Low mileage Sc sitting in garage for 4 years. What would you do to it?
 

Hi,
The low mileage 5 speed with 68K I snagged had been sitting in a garage for 4 years. Other than change the fluids, what else would you do to it? What is affected most by sitting? Is rust in the block a concern? Hoses? Can a timing belt be affected by sitting? What else could be an issue? Is sea foam a good or bad idea?

Thanks,
SG

is this a sc300? just check over the main radiator hoses and inspect the timing belt by removing the inspection cover and have someone crank the motor over. they should be done at 60-90k or there is a year interval I forget like every 8 years or something, so if it isn't done and that old I would look into doing it soon and the waterpump, if its been done then its likely fine just double check. sometimes people do not replace the waterpump and then after a new belt the WP will seize up and take out the timing belt before the timing belt has a chance to snap on its own, but usually that happens around 180k on an original waterpump. on the sc300 non vvti its non inteference so no big deal, but on other motors it is which is why you do the waterpump and belt together.

never sea foam a healthy motor. I think of sea foam as the last resort before pulling your hair out and setting the car on fire. when you use it on a good motor you hurt more than you help. some may disagree but that won't bother me one bit seafoam is at best used in the gas tank a small amount before you store a car as a fuel stabilizer. sucking it through the intake is just a good way to dislodge gunk and make a smokeshow, but the proper way to remove gunk is to take things off and clean it, not force it through the engine and exhaust. my .02.

sometimes on cars that nice I usually just take them to the local toyota to have a look over and they will come back with a list of items that may need replacing soon and then you have an idea of whats worn out and what isn't by a pro, and then you can decide to do it or not after.

Yes, a 300 Ali. Your twin Ren Red car (with much less power).

Great suggestions. No sea foam! I will take it to Toyota.

Should I add anything to the fuel that has been sitting in there for so long?

In a perfect world you would drain it and start over. If there are leaks in the tank or gas cap, the volatile part of the gasoline evaporates and escapes leaving behind varnish, this is often made worse with ethanol in the gasoline because the alcohol sucks up water out of the air, the ethanol then easily evaporates leading to water in the gas.

So I figure if gasoline is in a can or tank that is vented it has a shelf life of 6 months before issues start to show up, if it's sealed in a safety can, or the gas tank is very well sealed it's good for a year or more.

After this many years it has most definitely had some octane degradation...

I'd drain it. My .02..

I always use Stabil in the fuel when I garage my car for the winter, but that may be a toss-up with SeaFoam.

One thing you can do is roll the car forward/back occasionally so the tires don't deform from sitting in one position for so long. Maybe bounce each corner of the car a few times to keep the struts from seizing up? I don't know if that could really even happen, but it seems worthwhile.

T2D2,
the car is not going to be stored, it was stored before i purchased it. It's about to be driven like hell......

Tony

Ha ha, attaboy!

Haha!
Thanks for the gas science above. I'll take it right to the shop when it is delivered. Ill have them do all fluids including gas. Its not too far away. If there isn't much fuel, should I fill it up immediately to dilute the varnish?
Is it better if there is almost no fuel, or if it was nearly full while sitting.

Oh, my bad! It's tough to keep up with which SC you're driving nowadays. :)

My intention exactly ;-)

It's gonna' get worse before it gets better!

If you can't drain it, I would put about a quarter can of Seafoam in it, and fill it up to the top. Couldn't hurt to replace old belts. Not sure how difficult the 300 timing belt is, but it's gotta be significantly easier then the 400.

I'm taking no chances with this one. I'm going straight to the shop and draining everything.

With that mint of a condition of the car I wouldt take any chances either, drain and refill the radiator,trans fluids and rear differential too, Ofcourse the usual oil change and denso or ngk spark plugs/NGK wire set then go crazy on your clutch ;)

I will follow your recommendations to a "T". Especially the last part!

:thumbup::D:thumbup: