So my car has been sitting and collecting dust for about 9 months. I cranked it up one day and it ran for a couple mins and then it stalled. Now it only turns over and it wont start. I dont know really where to begin to get it started. It was really low on gas so i was thinking maybe the fuel filter could have clogged from dirt being at the bottom of the tank. Any ideas on where I should start first? btw its a EG with an LS

 

any takers?

 

Is it getting fuel? or spark? can you hear the fuel pump running?

 

i heard the fuel pump turn on. Is there anything that needs to be replaced after a car has been sitting for a while. Im gonna check the fuel filter. But i dont know how to check for spark.

 

I checked to see if my car was sparking by pulling the plug, putting it back in the boot and touching it to metal while the car was cranking. Don't know if this is really safe, but you will be able to tell if theb car is getting spark.

 

My money is on bad gas. There is no reason for a clogged filter if it didn't in fact filter anything for 9 months, unless before that it wasn't replaced in a long long time.

 

alright guys... im gonna put 5 gallons of premium in there and see what happens.

 

my civic dx is getting the same problem according to my dad the car has no power or force. since its been sitting for a while i guess it just needs to be run a little but it does start

 

When you check for spark, its good to pull the plug away from its ground(engine body etc.) and see how for the spark will jump. It might spark right up against the ground and yet the coil migh tbe to weak to actually run your engine. The spark should jump like a 1/4 of a inch.

 

alright
ill check out the spark and see how that goes.

 

Check your Distributor cap and rotor.
Corrosion might have built up on the contacts do to the weather.

 

dude a car sitting that long, empty the tank, gas starts to seperate and break down after 3, also check you batery, charging, wires, etc

 

i had my car setting for a year and my b ran just fine on the turning gas

 

drian out the gas tank and change the fuel pump, and the fuel filter....after all that then put 5-7 gallons of gas in the tank... it happened to me also with my 97 honda accord...my car sat for 3 years

 

Gas goes bad after three months.

 

Gasoline does not "break down" in a human lifetime, however:

1. You may notice issues if you have a tank full of gas purchased in winter and you start your car up in the summer, or vice versa, as oil companies modify their formulations for a consant viscocity at seasonal temperatures.

2. The most volatile parts of the gasoline may evaporate over a period of months, increasing the "gumminess" of the tank contents, but this isn't likely to cause issues you'd notice unless you fed your car a steady diet of old gasoline.

3. If the tank is not full, you may get water condensing in the tank at night and getting trapped under the gasoline. Since the fuel line draws from the bottom of the tank, this may result in water in your fuel line, which will present a problem.

A recommendation was if the car has been through a lot of dewy mornings, you should add one of those ethanol gas-line additives to the tank, as it will allow the water to form a solution with the gas in your tank and you'll be able to get the water out of your tank, after which the gas, no matter how old, will run your engine acceptably well until you can fill up with some fresh dinosaur soup.

 

My car was sitting for over a year and while a third of the tank evaporated, my gas did not "go bad" I had to crank it for several minutes before it actually started, but since then, it has started right up every time I needed to move it.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by littleblue &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Gasoline does not "break down" in a human lifetime, however:

1. You may notice issues if you have a tank full of gas purchased in winter and you start your car up in the summer, or vice versa, as oil companies modify their formulations for a consant viscocity at seasonal temperatures.

2. The most volatile parts of the gasoline may evaporate over a period of months, increasing the "gumminess" of the tank contents, but this isn't likely to cause issues you'd notice unless you fed your car a steady diet of old gasoline.

3. If the tank is not full, you may get water condensing in the tank at night and getting trapped under the gasoline. Since the fuel line draws from the bottom of the tank, this may result in water in your fuel line, which will present a problem.

A recommendation was if the car has been through a lot of dewy mornings, you should add one of those ethanol gas-line additives to the tank, as it will allow the water to form a solution with the gas in your tank and you'll be able to get the water out of your tank, after which the gas, no matter how old, will run your engine acceptably well until you can fill up with some fresh dinosaur soup.

</TD></TR></TABLE>


That sounds like good advice. Im not sure if im getting spark either. Im gonna check the distributor out tomorrow.

 

let it sit longer and then try??

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by stock_honda_coupe &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Gas goes bad after three months.</TD></TR></TABLE>

lol yea sure it does.....

been sitting since sept 2005 filled gas tank with twice a month 5 minute startups and battery unhooked. never a problem with startups and gas tank is at half a tank now. i dont think it a gas problem when a car sits for long periods of time it usually ends up being an eletrical problem. hence like our main relays going bad

 

if its not fuel or spark u probably spun a rode

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by EkSi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">if its not fuel or spark u probably spun a rode</TD></TR></TABLE>

No, your car will start with a spun bearing. But even so, what the hell is a spun rode? Rode (assuming you mean rod) do not get "spun" buddy.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by EkSi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">if its not fuel or spark u probably spun a rode</TD></TR></TABLE>

plz keep your random terrible guesses to yourself

 

i definitely know i didn't spin a rod bearing. The car ran great before i let it sit.

 

Bump from the dead.

Did you find a solution to your problem?

I had the same thing, stored car for the winter but I had a full tank of gas with fuel stabilizer. Started the car and it died shortly after. It hasn't started since.