I have a question for the car gurus here about starting an old Explorer.

[palmettomoon]

I have a 2006 Ford Explorer 4x4 that has been sitting in the carport since July 2020. The battery was dead so I hooked up a tender to see if it'd take a charge and maybe turn over. After about 30 minutes, a sufficient charge was built to make the starter go and the engine did sputter to life. I stopped driving it in 2020 because the transmission was slipped into "limp mode" or wouldn't go into any gear higher than low. It would reverse however. I thought I'd fix it but never got around to it.

I know I'm not supposed to just crank and go after 20 months of sitting idle, so what should I do? Drain the old gas and replace with fresh? Change the oil? I know it needs a tune up at minimum since the car has 294,000+ miles on it and still has the original spark plugs, etc. The transmission was rebuilt in 2017. It has new tires on it.

Given the car market today, should I try to get it running and fix the transmission and then sell it or just sell it to someone (who has asked to buy it) for $1,500 as it sits?

Is there a common checklist of things to do to restart/run a car that's been sitting up for almost two years?

Thanks,

 

[Gingerbeard Man]

Everything being more expensive at the moment I'd say sell it as a mechanics special as is. You'll end up putting more money into it and be upside down in the back end.

 

[palmettomoon]

Everything being more expensive at the moment I'd say sell it as a mechanics special as is. You'll end up putting .ore money into it and be upside down in the back end.

That's my take on it too.

 

[Crochet556]

I’d dump it @ $1,500.

 

[Beawer]

I'd add some Marvel Mystery Oil to the crankcase and let it idle for a few minutes to warm up then let it sit over night before an oil change to break up any sludge or deposits. Add a bottle of Prolong to the trans fluid and see if that helps

 

[Outlier]

How much is a used transmission? What would/did the rebuild cost? As crazy as the current market is, $1500 seems kinda low to me.

I'm not a Ford guy nor have I ever worked for Ford so maybe I'm off base on that.

 

[41mag]

Give it a transmission fluid change (and oil change) to see if trans acts any better.

 

[Granite3]

What condition is the interior/exterior? If nice, I would try the Marvel Mystery oil or Seafoam in the tranny before selling it. 2017 rebuilt tranny should not have flaked out in 3 years.

 

[palmettomoon]

I'm likely to sell it as a "mechanic's special" and take the first $1,500 cash offer.

 

[palmettomoon]

What condition is the interior/exterior? If nice, I would try the Marvel Mystery oil or Seafoam in the tranny before selling it. 2017 rebuilt tranny should not have flaked out in 3 years.

I know. Unfortunately the shop that did the work has shut.