My car has been parked, and not moved for over a year. It ran great but I had to register it as a non-op because I didn't have the money to smog it. Now I do and I don't know what to do. I've been told I have to take the gas tank out and drain out the old gas and get the tank cleaned. And if I don't and start it up with the old gas that it will ruin the whole engine. Can someone please help me? I don't have a dad or boyfriend or any guy friends that know anything about cars. Any info will be greatly appreciated. :O)
2006-12-12 19:56:53 · 6 answers · asked by carrie 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Unless you know of any contaminants that might have gotten into your gas tank there is no reason to drain it. Get some STP gas treatment (3 or 4 bottles) and pour it in your tank and go ahead and fire it up. It might spit and sputter a little bit, but it should be OK. Fill it with fresh gas as soon as possible.
2006-12-12 20:02:19 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Make sure battery is good and charged and just fire it up, if it was tuned properly and ran good when parked it should still be fine. Gas does go bad after a while, but if there where a few gallons in there with the gas cap sealed(even though they are ventilated usually) it shouldn't be bad. Not sure on the age of the car, but if it is fuel injected, most cars from the mid '80's and up, be sure to get new gas in there soon, and I have never been a huge fan of additives, but a good cleaner may be required to mix with the gas. Once you get it running let it run to full temp before shutting it off again, and don't take it to far from home. Often times vehicles that sit for a while tend to have a few small issues that have evolved. I had a 1988 Daytona that sat 4 years, I put the key in and it started right up with old gas, and same goes for a 1990 Merc Cougar I have, it sat 3 years. Ad far as your smog test, do not get it tested right away, run all the old gas through the system and cleaners, even a good idea to run a few tanks of gas through it. I think you might be able to get a temp permit for the license. Problem is the gas tends to shellac or gels as it gets old, these will emit higher smog read outs, and the cleaners will also show on the smog charts however not as bad as old gas. Hope this helps...
2006-12-12 20:44:59 · answer #2 · answered by ogreB 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get the gas treatment from autozone etc for watered gas, add high octane (premium) gas to the tank, and find a friend with jumper cables willing to spend some time while while trying to start the car.
OH. There's usually a fuel line filter somewhere in there that catches the dirt/sediment that escapes the gas treatment to fix the water in the gas. Never hurts to have that replaced after 50K miles or so regardless.
KISS: Keep It Simple Silly.
Kicking the car, occasionally, assists in mixing the high octane in the tank, knocking rust off necessary electrical components, and relief of frustration when it doesn't work the first time ya turn the key. Do what the energizer rabbit would do. :)
2006-12-12 20:46:45 · answer #3 · answered by Ylyssa 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That might be strictly correct but I've never bothered to drain a tank. But they can be a pig to get going again. Obviously you need to charge the battery, but the battery may have died though lack of use. There are some mechanics tricks to starting an engine that hasn't worked for a while but you need a bit of knowledge to use them. I think you really need some help of some kind.
2006-12-12 20:06:33 · answer #4 · answered by meerkat 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
take it to a mechanic by towing it [[kinda spendy i know]]..or find a guy with a towing device on his truck that would do it for free.
2006-12-12 19:59:36 · answer #5 · answered by volleyballchica 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have it towed.
2006-12-12 20:05:00 · answer #6 · answered by newyorkgal71 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋