I have a 92 Stanza (4 cyl./manual) In November of 2003, it failed inspection (I live in Virginia), and I couldn't afford all the work that needed to be done. Things are better now, and I want to put it back on the road. It has not been started since it was parked. I am assuming the oil is sludge and the gas is varnish. What should I do prior to firing it up again? Thanx!

L

Prior to it being parked, every time it rained the back floorboard carpet was soaked. I can't see any leaks. Also the trunk is leaking, but I can't find it. Someone said that the rubber seal had a hole in it, but I can't find it. I opened it up on a below freezing day and the condensation droplets were frozen on the trunk lid. Any similar problems? Solutions?

Thanx!

No one has a clue?

An '87 that has been sitting out in the sun an average amount of time over it's life would probably have a shrunken rubber rear window gasket, and the window moldings above the side windows may be doing the same thing also. There is a product that helps in a situation like this, it's called FLOWABLE silicone. It's a clear drying caulk that has the consistancy of molasses. Commonly available at auto parts stores. Check over the window gasket to see if there are any gaps, cracks, etc. CLEAN the gasket, blow out any crud with compressed air before you start. It may take a few attempts to fill the problem areas, because the compound will flow under the suiface, leaving a space of it's own to fill, but that volume will be reduced with each refill. There may be several spots that need attention. A good thing to do is to remove the carpet from the trunk until the problem is fixed. Don't be alarmed, but it will shrink as it dries. Other ways for water to be getting into the car are: deteriorated weatherstripping
around the trunk (Check by closing the trunk lid/hatch on a thin piece of paper, you should not be able to easily pull it out ANYWHERE the gasket is supposed to be sealing), crumbled gaskets around the tail light assemblies (replace with CLOSED CELL FOAM) , rust holesor missing body plugs anywhere under the rear of the car can let water in as you drive, so look for those. Take everything out of your trunk area, put a fan in there and dry things out ASAP. unless you do that, you won't know how your repair attempts are going. As a reference, I fixed a nearly identical problem in a friends' '85 Stanza last year that had almost all of the water coming in from the rear window and running down behind the rear pillars, soaking the rug in both the trunk and rear pasenger floor areas. Her tail light assemblies needed new gaskets material as well.

About the restart: If your car has been sitting with a nearly empty gas tank for this long, you may have a lot of rust in the tank. In this case full and sitting is much better, even though you have more bad gas to deal with. To see if you have rust in the tank, shake the vehicle rigorously before and while draining the gas from a drain plug or opening a drain line from the tank. If you see opaque muddy brownish red stuffcoming out you have a LOT of rust and will likely need to replace the tank. A FEW larger ruts/dirt flakes and stray bits of debris are to be expected. Drain as much of the gas and engine oil as possible, and any other fluids that you are uncertain of, (the coolant may be shot, the brake fluid is PROBABLY going to need changing ASAP due to accumulated moisture while sitting undriven). There may be seized calipers and wheel cylinders in your immediate future for internal corrosion from the water in the fluid. It the brake fluid is anything other than EXTREMELY close to the original color, you
would be better off changing it before even driving, just to be safe, the act of cycling the brakes is likely to show up any sticking wheel cylinders and calipers from the draining procedure, plus you'll be able to closely monitor what comes out, looking for any trapped air and water . Closely check all the belts, filters, (gas, oil, air) coolant hoses, and tires. It would not be unusual for a heater core, radiator, or radiator cap to have failed if the coolant was no longer good enough to protect them form corrosion. A thermostat may no longer be working. The rubber parts continue to age from ozone and UV, even when the car is not driven. Those may have to be changed very soon, possibly even before driving. When you put new gasoline in use the highest grade available if you haven't been able to drain the old gas completely as any remaining gas will be very low octane by now. Adding a can of gas drier and one of carburetor/injector/fuel line cleaner wouldn't be a bad idea. When you attempt to restart the
engine, REMOVE the fat coil to distributor wire from the distributor, make sure that the engine is filled with NEW engine oil on the lower end of the recommended viscosity range for your situation, and ONLY CRANK THE ENGINE, DO NOT START it. Do this for a second or 2 at a time, listening for any peculiar noises. Sometimes animals and insects make nests in unsuspected places, using bits of debris and parts of your car for nesting materials. If you don't hear anything strange, reattach the coil wire and try to start the engine. When/if it starts, let it run for about 10-20 minutes watching for leaks and listening for unusual noises. There may be belts and hoses that need tightening among other things. It wouldn't be unusual for an oil seal to start leaking after having the car sit this long, as these parts can dyr out, take a "set" or even bond to whatever part (usually a shaft) that they are meant to seal while it has remained stationary, and then does not seal properly when the part again begins to revolve. Keep a very close eye out for developing leaks in the days and weeks that follow a long period of inactivity such as this.