what I hope will be positive results.