1992 Subaru sitting for 7 years

[brendanr279]

Hi, guys. I have a 1992 Subaru Legacy. It has only 26000 miles on it, but unfortunately it has been sitting for 7 years and won't start. I've replaced the battery, changed the oil, and pulled the plugs to fog the cylinders with lube all before I tried to start the car. It turns over, but does not kick on at all, no sign of wanting to start at all. I'm planning on checking for spark at the plugs and trying to troubleshoot the fuel system. I'd like to replace the old fuel too. Does anyone have any suggestions as to why it won't start? Any suggestions as to what else I should do to revitalize the car? I'd like some opinions and tinker a bit before I cave in a bring it to a mechanic. Thanks.

[bstone]

Hi, guys. I have a 1992 Subaru Legacy. It has only 26000 miles on it, but unfortunately it has been sitting for 7 years and won't start. I've replaced the battery, changed the oil, and pulled the plugs to fog the cylinders with lube all before I tried to start the car. It turns over, but does not kick on at all, no sign of wanting to start at all. I'm planning on checking for spark at the plugs and trying to troubleshoot the fuel system. I'd like to replace the old fuel too. Does anyone have any suggestions as to why it won't start? Any suggestions as to what else I should do to revitalize the car? I'd like some opinions and tinker a bit before I cave in a bring it to a mechanic. Thanks.

 

Where in Boston are you? I'm in Cambridge. Maybe this can become an afternoon hobby.

 

Definitely check for spark. It might be a bad ignitor or coil pack. Hard to say, but a good place to check.

[SubiDemon]

it takes 4 things to make a car run; spark, fuel, compression, and timing. Check one at a time. With that low of miles and sitting that long I'd look at clogged fuel lines/bad fuel and possibly stuck rings (low compression).

[OB99W]

it takes 4 things to make a car run; spark, fuel, compression, and timing.

Although it may not be what's lacking in this case, I'd add "air" to the list.

[brendanr279]

Where in Boston are you? I'm in Cambridge. Maybe this can become an afternoon hobby.

 

Definitely check for spark. It might be a bad ignitor or coil pack. Hard to say, but a good place to check.

 

 

 

I'm in Roslindale. I just sent you a message through this site with some contact info. Is there a chat function on this site?

[brendanr279]

it takes 4 things to make a car run; spark, fuel, compression, and timing. Check one at a time. With that low of miles and sitting that long I'd look at clogged fuel lines/bad fuel and possibly stuck rings (low compression).

 

So I should make sure the fuel pump is working. If the lines are clogged, but the pump is working, I could loosen a line near the engine and it should squirt fuel out to make sure the lines are okay, correct?

[idosubaru]

yes - that's what i do on cars that won't start.

 

i first verify spark.

pull 4 cylinder plug wires and check for spark from each.

 

pull the hose at the fuel filter and crank the car, let gas pour out, it's not going to hurt anything. that verifies fuel.

 

these 2 tests will likely tell you something.

 

gas deteriorates quickly, common rule is to treat any fuel that's going to sit for like 6 months, a lot of folks treat their fuel if it sets for the summer (snow blower) or winter (tractor, etc). so that yours sat for 7 years, that's some really old gas. granted FI isn't as problematic but still not good -

[OB99W]

If the fuel pump is working and the injectors aren't leaking, even with the key off the fuel lines will remain under about 40 psi of pressure for quite a while -- be prepared for some gas to squirt out if you open a hose connection.

[SubiDemon]

Checking for fuel is easier than pulling a line. Just spray some starting fluid down the throttle body. If it wants to start on ether then you have a fuel problem.

[markjw]

The "sticky ring" comment from above is a Real possibility. I have run into it a few times with cars that sat for far less time than 7 yrs. Of coure,a compression test will give a indication of this problem. If you do happen to do a compression test,and a couple cyl or more come up very low,or zero,don't panic.

 

Pour in a couple ounces of Marvel oil into the cyl by way of the spark plug hole, install spark plugs, and crank for as long as you dare. Maybe do this a couple times.

 

If you can get the engine to fire,or maybe even run, the situation will clear it self up pretty quick.

 

Side note: Sticky rings = compression rings sieze into the piston grooves and will not expand to allow compression. My own lame definition.

[zyewdall]

Checking for fuel is easier than pulling a line. Just spray some starting fluid down the throttle body. If it wants to start on ether then you have a fuel problem.

 

Given my experience with vehicles that have sat that long with old fuel, it's probably turned to varnish in either the injectors themselves, the fuel filter, or the pump. The one's I've been doing have usually been carbureted, so I'm not sure if the injectors could gum up, but the filter and the pump certainly can after about 10 years BTDT So.... try with starter fluid and if it runs on that, it's the fuel system. Putting new plugs and wires on it just for kicks wouldn't be a bad move either.. you know you are probably going to need to replace them anyway after you get it running.

[SubiDemon]

 

If you can get the engine to fire,or maybe even run, the situation will clear it self up pretty quick.

 

Probably, not always. Rings can be stubborn sometimes.

 

 

Now, check for spark and spray some starting fluid (not at the same time) and let us know how it turns out!

[brumby420]

Yeah the rings are important. i know on my old GL wagon before i got it, it sat for 7 years. Luckily the rings were and still are ok. What we did was try moving the distributor around to find its sweet spot and it ran after that and a couple of fuel lines. Do you have any idea exactly why the car had been sitting so long in the first place cause that there can tell a lot of info about what it might need.

[brendanr279]

So I pulled a fuel line at the filter and it wasn't getting any fuel. I figured out that it was the fuel pump, probably gummed with the varnish that was all over it. I replaced that and siphoned out the old fuel and replaced, the car started right away, but isn't running like a top though. It's running pretty well and I still have to replace the fuel filter and oil filter. It is making a pretty distinct ticking noise from the engine that concerns me. I haven't driven it or left the engine running for any good length of time yet also.

 

Once I get the thing running decent though, do I need to worry about other components? A couple people have mentioned to me I should have the timing belt inspected or my brakes and rotors will all need to be replaced... these aren't so much the opinions of experienced people though.

[StructEngineer]

Your injectors probably have deposits in them. I would probably run seafoam or syntec through the fuel for awhile and change out the fuel filter one more time after a few thousand miles.

 

I would definitely change all belts and hoses (radiator and brake). I would also change tires.

 

PS, I would never put MMO directly into the cylinder of a boxer engine. Sounds like a hydrolock death wish to me if you cant get it out before cranking it over.

[allwheeldad]

After sitting idle for seven years I wouldn't be surprised if many components needed to be adressed. I have a 1978 Porsche 928 that I had stored for about the same amount of time and when I went to get it out there were all kinds of things wrong. The throw-out bearing for the clutch threw itself out, many hoses had dried and cracked, bushings were spongy, the rotors and pads had to be replaced, etc... Not to say that these things will all go wrong with your car, but it wouldn't hurt to prepare yourself for a little more work and money to go into this project before it is a safe and reliable car. In my case I'm sure that all those things went wrong simply because it is expensive to fix and really hard to find parts (it is a European-spec model with a motor that never came here). Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

[brendanr279]

I just read the ticking could be the lifter and maybe because the oil filter is gunked up and causing some back up in oil. I did add some seafoam to the oil in the first change and I added some seafoam in the fuel I replaced as well. I guess for now I just need to switch out the filters and hope for the best that it doesn't become too much of a project car. All the belts and hoses appear to be in good shape, no cracks or excessive corrosion anywhere from what I can tell. The car came from Texas at some point, late 90's maybe.

[Suba9792]

I hate to argue this, given the fact that I am a novice mechanic,...but Seafoam? maybe for a 6cyl or V8, I just dont see the point, I saw a u-tube vid of a subie with it and KA BOOM! rod through the block, just change the oil and replace a qt with MMO run it for like 500-1000 miles, it will clean some of the junk out. Do a COMPLETE timing job reseal it, water pump, radiator hoses etc. Honestly I'd be worried about something from the fuel tank making its way somewhere it shouldnt::-\: sitting for that long eek. And of course a good tune up, filters,plugs +wires. But hey I'm new at Subies:lol:

[Ricearu]

change the oil and filter (cheap is ok for this one),but add 1 quart of Dextron automatic transmission fluid to it. start it and let it run for 10 minutes. Just at Idle. shut it down and let it cool down, change the oil and filter with the good stuff and you will be set. The ATF will unstick the lifters and is almost the same thing as Marvel Mystery Oil.(slightly more aggressive and a great cleaning agent)

[markjw]

PS, I would never put MMO directly into the cylinder of a boxer engine. Sounds like a hydrolock death wish to me if you cant get it out before cranking it over.

 

The combustion chamber volume on a EJ22 is 41cc. Just under 1.5 oz. So, really, only about a half oz of oil needs to find somewhere to go, at the top of the compression stroke. On a cyl. that is showing low or no compression,it's not an issue.

 

Besides, if you know a better way of breaking free frozen rings, short of cracking the block open, I'd love to hear it.

[Ricearu]

i did that to a stuck ring on my old STD. i filled the thing up at top dead center and cranked it, that fixed it. of coarse it looked like a mosquito fogger before from burning oil before that, so I think any excess would have just squeezed by that ring anyways.

[Fairtax4me]

I hate to argue this, given the fact that I am a novice mechanic,...but Seafoam? maybe for a 6cyl or V8,

What's the difference between a 4 cyl and a V8? It's an engine. A 6 or 8 cyl just has a few extra cylinders.

 

Rods through the block from seafoam Ive never heard of. But I would imagine it was due to hydrolock, or damage or fatigue that was going to cause failure regardless.

 

No start with 7 year old gas? Gas isn't wine, it does NOT get better with age. Actually after about 3 months it's pretty well at the end of it's usable life for a car, and it will be starting to varnish and gum up the components of the fuel system.

 

I wouldn't run it too much until you can confirm that the lifters and cams are getting oil. The oil delivery passages in the heads are pretty small, and can easily be clogged with sludge after sitting for so long. You need to pull the valve covers and start the engine and look for oil seeping from the cam bearings and rocker arms.

[Ricearu]

he NEEDS to change the 7 year old contaminated oil before running it ANY longer... AGREED?

[Fairtax4me]

He said he did that. But he didn't say he changed the filter yet, which should have just been done at the same time as the oil.

 

A couple people have mentioned to me I should have the timing belt inspected or my brakes and rotors will all need to be replaced... these aren't so much the opinions of experienced people though.

You can worry about that later. The seals on the front of the engine will start to leak anyway so you can change the belt when you have to remove it to change the seals.

Clean any rust from the braking surface of the rotors with some sand paper and drive. Brake fluid should probably be flushed though.

Don't forget the other oils; transmission, differentials, steering. And do a cooling system flush.

[brendanr279]

Thanks everyone for all the advice. Seems like there are some small conflicting opinions out there, but I guess everyone has their own methods. Anyway, I'm on my way to grab some more oil. I'm going to replace the oil once again, with some added MMO, I'll change the filter at this point too, as well as the fuel filter. I read somewhere its not a bad idea to leave the old ones in for a little bit to catch any junk that makes it to them, then replace, so the new ones don't get immediately junked up from the old fluid. Anyway, that's what my plan is for today and I'm keeping my fingers crossed it will has a noticeable improvement in the car.

 

I definitely plan on getting a tune-up and replacing more of the fluids, but for now I'm just trying to determine if this car is worth it. I'm no mechanic, but I want to have faith a car with only 26000 miles on it (although almost 20 years old) still has a lot of life in it. On the other hand I don't want to drop thousands in repairs. It has been sitting for 7 years, but at least it didn't have 150000 miles on it when it began it's rest.

 

I'll probably also get a compression tester since they're not very expensive, just to let me know what's going on inside the cylinders. As for taking the valve covers off and checking the cams, I don't think I'm motivated enough or prepared enough to get into a job like that unless absolutely necessary. For now I'm going to operate a bit on faith with this car and hope for the best.

 

Once again, thanks for everyone's advice. Keep it coming and I'll keep you updated on how things are turning out.