Tips for Starting Old Vehicles After Storage

There are many reasons you might keep a vehicle in storage for long periods. Perhaps it’s part of a collection of classic cars meant mostly for display. Maybe you simply didn’t need to drive about for a while because you were on vacation or using another.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the exact steps you need to safely start your old car that has been sitting in storage.

First, Consider the Specific Conditions of the Car and Its Storage

One consideration is how well it was prepared for storage before it was parked and under what conditions. Was it under an open pole barn or inside four walls? Was it parked knowing it was going to be left there for a long time before it was to be driven again? What kind of shape is the vehicle in overall? Have rodents been living under the hood building nests and chewing on the wires?

If so, was fuel stabilizer added to the fuel tank? Even better, was the fuel tank drained completely to prevent the gasoline from going bad? Was the carburetor drained (if equipped) by running the engine with the gas tank empty until the carburetor had no gas in it? If that was done, the carburetor is likely clean with little or no varnish to cause problems.

If the car was only stored for a few weeks, that’s one thing. If it was stored for a year or more, that’s different. And if it was parked without the knowledge that it would sit fallow for a long time, there’s a pretty good chance that more work will be required. But that’s not always the case, as peculiar as that may sound.

Whatever the case, starting a stored car requires careful preparation, but again, every experience getting an old car started is different. Some require surprisingly little work. Others wind up being practically nothing but an elaborate ship anchor. 

If you find yourself in the position to undertake this, do it carefully.

Examine the Engine

1. Look for critter damage to the engine wiring, the belts, and the hoses. Remove any nests, dead critters, etc.
2. Pull the dipstick and check the engine oil. Is it full? If it’s over full, you need to know why. Water will settle to the bottom of the oil pan and displace the engine oil. 
3. If it’s overfull, remove the drain plug to see if oil comes out or if there’s something else in the bottom of the pan. If water or coolant comes out, you’re done until you find out how it got in there.
4. If the oil is on the full mark, check the radiator or surge tank for coolant. If it’s empty, add water to see if water leaks out somewhere. If it does, find out where and see what happened to cause the leak. If it’s leaking from an expansion plug, the engine probably froze and you need to stop right there and find out if the engine has suffered other damage.
5. If the surge tank or radiator is full, proceed.
6. Spin the engine with a good battery (jumper cables or a battery from another vehicle) to see how it sounds. 
7. If it’s a newer 4 or 6 cylinder engine (mid 1990s and newer) with low tension piston rings, it may spin like it has no compression at all, even if it was running when parked. If so, remove the spark plugs and add some light engine oil or some Type F transmission fluid (which has no silicone in it). With the ignition system disabled, spin the engine to lubricate the cylinder walls. Reinstall the plugs and see it sounds like it has compression. 
8. Older engines with higher tension rings may spin slowly due to dry cylinder walls. Do the same thing. Remove the plugs and squirt some oil or Type F transmission fluid in the cylinders. Then with the ignition system disabled, spin it over to wet the cylinder walls and seal the rings. It should spin faster as the oil does its work.
9. Put the plugs back in and listen for a normal-sounding engine as you spin it.
10. Check the ignition system for a good hot spark. If you have no spark, you’ll need to find out why. Nothing else matters if you don’t have spark. Make sure the plugs are at least clean and at best, new, once you know you have a good strong spark.

Check the Vehicle’s Battery

If you didn’t use a trickle charger to keep your old car’s battery topped up during storage, it’s probably out of charge. Go ahead and charge the battery on slow charge for about four hours (4-6 amps) and then either check the battery yourself or have it checked at a parts store.  

You can remove the battery for storage before the vehicle is parked to keep this from happening, but even if you removed it, you still need to check it before you reinstall it. 

Pro Tips are nuggets of information direct from ASE-certified automobile technicians working with CarParts.com, which may include unique, personal insights based on their years of experience working in the automotive industry. These can help you make more informed decisions about your car.

Pro Tip: If the battery doesn’t have at least as many cold cranking amps as the engine has cubic inches, you’ll need a new battery. But before you buy a battery, you might want to make sure the vehicle is even worth spending the money on a new battery. Again, it greatly depends on the vehicle, how long it was parked, how much it’s worth to you, etc.

Revive the Fuel System

Okay, now that you’ve determined that the engine has oil and coolant and spins over well, you need to check the fuel system to see what needs to be done.

If the fuel has a sharp, sour or varnish-like smell or a darkened or cloudy appearance, it all needs to be removed from the tank, the lines, and the carburetor (if equipped). It may also have clogged the fuel injectors. 

Pro Tips are nuggets of information direct from ASE-certified automobile technicians working with CarParts.com, which may include unique, personal insights based on their years of experience working in the automotive industry. These can help you make more informed decisions about your car.

Pro Tip: One mistake a lot of people make when the tank has rotten gas in it is that they’ll try to add good fresh fuel to the tank of bad fuel. But adding good fuel to rotten fuel is like pouring fresh milk together with sour milk in a jug; all the milk winds up ruined. Don’t do that. Get rid of the rotten gas. Gas gets more explosive as it breaks down. Remember that.

Replace or Clean the Fuel Filter

The fuel filter keeps the fuel flowing into your engine clean and contaminant-free. If it has been there for a long time (fuel filters are often neglected even on vehicles that are driven) replace it.

Check the Fuel Pump

The fuel pump drives the fuel from the tank to the engine, and it tends to degrade over time. Inspect the fuel pump for leaks or damage before starting your vehicle. If it has issues, the vehicle might not start at all. 

1. On a vehicle with a mechanical fuel pump, disconnect the fuel line from the carburetor, connect a hose, and run the hose into a large container, preferably a safe clear plastic jug (thick plastic made for gasoline) or in a white five gallon bucket with a lid that has a pour spout. You need to be able to see the gasoline as it’s being pumped by the pump. 
2. With a good battery, and if the engine will spin, measure the fuel transfer rate through the hose into the container. A mechanical fuel pump should move a lot of fuel really fast if it’s working right.
3. If the fuel pump is electric, switch the key on and see if you can hear the pump humming in the tank. If you can’t, you need to find out why. If the pump hums, check the fuel pressure (this may be difficult on some platforms). Look online to see normal pressure, but usually you’ll need about 40 psi or over 60 if it’s a CSFI Chevy with spider injection.
4. See if the engine will start. If it does, see how it runs, look for steam from the exhaust or black smoke, and watch to make sure it has good oil pressure and doesn’t overheat.

Top Up the Oil and Other Car Fluids

Check and change the vehicle’s motor oil as needed. Replace the oil filter.

Keep in mind that if your vehicle is a classic car made before the 1980s with a flat-tappet camshaft, you’ll need to top it up using oil with a zinc additive called ZDDP. If your vehicle doesn’t require this additive, make sure to buy an oil without it. Otherwise, the zinc can contaminate the catalytic converter. 

Check and refill the vehicle’s other important fluids as needed, including the transmission fluid, brake fluid, and coolant.

Clean the Engine Bay

Dust and dirt will settle inside an old car’s engine bay if it’s been sitting idle for a long time, so inspect and clean the engine bay thoroughly. 

Also, keep an eye out for any critter infestations. You don’t want to smell burned rodents in your engine when you fire it up.

Check the Wiring

If you find signs of rodents or other critters nesting in the engine bay, inspect the wiring. If there are holes in the air intake ducting or there are exposed, chewed-on wiring harness parts, the electrical system might be compromised. 

Have a professional auto electrician take a look at your vehicle if you suspect damaged wiring.

Examine the Tires and Brake Pads

Tires can deflate and develop flat spots if your vehicle’s been in storage for a while. Re-inflate tires with low air pressure to the correct, manufacturer-recommended pressure. Change the tires if they can no longer hold air or if the damage to their tread or sides is too great. 

Pro Tips are nuggets of information direct from ASE-certified automobile technicians working with CarParts.com, which may include unique, personal insights based on their years of experience working in the automotive industry. These can help you make more informed decisions about your car.

Pro Tip: Tires that are over 6 years old aren’t under warranty any more, even if they look new. Tires that are over 10 years old should always be replaced.

Also, examine your vehicle’s brake pads to ensure they have enough material on them to reliably stop your vehicle. If you notice braking abnormalities while driving or the brake pads look like they have too little material left on them, take your vehicle in for an inspection asap. 

Pro Tips are nuggets of information direct from ASE-certified automobile technicians working with CarParts.com, which may include unique, personal insights based on their years of experience working in the automotive industry. These can help you make more informed decisions about your car.

Pro Tip: Make sure the wheel bearings and other related parts aren’t locked up and that the brakes actually work. If you don’t have a good solid brake pedal, don’t drive the vehicle.

Start and Test Drive the Vehicle

Once you’ve checked all essential parts and ensured they’re working well, you can start and test drive your vehicle. 

Ensure the charging system is working and double-check the brakes before taking on the roads. Pull each wheel to check for hydraulic fluid leaks if you want to be extra safe. The test drive should help you identify any areas that still need repairs.
And that’s it! Now you know what to do with an old car that’s been sitting for a while.