88 Trooper parked for 6 years

[centexred]

Great Forum!... lots of good information.

I recently purchased an 88 Trooper. It has been parked and has not been started for about 5 years. I am towing it home.

What are some things I should do before I try cranking the vehicle?

Appreciate any help...

[Tryumph]

If you do a Google search for "car sitting for a long time," you will find a wealth of information, most of which will work for Troopers.

Does your Trooperhave the throttle-body fuel injection? If so, it's quite possible that the throttle body and injectors are clogged with old, bad fluid, so you could consider removing and cleaning those if the thing won't start.

Look at the google results re suggestions for adding lubricant to the cylinders before cranking, checking various fluid levels, then PROMPTLY replacing all fluids as soon as you've got the thing running.

Your hydraulics may be shot, which could mean no brakes or clutch. Be aware that it's not unusual for long-sitting hydraulics to work OK the first day, but not thereafter, because the old rubber seals usually fail quickly.

Do you have the 4 or the 6? Warped head gaskets are common with the four, so if you start belching huge amounts of white smoke, that's probably the reason. The 6 is from GM and thoroughly mediocre but quite reliable. It's fairly cheap and easy to maintain.

How many miles on the Trooper? Do you do your own work? If not, think seriously about whether it's worth fixing. The possible/likely list includes brakes, tires, clutch, tranny (if it's auto), engine, radiator, water pump, alternator, p/s pump, suspension bushings and A/C (almost certainly won't work and will need to be converted to R134 unless you have some old Freon hidden away somewhere) You could spend $2k pretty easily, especially if you're paying somebody to do it.

That said, I love my Trooper, even though it just stranded me for the second time in three months with a blown fuel pump circuit. Also, mechanical parts are readily available and quite inexpensive, at least by Japanese car standards.

Good luck!

--Graham