vette sat unused, for 6 years now I want to sell it

[Grumpy]

I have a 1984 Corvette that has been sitting in garage for about six years and has about 35,000 original miles. Need to get car started so I can sell it. I realize that there will be lots of possible issues e.g. gas, battery, fluids, belts, injectors, etc. I realize that it is difficult to say anything about what needs to be done without seeing the car, however, can you please give me an idea as to what you think needs to be done or what you recommend I should do going forward. I appreciate any input you can provide.

Thank you

It took me awhile but I learned you need to put a couple cap fulls of the dark blue MARINE STA-BIL in the car generator or any other engine in storage, gas tank , or several ounces in a cars gas tank,before you store it, or in several weeks time the alcohol makes the engine hard or impossible to start.
be very sure,
as a general rule with any new automotive toy,
(1) you check the oil, trans fluid or coolant and brake fluid levels
,(2) the tire pressure is correct in all 4 tires,
(3) verify the fan belts are in decent shape,
(4) verify that you have the ownership documentation, the required licences
and you test the brake function, before driving.
(5) start it up and let it idle for 10 minutes and check the oil pressure
and coolant temps.
(6) try shifting it into all gears.
(7) check the signal blinkers and head lights

READ THRU THIS THREAD AND LINKS ALSO
viewtopic.php?f=87&t=7770&p=26552#p26552

well ID start with an oil and filter change on the engine, verify theres no moisture in the oil, and once the cars started let it get up to operating temps and verify the cooling fans come on
ID replace the fuel filter
replace the battery
Id sure check and most likely replace the spark plugs and before I started the car,
Ill squirt a teaspoon of marvel mystery oil into each cylinders spark plug hole and let it sit over night
(to lower and chance of breaking a rusted ring)
pull the wheels and check the brakes condition and drain and bleed and replace ALL the brake fluid
drain and refill the transmission fluid (test drive,verify function)
drain and refill the radiator
if the t-stat has not moved in 6 years it may be locked and need to be replaced.
replace the air filter
drain and replace power steering fluid.(verify function)
check for all fluid and oil leaks, seals degrade over time
check the hoses and fan belts(replace if required)
check the tires and add air if required, and remember they sat in one position for years so they will need to be driven for at least 30 minutes to remove the tendency to have a flat spot
verify the gauges work,\
check fuses, \
verify head lights, brake lights and signal lights and dash lights, and interior lights work.
personally ID replace the distributor cap rotor and ignition wires if they did not look to be in good condition/
you'll want to do a basic tune-up and a shake-down test drive to verify theres no obvious troubling issues
pulling the trouble codes and correcting any issues with oxygen sensors or fuel pressure etc, would be smart.
1982-1984 ECM Codes
Code #12: Normal System No Codes.
Code #13: Oxygen Sensor Circuit:
Code #14: Coolant Sensor Circuit Low.
Code #15: Coolant Sensor Circuit High.
Code #21: Throttle Position Sensor High.
Code #22: Throttle Position Sensor Low
Code #24: Vehicle Speed Sensor.
Code #33: Manifold Absolute Pressure Sensor Signal High.
Code #34: Manifold Absolute Pressure Sensor Signal Low
Code #42: Electronic Spark Timing.
Code #43: Electronic Spark Control..
Code #44: Lean Exhaust Indication.
Code #45: Rich Exhaust Indication.
Code #51: PROM Error.
Code #55: Defective ECM.
a good exterior wash and wax and rough detail clean-up, would help increase the visual, market value
armor-all the interior and vacuum the interior, clean the doors, dash carpets and class and use some fabreeze air freshener.
personally ID put the car up on a lift and inspect the shocks, ball joints and exhaust systems and look for and obvious problems with u-joints, the suspension, fuel or brake lines
yes I know you'll want to keep the cost of getting the car running low simply because your intention is to sell the car,
but keep in mind you'll get a better price if it runs and functions flawlessly,
and the last thing you want is the car to over heat or the brakes to fail or the engine to stall or some other system to fail during your sales demo.
or to be sued by the buyer if the car fails , and he gets in an accident on the way home


http://www.how-to-build-hotrods.com/start-an-engine.html

How to Start an Engine That's Been Sitting
Most of us will need to know how to start an engine that has sat for a while...

Many of you will get a hotrod with an engine that hasn't been run in a long time. Some of you simply have an engine that hasn't run for years.

Most of the time you have heard "It's supposedly rebuilt," or "It was running great when we quit driving it..."

Well, you really don't know what you have till you either run it or tear it down.

So, let's see if we can get it running!

First, pull the plugs. How do they look?

If the insulators all look kind of tan and in good shape, things are looking good.

If there is lots of black goop or lots of crud all over them, it's probably an indication of either bad maintenance or it could be burning oil.

Squirt some oil or Marvel Mystery Oil into the cylinders. A few tablespoons apiece should do it. A small piece of tubing stuck on the end of a small funnel works well. Let it soak while you work on a few other things.

Now check the carb. It's great if you have a good clean one you can switch out for the old one but that's not always possible. What you don't want to happen is suck nasty stuff from the bowl through the carb.

If it's been setting a looooong time, it's usually best just to rebuild it. Especially if the air cleaner hasn't been on it. If all the gaskets are dried out and split it may end up acting like a sprinkler!

This is a good time to remind you: Always have a fire extinquisher handy...

If the carburator hasn't been setting too long it might be ok. If it doesn't look too bad, then try it. It's best if you can pull the airhorn assembly off to see in the bowl, but you run the risk of tearing the gasket.

If the fuel in the carb smells like varnish, the rest of the fuel system is also gunked up. If this is the case or you are starting up an engine out of the car, you need to rig up a little fuel system of your own. Use a small gas can and a hose and hook it up to the fuel pump on the engine. Be sure and tie it out of the way of the engine or anything that could hit it or spark near it.

If the air cleaner hasn't been on it or if there are a lot of open holes, stuff may have gotten in it. Pull the carb and look down into the intake. If you see anything, pull the intake off and clean it out and look down into the intake ports of the heads.

Now put all that stuff back together. Leave the plugs out though.



Now let's change the oil and filter. When you have the drain plug out, stick a finger, screwdriver, stick, etc. up in the hole and see if there's a big layer of goop in the pan. If there is, you may want to clean the pan out first as you don't want to plug the oil pump and run the engine dry.

It's time to see if the motor will turn over. First take the distributor cap off so you can see the rotor. Now take a breaker bar and socket and get on the crank bolt and see if you can turn the motor over by hand.

Watch the rotor. If it turns with the motor, that's good. If it lags behind a little bit when you turn the motor, the timing chain may be worn out which indicates lots of miles.

You're just seeing if the motor is stuck. Don't turn it over and over, just a complete revolution. Now put some more oil in the cylinders. Turn it again. Did the motor seem to turn over smoothly? You might feel some resistance, but what you are looking for is something stuck or binding.

Now the cylinders should be lubed up. Turn the motor one more time pushing the excess oil out.

Put the plugs back in. If the old ones couldn't be cleaned, put in new ones.

Now let's check the ignition. Are the spark plug wires ok? Look in the distributor cap. Clean any corrosion from the terminals on the cap and also clean the rotor. If you have points, make sure they open and close, the gap is close and the contact points are clean. Replace the condensor. They are cheap and they are the culprit alot of the time for engines not starting that have been setting awhile. If the coil is suspect, then replace it with a good one or get a new one.

Now we'll mention something on prelubing. That is, manually turning the oil pump to push oil through the engine like it would if it were running.

This is one of the biggest savers of engines if your engine is capable of doing it. A few oil pumps operate differently, and doing it is not practical. Most engine oil pumps however can be operated with a tool or old modified distributor. You can usually buy the tool for cheap at auto parts stores, catalogs, etc. You can also modify an old distributor that fits your engine. Grind the teeth off the gear or remove it and remove the stuff on the top leaving the shaft sticking out enough to get a drill on.

Use a big drill, preferably half inch. You don't have to spin it fast. You have to spin it in the same direction the distributor spins. Do it until you see oil pressure on the gauge. If you don't have a gauge, pull the rocker cover(s) and spin the pump till you see it come out by the rockers.

Some people will spin the drill some, turn the engine over 90 degrees by hand, spin some more, turn the engine again, spin, turn, etc. until the engine has turned over twice.

Now the engine is ready to be spun over with the starter.

If you can't prelube, then turn the motor over with the starter (without pumping the gas) until the oil pressure comes up. You're not trying to start it yet.

Don't use starter fluid or pour gas down the carb. That's very hard on engines and can tear the motor up before you even get it started.

If there is fuel in the carb bowl, it should start and run long enough to pull fuel through the system. If there isn't, you can get fuel into it through the vents. Just use an eyedropper and squirt the fuel down the vent filling the bowl. Usually about a few teaspoons worth.

Quick overview...

-Oil down cylinders and make sure it turns over by hand.

-Change fluids and hoses.

-Make sure carburator and fuel system is good to go.

-Make sure ignition is in good shape.

-Prelube if possible.

Now fire it up!

Listen for any noises that shouldn't be there. If there is, shut it down and find out what it is.

The engine may smoke for a while. This is normal.

Conclusion

Some engines will start right up and be perfect after not being started for 25 years and setting outside in a puddle. Some engines may blow up after starting them that have sat for 2 years in nice dry storage. It's kind of a roll of the dice. There are so many variables and little things that can go wrong when you start an engine. Hopefully this article will help eliminate some of those and make your engine start up successful!

yes several hours reading and don,t ignore the links,
but you may find that you know 90% of the info but that new 10% you ignore or forgot,
can get VERY expensive...
readings much faster and cheaper that parts replacing

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ectly-and-get-it-to-last-cam-install-info.90/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/valve-train-clearances-and-problems.528/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...e-springs-and-setting-up-the-valve-train.181/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/correctly-adjusting-valves.196/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/valve-spring-installation-questions.12833/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...op-dead-center-1-for-timing-ignition-cam.966/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/stock-gm-push-rod-length.3844/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...hanics-of-adv-ret-a-camshaft.4532/#post-12045

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ear-articles-you-need-to-read.282/#post-52473

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ing-down-a-valve-train-noise.6237/#post-32472

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...swap-in-1-6-1-ratio-rockers.10671/#post-46039

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...o-rockers-and-the-pushrods-rub.198/#post-3033

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/verifying-your-real-advance-curve.4683/

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TIRE TECH
Determining the Age of a Tire


When it comes to determining the age of a tire, it is easy to identify when a tire was manufactured by reading its Tire Identification Number (often referred to as the tire's serial number). Unlike vehicle identification numbers (VINs) and the serial numbers used on many other consumer goods (which identify one specific item), Tire Identification Numbers are really batch codes that identify the week and year the tire was produced.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires that Tire Identification Numbers be a combination of the letters DOT, followed by eight to thirteen letters and/or numbers that identify the manufacturing location, tire size and manufacturer's code, along with the week and year the tire was manufactured.

"When it comes to determining the age of a tire, it is easy to identify when a tire was manufactured by reading its Tire Identification Number (often referred to as the tire's serial number)."

Tires Manufactured Since 2000
Since 2000, the week and year the tire was produced has been provided by the last four digits of the Tire Identification Number with the 2 digits being used to identify the week immediately preceding the 2 digits used to identify the year.

Example of a tire manufactured since 2000 with the current Tire Identification Number format:

In the example above:
DOT U2LL LMLR 5107
51 Manufactured during the 51st week of the year
07 Manufactured during 2007
While the entire Tire Identification Number is required to be branded onto one sidewall of every tire, current regulations also require that DOT and the first digits of the Tire Identification Number must also be branded onto the opposite sidewall. Therefore, it is possible to see a Tire Identification Number that appears incomplete and requires looking at the tire's other sidewall to find the entire Tire Identification Number

The use of a partial Tire Identification Number on the one sidewall (shown above) reduces the risk of injury to the mold technician that would have to install the weekly date code on the top sidewall portion of a hot tire mold.

Tires Manufactured Before 2000
The Tire Identification Number for tires produced prior to 2000 was based on the assumption that tires would not be in service for ten years. While they were required to provide the same information as today's tires, the week and year the tire was produced was contained in the last three digits. The 2 digits used to identify the week a tire was manufactured immediately preceded a single digit used to identify the year.

Example of a tire manufactured before 2000 with the earlier Tire Identification Number format:

In the example above:
DOT EJ8J DFM 408
40 Manufactured during the 40th week of the year
8 Manufactured during the 8th year of the decade
While the previous Tire Identification Number format identified that a tire was built in the 8th year of a decade, there was no universal identifier that confirmed which decade (tires produced in the 1990s may have a small triangle following the Tire Identification Number to identify the decade).

And finally, hold on to your sales receipt. Most tire manufacturer's warranties cover their tires for four years from the date of purchase or five years from the week the tires were manufactured. So if you purchase new tires that were manufactured exactly two years ago they will be covered for a total of six years (four years from the date of purchase) as long as you have your receipt. If you lose your receipt, your tires' warranty coverage will end five years from the week the tire was produced (resulting in the tire manufacturer's warranty coverage ending only three years from the date of purchase in this example).