How old is the fuel? My first concern will be fuel condition especially with the mechanical fuel injection. Internal, unseen corrosion can become a nightmare. In particular, the fuel distributor control plunger can get stuck usually making for the injectors to stay open and fill the cylinders with fuel. The engine can seem to work fine, and suddenly during acceleration the hang up occurs. Next, was the car driven at all? Did gear oil ever get splashed on the tranny bearings or tops of some gears? Wheel bearings, shocks, brake cylinders. Even after an external check up, some of these tings will need future attention. Of course all belts, hoses, and tires will need inspection or replacement. Especially 8 year old tires. You will want to check the engine for excess internal moisture. The 20 minute starts have possibly done wonders for loading the crankcase with moisture and acid. Smell carefully for a bad heater core. Does the AC still work? Dennis -----Original Message----- From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Jeff Lincoln Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2007 10:46 AM To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: NVC - 86' Cabriolet Patty (my SO) has found a Cabriolet for sale that she likes. Problem is it's about a 12 hour drive from us. The car is in real good condition but has been garaged for 8 years. It was started and ran once a month for about 20 minutes during that tims. So I guess I'm looking for advice on what to be concerned about on a car that sat that long. I mean is a fluid change and a tune up going to do it? Aside from checking brakes and tires. Thans to Larry's site I found a couple of highly recommended shos near the seller. I am hoping they will be willing to drive the car to one of them for servicing. We would like to drive it home. Anyhow, advice and suggestions are very welcome. On anything from the situation to the car - I'm not real familiar with the Cabriolet. -- Thanks, Jeff 90' Carat (It's Blue, It's Beautiful. Now sporting a very unstylish brown interior taken from the parts bus) 86' (We call this one Parts) 85' GL (Sidelined and feeling neglected) |
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