Car sitting for over a year

[manzinilox]

at the risk of spamming, i think i might have put my post in the wrong forum.

in short:

found a 89 legacy rs, sitting outside, for over a year.
thinking maybe of buying it off the owner who's selling the house

asking what might stop (an otherwise perfectly fine engine 12 months ago) from running and the car from going 800 odd metres to my house.

battery? old fuel? what else would stop it from running?

sorry if i'm spamming, i won't post the same thing any where else

Dave

[isotopeman]

I know that mine sat (impounded) for more than a year before I bought it. I've done nothing to the engine, but the battery is weak. But I think the mild climate has had a lot to do with it. I could be wrong, but I think that places near the coasts have more of a corrosion problem. A very cold winter could kill a battery as well. So, is the car not running now, or are you wondering if it would make it the 1/2 mile to your home? I don't recommend it, but heck, if it were a manual transmission and the battery were fully charged and good, you could put it in gear and probably make it home even if the engine didn't start. Has the seller been able to start the car for you? If you're wondering about the condition of the engine, a compression check is quick and easy - and you don't have to start the car to do it.
Best of luck,
-tom

[scottzg]

At least 1 cv boot will kick the bucket within 500 miles. The valve cover gaskets are prolly toast too. I would question the integrity of the tires. Change the oil and gas, pronto. Don't just start it up! Put it in 5th gear and push it around a little to start the engine moving again. This is to protect the cylander walls. My car sat for 6 months and clicked on like it had just been turned off.

Battery and old fuel will stop it. Most likely fuel will make it run poopily, and its not even gonna turn over with a dead battery. A jump should get it home though. Good luck!

[evolutionmovement]

Get some good marine-quality fuel stabilizer if you are going to run the fuel in the car. Also I would get some kind of light oil to spray in the spark plug holes. We use Quicksilver Corrosion Guard for fogging engines at the marina, but Mystery Oil or something might do. If the injectors aren't stuck and the gas is workable, a new battery or jump start may be all you need. These cars require little to kick over and are much better than most at surviving sitting. As Scott said, though, expect to replace a lot of seals and the brakes may stick (though this seems much less a problem with Subarus).

Steve