Need some car advise

[venomclan]

Hi Guys,
I have decided to take my car out of storage (84 corvette) and play with it a little. However, it will not start. It had started for me about 3 months ago with hesitation, but still started. I suspect that the gas is no longer good. Probably filled with water, as I live in south Florida.

I had sprayed ether (starting fluid) in both the throtle bodies, and it started up no problem, but would die in a few seconds. Any suggestions on how to proceed. I was thinking about adding some fresh fuel along with a water remover. It has about half a tank now. Anyone advise against this?
Thanks for your help.
Best Regards,
Jeremy

[AsSiMiLaTeD]

I'd spend a little bit and take it somewhere and have the tank drained, shoulnd't cost very much...

[Jstas]

Oh geez. Well, filling the tank with fresh fuel will help and dumping a bottle or two of dry-gas in there will also do a good job too. You may want to get fuel stabilizer too

BUT

and that is a big BUT, there may be other problems.

The car may not be starting because the fuel system has piked up crap from the fuel tank. Crap being fuel gunk from broken down fuel, corrosion from the inside of the tank and other uglys that come from petroleum by-products mixing with condensation.

What I would honestly do before I try starting the car again is drop the gas tank, drain it and take a look inside. If there is gunk everywhere, replace the gas tank, fuel pick up, fuel pump, and fuel lines up to the fuel filter. Replace that too. If there is a pile of gunk in there, the more you try to start it, the more gunk you are going to suck up and force down the fuel system. Replacing fouled injectors and other fun little parts car be 3 times the cost of new tank parts.

I would recommend cleaning the tank but it's not a task for anything short of a professional. Unfortunatly, there is no solution in a bottle for this problem. It involves work and money.

That's worst case scenario. Best case scenario is that it is just old gas and needs new stuff. But judging by the humid climate you live in (Ft. Lauderdale), I'm betting it's going to be a little more involved.

[wlrandall]

I agree. If the gas that's in it is that bad, you don't want to burn it.

[venomclan]

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the advise. I think I am going to try to drain some of the gas before dropping the tank, to see if there is any gunk down there. I am afraid however, that I will not like what I see. A buddy of mine had to drop his tank and cleaned out his tank instead of replacement. I am hoping that it will not be a fortune, but afterall, it is a vette (money pit).
Thanks again for the help guys.
Best Regards,
Jeremy

[nadams]

There's a lesson to be learned here....

if you have a toy, play with it! I hate seeing cars (especially nice ones) go to **** because they aren't driven....

[amulford]

How true. I've got a 1983 BMW 633 with less than 75,000 on it just sitting in the GAYrage. I haven't had it on the road in two years. I do satrt it up once every couple months and rotate the tires.

Just can't afford the insurance on it right now....

[venomclan]

I agree, story of our lives. Get something good and abuse it.
The Corvette was my pride and joy. I bought it when I was 21. At the time I had a garage and I could baby it. Even entered into some shows and won a few trophy's. it is a custom Vette.

9 years later, it sits in front of my condo. I havent had a garage for it in about 4 years, so the sun and rain beat down on it. If you have a nice car,, you MUST garage it. With housing costs increasing here 20%/year, garage is out of reach right now.

As long as your toy is not costing a furtune, then it can sit for a bit.
b/r
Jeremy

P.S. The worst of all is this damn audio. Every time I want to play with the car, the money goes to new amps, speakers wire, etc. Get out while you still can!!! lol

[Jstas]

Some things to do when storing a car, it is good to put it up on blocks or jackstands because of the tires getting messed up, flat spotted or dry rotted. But I was also told that jack stands or blocks should be put under the jack points on the frame to support the vehicle. The reason I was told this was that when a suspension sits in one spot, compressed for a long period of time, It can form a memory and the rubber bushings can be damaged. Letting the suspension hang loose keeps the springs from forming a memory. Well, they can form a memory but unless your are getting airborne with the vehicle, you probably won't ever see that memory in normal usage.

Other things I would do is a fuel stabilizer and if it is not run for a while, when you go to start it up again, dump in a bottle of Dry Gas to displace any moisture formed from condenstaion. Unless of course you run it every so often during its storage time.

Also, many people think this is a bad idea but, put the car/truck in storage with a full tank of gas. Gas evaporates over time and if there is not enough gas in the tank, a couple things can happen. Number one, all your fuel pump seals and gaskets dry out, crack and cause problems. Fuel pumps are expensive, so are fuel lines. 25 bucks worth of gas is alot more prefferable to 350 bucks for a new fuel pump installed. Also, depending on if you have a plastic or metal tank, if the gas level is too low and air gets into the tank and moisture condenses, it can start rusting from the inside out. That is also just as bad.

Another thing is to make sure your windsheild washer fluid is full too. The pumps are usually submersed in fluid so it will keep the seals in the pump and the diphram from drying out and cracking. Again, a new pump is 50 dollars or less but I'd rather spend 89 cents at Pep Boys and fill up the resivoir than buy a new pump every year. Also, do not use water, use straight fluid. It has enough water in it already. But, if the water level goes above a 50/50 even ratio, the water can freeze and actually pop open the resivoir. Those are not cheap pieces because the only place to get them as far as I know is a dealer or junkyard.

Some people have told me to change the oil too because the old oil is already broken down and new oil will help keep things pretty inside. I have also been told to run the vehicle at least once a week. If it is on jack stands, put the car in gear and let the drivetrain spin too. That will get the trans fluid and the diff fluid pumping so it doesn't sit. Helps keep gaskets and seals lubricated and prevents rust from forming on bearing surfaces. Don't goose the throttle though because you can have the vehicle jump off its perch and that's bad. Idling to get the oil circulated will do just fine. Oil pumps are geared so that the oil will circulate well even at an 800 RPM idle speed.

Oh yeah, clean the vehicle. Clean it good, inside and out. Keep it covered too to keep dust off and so the paint doesn't get damaged. Any weather stripping on a trunk lid, bed cover, on a tailgate, on the doors and even the hood should be given a coat of silicone grease so that they too do not dry out and stick to the painted metal surfaces. Weatherstripping is very expensive and can be labor intensive to install. Especially if parts are stuck to parts they shouldn't be. If it happens, paint may have to be stripped and repaired and we all know how much that costs.

If you plan on storing the vehicle for a good long time, remove the battery. Sometimes batteries, when they drain completely, can start to leak. Battery acid does major damage.

Also, another thing is, if you store other things like pool filters or lawn chemicals, DO NOT store them in the same place as the car or truck. Especially the chlorine in the pool filter and lime in the lawn chemicals can break down aluminum and cause steel and iron to rust prematurely. It will also destroy paint and anything rubber. It just has to sit in the same room too. The air doesn't even have to move. Also, if you have a laundry room near the storage place or the washer and dryer are in the storage place, you may want to think about changing your storage space or sealing off the laundry room. There are salts and alkalis (basically really potent salts) in detergents and they will destroy the same stuff as lime and chlorine. The fragrances in detergents and especially fabric softner are made up of oils and acids that have the same effect as brake fluid does on anything that is not brakes. It takes a little longer but it will do just as much damage. At least brake fluid doesn't cause metal to rust. The laundry detergents will. They are actually more corrosive.

Other than that, I wouldn't worry about it too much. If the storage area is climate controlled, even better, even less worries. You may want to put a drip pan underneath the vehicle. Even new seals and gaskets will weep over time because that is how they work. They absorb what they are sealing into the engine or drivetrain. They get saturated and they will drop a few drips. The fluids in a vehicle will break down concrete and most other flooring surfaces unless you have a coated or painted floor. Then there won't be a problem, just a stain.

One other thing, check the air pressure the tires. Low pressure can cause the tire to start to dry rot quicker. I have also seen some older cars with bias-ply tires actually have the tread cap seperate from the carcass of the tire due to underinflation while being stored. Tires, any way you cut it, are not cheap. The 60 cents worth of electricity it will take to run the compressor is much more preferrable to the 400-600 dollars it will take to replace tires.

Also, circulate the air in the storage area. Stale air can start to harbor mold and other microscopic nasties that make a mess. If it is cold outside, even better. Open the garage door for a little while and open the doors and/or windows on the vehicle. Let the fresh air in.

One thing about leaving vents open and such, mice and other rodents are an issue. Leaving the vent open can lead to you having to remove either nesting material or dead animal carcasses from the ventilation system. If you know that you do not have a rodent problem in your house or garage then you should be fine. If you can't be sure or know otherwise, I'd advise against it and just make sure to let the vehicle air out every so often.

If you are storing a truck and it's possible, you may want to pop out a bed liner if you can so that any trapped moisture and dirt does not cause problems later on.

I realize that some of this may seem excessive but this is all the little pain in the ass things that cause bigger problems. You don't have to do everything mentioned but it's stuff I would do if I was going to store a vehicle and expect to drive it without a problem later on. Just because the vehicle is not being driven doesn't mean it doesn't need any maintenance.

[PolkThug]

When you pull the throttle, can you see gas come out the carburetor jets? This will help you narrow down the problem.

[venomclan]

Hi Polkthug,
I had a friend of mine spray Ether in the jets, then I would start it up. It ran fine for a few seconds then died. He said that he saw gas spray out of the throttle bodies, so I think it is getting gas. I am not sure though if that gas is any good or has enough octane to keep it going.

[amulford]

Just for kicks, change the fuel filter. Maybe it is clogging, and you'll want to anyway when you tune it up. Also try a little gas down the intake throat instead of ether. I personally don't like ether on gas engines.

There may be a few contributing factors.

[dorokusai]

I recently had my work truck experience the same starting, and stalling problem. It turned out it is a bad fuel pump. I don't know if this is the case for you, but your description is exactly what happened to me yesterday. Good luck :)

[venomclan]

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the advise. I think I will drain the tank by a syphon, then add fresh fuel and see where that leaves me. I will have to wait a few more days though as we have 2 hurricanes coming at us at the same time. I will keep you guys posted. Thanks again.
Best Regards,
Jeremy


Let me tell you something about life, around every corner monsters await. I know, I am one.

Mains: B&W CDM7NT
Center: B&W CDMCNT
Surround: Polk LS/FX

Main Amp: Krell KAV250A
Center Amp: Outlaw M200
Surround Amp: Adcom 535
2-channel Pre: Krell KAV250P
Main Pre amp: Outlaw 950
CD Player: Marantz CD5400
Wire and IC: StraightWire Level 2 & 3