1G 91 Eclipse Turbo sitting for 3 years

[gunthology]

I recently purchased a 91 eclipse 158k miles for 300$ that has been sitting for 3 years. Owner claims it ran before he let it sit for so long. I took the risk and purchased the car, this will be my first project car. Everything on the car is stock.

I'm doing all the preventive maintenance I can before I try and start the thing.

-Drained the gas tank, new gas, new fuel filter.
-New oil and oil filter
-Clutch pedal sank to the floor, new Clutch master cylinder/salve, bled the system and the clutch pedal works now.
-new valve cover gasket (noticed oil in the spark plug wells)
-The engine was a little ruff to turn by hand, I poured marvel mystery oil into each cylinder and let me sit for about 1 week. The pistons move more freely now.

Now my question is how do I remove the Marvel mystery oil from the cylinders? I removed the spark plugs, shined a light and there is still a decent amount of oil in there. I will like to remove the oil before I try starting the car.

Thanks!!

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

Ok first, the car has alot of miles so CHANGE THE TIMING BELT and any associated components. Thats one of the things that kills these cars. Put it in the budget and a balance shaft belt if it still has it.
The roughness you feel is probably some light rust build up on the cylinder walls. What you soaked them with was good. Put rags over the plug holes and roll it over with the starter or by hand and that oil will lube as it ejects. It will all come spewing out the sparkplug holes so hold the rags down with something to catch the mess to keep it minimal. Do a compression test after.
A recent Saturn purchase that I made had sat for a couple years. It fired up with a new module and smoked for the first 5 to 10 miles and the rings reseated themselves. It purrs like a kitten for $275 + the module.

 

[pauleyman]

What he said. What little residue remains after that wont hurt anything. I would manually fire the fuel pump first just to make sure it works. Wouldnt shock me if fuel pump doesnt work.

 

[gunthology]

Ok first, the car has alot of miles so CHANGE THE TIMING BELT and any associated components. Thats one of the things that kills these cars. Put it in the budget and a balance shaft belt if it still has it.
The roughness you feel is probably some light rust build up on the cylinder walls. What you soaked them with was good. Put rags over the plug holes and roll it over with the starter or by hand and that oil will lube as it ejects. It will all come spewing out the sparkplug holes so hold the rags down with something to catch the mess to keep it minimal. Do a compression test after.
A recent Saturn purchase that I made had sat for a couple years. It fired up with a new module and smoked for the first 5 to 10 miles and the rings reseated themselves. It purrs like a kitten for $275 + the module.

Awesome, thanks for the help! I have no maintenance history for this car so I have no idea what was changed. I want to first make sure the thing even runs before I dump more money into it.

 

[pauleyman]

I would still change the timing belt BEFORE first startup. Wanna guess the reliability of a belt that's been sitting on the car 3 years? Would suck to hear it fire only to have the belt break 10 seconds later and bend every valve.

 

[gunthology]

I would still change the timing belt BEFORE first startup. Wanna guess the reliability of a belt that's been sitting on the car 3 years? Would suck to hear it fire only to have the belt break 10 seconds later and bend every valve.

Yeah you are right. I was going to skip this step and do it after seeing the engine run for at least a few minutes, but it is risky as the belt could theoretically break. I'll hold off on trying to run it and change the belt first hopefully its all worth it at the end!

 

[pauleyman]

Yeah you are right. I was going to skip this step and do it after seeing the engine run for at least a few minutes, but it is risky as the belt could theoretically break. I'll hold off on trying to run it and change the belt first hopefully its all worth it at the end!

Is this your first dsm?

You could stuck a cheap 10$ belt on there just to see it run then replace it. What you do will depend on budget and skill level.

 

[gunthology]

Is this your first dsm? You could stuck a cheap 10$ belt on there just to see it run then replace it. What you do will depend on budget and skill level.

Yes it is my first DSM and first project car. My skill level is still beginner but I do have all the tools needed for mostly any automotive work. I like to work on cars as a hobby and the best way to learn is to grab a beater and do all the maintenance yourself. My plan for the car is a fast, fun to drive weekend car .

My budget will probably be around 1-2k.

 

[ChessmoDSM]

My budget will probably be around 1-2k.

I would budget 3-4k to be honest on a car that has been sitting this long, a good timing belt kit with all of the fixings will run close to $500.. I would also check the OEM Balancer when you remove everything to change the belt, make sure it is not separating as they are notorious for failing and can also take your head with it..