Aashenfox Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 Hiya all, given the ownership cycles of our cars, I don't suppose many of you will remember me, so here's a short refresher on my back story...Sorry for the essay. :D I'm a Brit living in Greece. Been through a number of sports cars in the past. Bought a 350z about 4 years ago following the theft of my rare BMW 335xi with 400hp <sniff>, the Z had been horribly abused by previous owners; suspension arms and springs cut for moar low, huge chinese wheels, mismatched tyres, LED disco in the dashboard, main key lost, only valet key, missing reservoir caps in the engine, wrong clutch plate had been fitted (worked but juddered like crazy), and more I can't remember... So I started a restoration job on it and have spent a few grand (if that sounds weird, remember in Greece, these cars are still worth 10-15 grand), and now it's basically brand new underneath, driftworks arms all around including camber, full coilovers, all bushings, sway bar links, got some stock wheels and new tires and a set of spacers and all was going ok. New complete clutch, and loads more. Fortunately, the engine, gearbox and chassis are good (no rust in Greece). Then at the end of the summer before last, the drivers window motor died. It already needed a driver's side door lock actuator, so I parked it up for some time to order the parts, then when they came I had other priorities. So the car has now been sitting about 15 months without even being started, it was running normally when I left it, with new oil, and about 1/4 of a tank of fuel. The battery was also new-ish when it was parked up. So that's the story so far. Now it's Greek 'MOT' has run out and it's time to get back on it. I have the motor (new) and another actuator (second hand) and a we're going ot fit those with a friend next weekend. The question is what to do with the oil, fuel and battery, and I'm looking for some pointers. 1) I know the fuel needs to come out, but is it likely to have damaged anything, or 'turned to varnish' as you so often hear about (I assume that's at best an exaggeration and at worst an old wives' tale). 2) The oil was literally recently changed when I stopped using it, it should be ok right? 3) Am I likely to need a new battery? 4) How should I get the existing fuel out? Coincidentally, the car has another common Z problem which is the fuel floater not registering certain ranges of tank state, so I've got a new (low mileage second hand) entire pump and floater unit, so we will be fitting that at the same time, which means we'll have direct access to the tank. Would it best to simply syphon it out through there? 5) Anything else I should look out for after the car being sat for so long in what is always a dry, indoor, low temperature variation environment? Thanks in advance guys and gals, feels good to be back, I have more plans for the car this year, including finishing off all this stuff, wrapping it and doing some interior stuff. :) It's a le mans sunset by the way ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack94 Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 1. Just drain the old fuel out and put some fresh in, it'll be fine. 2. Considering how cheap some oil and a filter is I'd probably change it just for peace of mind. 3. Get yourself a battery charger/reconditioner (like CTEK), that'll tell you what state the battery is in. If its been standing for that long I wouldn't be surprised if it needs replacing, but you never know. 4. If you're taking the pump out anyway then yeah just stick a pipe into the tank and syphon the old fuel out (baring in mind it's a saddle shaped tank so be sure to empty both sides). 5. Off the top of my head the only other thing I can of is the tyres. The pressures will most likely be very low (unless you pumped them up to max before storage). Also given how long its been standing without moving at all they may have flat spots on the bottom. Hope that helps & good luck getting her back on the road Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aashenfox Posted December 4, 2019 Author Share Posted December 4, 2019 16 hours ago, Jack94 said: 1. Just drain the old fuel out and put some fresh in, it'll be fine. 2. Considering how cheap some oil and a filter is I'd probably change it just for peace of mind. 3. Get yourself a battery charger/reconditioner (like CTEK), that'll tell you what state the battery is in. If its been standing for that long I wouldn't be surprised if it needs replacing, but you never know. 4. If you're taking the pump out anyway then yeah just stick a pipe into the tank and syphon the old fuel out (baring in mind it's a saddle shaped tank so be sure to empty both sides). 5. Off the top of my head the only other thing I can of is the tyres. The pressures will most likely be very low (unless you pumped them up to max before storage). Also given how long its been standing without moving at all they may have flat spots on the bottom. Hope that helps & good luck getting her back on the road Definitely helps! Thanks for that. Yeh I'm figuring 150 quid for oil and a battery is a small price to pay for the peace of mind. New wheels and tires will be coming at some point, so if the tires have a little flat spot it's not the end of the world. Roads are so bumpy here I probably won't be ableto tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stock Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 (edited) Get some brake fluid ready and make sure to test the brakes too, you don't want to be stuck on the side of the road with a seized caliper, or worse still have a line blow and have no brakes, might need a few gentle brake runs to clear off any residual rust on the discs, then give it a few emergency stops on a safe road. Mushy/weak pedal and the calipers need bleeding. Edited December 4, 2019 by Stock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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