Subject: Re: Car's been sitting for 4 years..what to watch out for? From: Nathan J Nagel Date: 3/21/99 5:08 PM Central Standard Time Message-id: Excerpts from netnews.rec.autos.makers.vw.watercooled: 21-Mar-99 Car's been sitting for 4 ye.. by maher_dan@my-dejanews.co > > Hi, > > I just got an '82 rabbit convertible. I got it runnning, it needed new > injectors, and a warm-up regulator. Is there anything serious I should check > out since it's been sitting a long time? My mechanic said there may be a lot > of rust in the fuel line (the girl who originally owned it let it sit without > a gas cap). I guess I'll be due for some injectors sooner or later... > > Best, > Dan Dan, You might want to get a new gas tank as a preemptive strike as they tend to go bad whether or not they've been abused, although since yours is a German car it might not be as likely (in my experience the American cars tend to have the pickup tube rot out with greater frequency than the German ones, although it's been known to happen to both. The real fix would be to update to a Cabriolet fuel tank and dual-pump setup although I don't know if that's feasible because I believe VW also changed the size of the spare tire well at the same time. Ask around, if it is doable I would HIGHLY recommend it because the consequences of a rotted pickup tube are the engine dying in a high-g cornering situation - which will get progressively worse and worse over time - kinda defeats the whole purpose of having a nimble little car like a VW!) If you decide not to go that route I'd change the fuel filter immediately if not sooner, also while the filter's off run the pump for a bit and let some fuel run through to flush out the lines. Change the filter religiously (every 6 mos?) until they seem to be staying clean. I have a nasty feeling if you don't change the tank you're going to end up having to replace it eventually as well as the fuel pump though. (rust does not make a good pump lube!) Also how much gas was in the tank? If it was full you might be OK but if it was almost empty I'll bet the inside of the tank is in pretty sorry shape. If it was kept full you might want to drain the tank and fill it with fresh gas before doing anything else, but look on the bright side, that's easier than replacing the tank! If you keep changing the filter your injectors should be OK. You might want to pull the back seat and pull out the fuel level sender with the tank drained, take a flashlight and look inside to get an idea of the condition of the tank and then make your decision on the best course of action from there. If you see any significant corrosion I'd replace it. Other things to look out for: Sometimes when a car sits for a long time the water pump will go bad. Obviously check belts and hoses as well. There's no lube points on the chassis so there's not much you can do there. Treat the engine as if it were new and follow break-in procedure, there's probably some rust inside the cylinders. If you don't have service records change the timing belt. Otherwise it should be changed every 60K. If it hasn't been changed in the last 6 years I'd probably do it anyway. Change the oil soon after you first start driving it. Check the fuel lines around the fuel pump and accumulator, they've been known to rust and leak. Dry-rotted or broken mounts won't help, if you run into this email me, that job's a bitch but I have a spare accumulator mount laying around that I've already torched the threaded bits out of, I'd be willing to trade you by UPS if need be and you're planning on trying to do a quick fix-up and make it a transportation car. Fuel pump mount is best bought from a dealer, my "spare" wasn't worth saving, I chucked it. Paint with a GOOD QUALITY paint or it'll rust through again! Otherwise I can pass on how I managed to fix mine. You might need new struts as well, if you do, get the strut bearings and bump stops replaced (they will need it, if not now, soon - the life of these parts is about the same as a set of struts), also when I did mine instead of getting new VW splash "cups" I found a nifty bump stop/rubber boot package that looks like the stuff you'd see on a 4wd truck's shocks, I imagine that probably does a better job of protecting the strut from water/dirt/salt. I think it was sold under the name "strut-mate." Finally, it's very likely that if your car has a/c it will need serviced after so long a rest. No advice here, just bite the bullet and do it, or resign yourself to not having a/c. Other than that, just keep addressing problems as they come up and we'll try to tell you how to fix 'em ;) VW's are pretty reliable, the above (other than body rot, previous owner abuse, and normal stuff like tuneups/tires/brakes/battery) is pretty much the sum total of all the repairs I've had to do on the three VW's I've had the pleasure of being responsible for. good luck, nate