Old Car Running Again?

[Ken Ford]

Drain the tank and use a borrowed battery.
If you get it running use the sea foam one can go about 8 gallons. IF it starts and runs you will need to replace the fuel filter after it runs a few hours, maybe before it starts.
Again if you get it running count on replacing all water hoses, belts and tires. Change the oils and coolant, and then check all vacuumed hoses and rubber boots.
Hopefully the rodents haven’t made it their home and eaten the wiring.

 

[Willy Leadwell]

How thoroughly do yo have to "get the gas out of it" ? Drain the tank? What about the fuel pump and lines going up to the engine?

I would drain the tank, put some fresh gas with sea foam in it, unhook a fuel line as close to the engine as possible, then turn it on and let that fresh gas flush the lines out.

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

If it ran OK, it would be worth $1500.

If she wanted to buy a car just like it, it would cost $1500 in a private party sale, or $2500 at a dealership.

Why scrap it, if it can be made to run for a few hundred dollars for small repairs and neglected maintenance?

 

[Ken Ford]

I would drain the tank, put some fresh gas with sea foam in it, unhook a fuel line as close to the engine as possible, then turn it on and let that fresh gas flush the lines out.

That assuming the pump isn’t fouled.
Lines shouldn’t have air in them, so will actually have a better chance of non gelling.
But that pump... that’s why I suggested borrowed battery and drain the tank. If it’s fouled past that the repairs would not be cost effective.

 

[rockyfatcat]

It’s going to take a few things to get it reliable. There are things that will stop working just because it hasn’t been run.
Tires will need to get replaced sooner. Having the gas tank emptied and starting with fresh gas will help.
I remember back in the day. When we found and old VW bug. If we opened up the engine, the oil would only come out with a putty knife. If you ran the motor for 5 minuets first, you could drain the oil and usually get away with just refilling it.
I would buy a car like that in a heartbeat. It will probably get on the road quickly and require more stuff to be fixed when it quits.M

If you aren’t interested I will buy it

 

[jeep78]

If it ran OK, it would be worth $1500.

If she wanted to buy a car just like it, it would cost $1500 in a private party sale, or $2500 at a dealership.

Why scrap it, if it can be made to run for a few hundred dollars for small repairs and neglected maintenance?

You haven't paid for parts or labor any time lately, have you?

Labor will eat you up, and little stuff like belts, hoses, antifreeze, oil, filters, brakes, and tires will be more than "a few hundred dollars" just by themselves.

The car can be fixed cheap, IF you aren't paying labor, and IF you know how to source the parts at dealer cost.

 

[gh1950]

If it ran OK, it would be worth $1500.

If she wanted to buy a car just like it, it would cost $1500 in a private party sale, or $2500 at a dealership.

Why scrap it, if it can be made to run for a few hundred dollars for small repairs and neglected maintenance?

I'd try to fix, but that's just me.

It's a good car (we call it "the teacher's car") that will last someone a long time.

Most of what I have suggested can be done by some one with moderate mechanical ability and a free weekend. It's mostly "paint by the numbers"

First, get a good battery, clean the terminals, wouldn't hurt to remove the hot wire from the starter and clean that end too, clean where there red wire grounds to the body or engine. You have to use a good battery because a totally dead battery acts as a sink, and you have to get the battery charged to a certain level before current will flow to the starter. If it's really old and totally sulfated, that's never going to happen.

You can buy a battery and if the car doesn't start, take it back and get your money back.

So now you have a battery, hook it up and see if the car will turn over. If it will not turn over, you need to evaluate your priorities. Actually try blowing the horn first -this is the easiest way to see if all of your connections are good.

If it turns over, stop. Take the plug wires off, put about a quart of K-1 kerosene in the crankcase (oil filler tube) and turn the engine over. Just a few revs and stop, several times (don't run the battery down). Drain the now diluted oil, then put in new oil and a filter. Put the plug wires back on. Personally I would change the plugs because new plugs are good ju-ju. A shot of Marvel Mystery oil in each cylinder as you go won't hurt anything and might help.

Siphon out as much of the gas as you can. Then disconnect the fuel line at the engine, put the line into something like a glass wine bottle or small gas can, and turn the engine over. This should purge the lines. There is not much gas in the lines between the tank and the fuel rail. This can be a little dicey, it doesn't hurt to have a fire extinguisher handy. Don't just disconnect the gas line and try to crank it - capture the gas in a suitable container.

Put some gas in the tank. It's fuel injected (probably) so there's no reason to prime it - if the fuel pump is working it will pressurize the system. Sea Foam or such won't hurt. It will help to research and find out where the fuel pump is. If it is an external pump, it's an easy swap out if the original one isn't working - if it is internal, it becomes a job for someone with a shop.

I think you can borrow a fuel pressure gauge from Autozone et al, which will tell you if the pump is working.

If it cranks, check the brake and transmission fluid and fill as necessary, Both should be changed as soon as possible, but for the time being topping them off is o.k. Same with the radiator, you can just top it off with water to get it running, but watch water type temp gauge it has. Flush the radiator as soon as possible and refill.

Change all the hoses and belts.

Based on the mileage, you should consult with a Toyota specialist about whether the timing belt needs to be changed - what you want to ask is "is this an interference engine." If a timing belt change is imminent, feasibility becomes an issue.

The brakes should be fine, as noted above a new set of tires is in order.

The A/C probably needs to be recharged.

At this point it's not a bad idea to check the air filter for mice nest, dirt dauber nests and such. If the filter is totally trashed you can remove it, replace the cover and go ahead and try to crank it. just don't let it run very long with no air filter.

It should crank if it is inclined to do so.

Sitting up is not the best thing in the world for an engine (or car). I've rehabbed a few trucks and tractors, and as long as water hasn't gotten into the interior of the mechanicals (like leaving the air filter cover off or some such), and they were properly lubed to start with, they usually aren't that hard to get to come back to life.

These are well made cars, and I think it can restarted without too much effort or expense. The timing belt would be my biggest concern, and if it has a timing chain, then no worry.

 

[lftd&pwrstrok'n]

I am not a mechanic and can not give advice, but I will give a first hand experience on the subject.

Worked with a guy from '93-'96. There was an early 80's Z28 sitting in his parents yard that they claimed was knocking so they parked it 6-7 years prior. He was in need of a vehicle, so we thought what the hell. Took the battery out of this mother's mini van and put it in the Camaro. Car fired up and I followed him the 10-12 miles into town to a local mechanic shop. Car smoked like the devil, but made it to the shop. They tuned it up and probably replaced all the liquids. He was still driving it several years later. YMMV

 

[roundhouse]

A couple years ago someone gave me a nice bus that had been sitting for eight years
Had a Chevy 454 TBI engine
I installed new batteries
Checked the oil and water
Disconnected the coil wire so I could spin it over a few times without it cranking to splash around some oil

When you do this never crank the engine more than ten seconds , and let it sit for two minutes to let the starter cool off before you crank it again


Someone had cut the fuel filler hose and stolen all the gas , which was actually a good thing , I replaced the how and filled the tank
Cycled the ignition switch about a dozen times to prime the fuel system and fired it up

Sold it for $6400

I had to replace the brake pads and rubber brake hoses


I also bought a 86 Mazda 323 for $200 that had been parked for years
I aired up the tires
put a new battery in it and drove it home

Needed a new water pump , old one was leaking , new brake pads and new tires

I added R134 to the old r 12 AC without any changeover kit and it blew ice cold
I drove it like I stole it for years , took it to my hunting shack just because everyone said you had to have a 4wd truck to get in there ...

sold it for $700 and the guy I sold it too blew the head gasket a few months later because he never checked the water level

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

That's encouraging.
Now the big question is whether to go through the expense of having a local mechanic drain the fuel line before even attempting to start it. I can siphon the gas tank myself, and I have a hand pump made for transferring gas or other such liquids.