How to Remove Your Car From Long-Term Storage

Getting your car back on the road is a little trickier than storing it properly in the first place - but this is still a job that most car owners can deal with.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Car Batteries
• Car Battery Charger
• Motor Oil
• Motor Oil
• Fuel Filters
• Oil Filters
• Pumps & Guages
• Spark Plugs
• Spark Plug Gapping Tools
• Spark Plug Sockets
• Spark Plug Wires

1. Purchase and install a new battery. If the car has been in storage less than a year the battery may be rechargeable.

2. Change the oil and oil filter.

3. Remove the spark plugs and squirt a small amount (a few tablespoons) of motor oil into each cylinder to pre-lubricate the engine.

4. Take the car off the jack stands and add air (probably 32 PSI, but check your owner's manual) to all the tires.

5. Change the fuel filter if the car has been in storage longer than three years.

6. Drain the gas tank and add new fuel only if the car won't run.

7. Replace the spark plug cables if the car has been in storage five or more years or if the cables look cracked and brittle.

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on 7/14/2009 What if the car has been in storage for 7 months? The battery was removed, I believe.

on 11/22/2005 Adding Sta-Bil to the tank is a great idea, but it's not spec'd for very long, certainly not more than a year. It is best to siphon out the gas every year and replace it. It's a pain having to get enough plastic containers, but if your fuel system gunks up you've got serious problems. Take what you siphon out and use in your other vehicles. It's still good enough to use at that point. Then refill the stored vehicle and add Sta-Bil again.

on 11/22/2005 Most cars (at least older ones) will have a nylon strainer in the fuel tank at the bottom end of the pickup tube. Depending on how long the vehicle was stored, this strainer may be clogged with gunk and may need to be replaced. If the car won't run due to fuel starvation and carb adjustments and the like don't help, this may be the problem. I fixed it by removing the strainer and installing a fuel filter off the wall at Auto Zone into the rubber line at the head of the tank (external). I may never have to change the fuel filter again! I can visually check the flow through the added filter as the engine is running.

on 11/22/2005 For carburated engines, replace the fuel pump and related hoses (including coolant hoses), replace the oil (including 1 quart of risoline), drain the fuel, add new fuel, and finally, replace the intake and valve cover gaskets. I did this to a 1978 Corvette that was in storage for 15 years, and it ran and passed smog!

on 11/22/2005 Condensation, rust and dirt are guaranteed to be present after long term storage. So siphon out the old fuel and run it through a fuel filter funnel by Smart Tech. (See,www.mrfunnel.com) Never waste a drop of usable fuel.