Has been in the garage for 5 years

[plumtreed]

It's a 1200cc Nova Merit and has been in the garage, untouched for 5 years. It has something like 2300 Miles on the clock, dusty but new looking.

Apparently it was out of the garage 5 years ago after being locked up previously for 8. New tyres were added then but that was about all. Maybe an oil change, dunno.

What do you think I should do fiirst? Whack in a new battery and try to start it? Will the petrol be OK? Check oil and water?

I guess it will need new tyres again after sitting on these, unmoved, for that length of time. Brakes should be ok other than rust on the drums and discs.

All suggestions appreciated because I don't want to F-it up! :confused:

[NovaLad]

Once someone has suggested what to do can i see some pics??
Thanks and Good Luck!

[draper]

ifs theres any fuel in it its probably gone stale, i wouldnt think the oil would be up to much either and all th eengine bit sthat should be lubricated by the oil wont be so it quite possibly wont be in th ebest condition - whack an XE in there ;) lol

[craig green]

Take the plugs out & turn it over by hand. Definately put a gallon of fresh fuel in it & its bound to need a new battery. I wouldnt trust the cambelt thats on it for a second either but thats up to you.

Good luck, hope its mint!

[simonr1]

put a battery on it and wang it over! if it starts great, if it dont xe it!

[Stuart]

fuel will be naffed
brake fluid will probably be naffed (it absorbs water to cause problems within 2 years let alone 5)
new engine oil
new coolant
odds on the water pump will be farked

cars that have been stood for years are more trouble then a car thats been thrashed ahrd every day for its life.

Id say new pads and shoes for the brakes as they are likely to be bolloxed. as will the discs if they are heavily pitted.

[ANDYRACER]

fuel will be naffed
brake fluid will probably be naffed (it absorbs water to cause problems within 2 years let alone 5)
new engine oil
new coolant
odds on the water pump will be farked

cars that have been stood for years are more trouble then a car thats been thrashed ahrd every day for its life.

Id say new pads and shoes for the brakes as they are likely to be bolloxed. as will the discs if they are heavily pitted.

Tell me about it!
Mine was sat in a garage for a good ten years, it only has 38k on the clock but all the bushes are shagged, the gear linkage bushes are shot, i think the anti roll bar bushes are gone and when i first got it i changed the ball joints cos they were screwed. :mad:

[Nick]

Well, if you can't be bothered to sort it.

i'l come and give you ?100 for it !

:)

[Saloony]

Alternator will give up the ghost too. Replace all the fluids before starting. Personally i would wip the plugs out and lube the cylinders with some 'Duck Oil' first, then with the plugs out wind it over on the key. Replace plugs and start it up, try and let it start on its own, dont throttle it. Then you have to run it in all over again.

[plumtreed]

It's all very encouraging, thanks fellas! Don't want to even think of the cambelt. Since Nick offered only a bill for it I'll put a new battery in and see what happens. WTF! I like the idea of taking the plugs out and adding some oil first...seems to make sense.

Sorry to hear of all the trouble you had, AndyR., there goes my idea of a bit of soap and water to wash it down.

I am still in Australia and won't get to work on the car for a month or so, no pictures till then. If it starts, can anybody give me an estimate on MOT and insurance? ..............thanks for all the suggestions, good stuff!

[Welsh Dan]

If it passes thne an MOT will cost you around ?50. Depending on your age, insurance will cost you ?200-1500.

To drive it you're going to need tyres, brake pads and shoes, probably drums and discs aswell, oil, coolant, water pump, cambelt, alternator belt, clutch (unless you manage to unseize the one thats on there, much easier to do if you take the clutch out), battery, dizzy cap, rotor arm, HT leads and so on and so forth.

I recently fitted an engine that had been dry stored for 5 years or so, I had to change the carb aswell because I ran out of mixture adjustment and it was still running too rich, and the fuel pump had given up lol.

Check the condition of the cambelt before you try to turn the engine, if it hasnt laminated or cracked then:

As said before, whip the plugs out, put a small amount of oil in each cylinder then turn it over 50-100 times by hand (with a ratchet or breaker bar on the bottom pulley), if it turns OK then change the waterpump, cambelt and fluids before you try to turn it on the key. Turn it over on the key for a minute or two without plugs in aswell before you try to start it, that way if something sticks and the cambelt snaps then the damage might be limited.

[Nova_Tek]

My '85 Nova 1.2 merit stood outside for 4 year and went in the garage for 3 years.

Only thing that stopped her from starting was perished fuel hoses. Alternator was fine and still is, cambelt was fine only changed it 3 months ago coz I changed the water pump. Brake fluid was fine but again got that changed last service.

Engine turned over fine no problems. It didnt pass the mot coz the brake lines were rusty due to it being outside and one rear wheel had brakes binding but all easy fixes.

If yours has only been in the garage then it mite not even have these issues coz the elements cant get to it.

[Saloony]

NOTE: Cos a car has stood in a garage for years on end does not mean the cambelt is going to be okay, average service life of cambelt is 4 years aprox 40,000 (it varies from different makes), so dont go out and drive it and then when the belt snaps start moaning.

[plumtreed]

Thanks for the comments, I am looking forward to getting started on it. I will take the precautions suggested but I am not too optimistic now. Lets face it, it's not worth much and I might just be better off looking at it as a long term project. Thanks especially for highliting the cambelt problem!

[b,r,m]

worth more than 100 qid mate if shells a minter