Car sat since September, now what?

[HooverCJL24]

To make a long story short, i went off to school in september across the country and did not bring my dsm with me. I told one of my buddys before i left to start it every other week and drive it around the block just to keep things fresh, needless to say, my friend lost the keys in october and the car has sat in my driveway ever since. Its a 96 Talon TSI AWD with basic bolt ons.

Before i left i know had a few issues, i had a small boost leak and a bad cv boot. I live in ohio so it sat in quite a bit of snow as well. Well im back in town for good and I went to start it today for the first time and the battery is dead and clutch feels mushy.

I was wondering what precautions i should take and what things i should worry about before driving this car again. I know my battery is dead, but is my clutch bad from sitting there? Also should i put new oil or gas in it before i start it? What would you do in my situation?

 

[AWDtsi1995]

First change the oil before you do anything. Fresh gas is always nice too. Did you put "heet" in the gas before it sat for awhile? Make sure nothing is living in anywhere too.

Edit: Give it a nice spring cleaning.

 

[HooverCJL24]

i didnt put anything in the gas tank because i planned on having it driven bi weekly but you know how that went...i will put fresh oil in there, what should i do about the clutch?

 

[AWDtsi1995]

honestly i have an auto and never stored a manual. But i dont think theres anything you need to do.

 

[EclipseTrbo420A]

pull the plug wires and crank it acouple times to get some oil around in there. Then start it.

 

[Zmann42087]

honestly i have an auto and never stored a manual. But i dont think theres anything you need to do.

Agreed. I've had to store my 5spd DSM a couple times and I've never had trouble with the clutch as a result. Unrotated tires and dead batteries? Sure. But no problems with the clutch.

 

[HooverCJL24]

So all i should be worried about is getting a new battery and changing the oil then pulling the plug wires for a few revolutions and this baby should start right back up? Any other recomendations?

 

[AWDtsi1995]

check out the tires. They been in one place for awhile and might have flat spots (but it wasnt to long you might be ok).

Dont forget about gas. IF theres a little in there just put some fresh gas in.

 

[FastLap]

I'd check out that CV boot too. If it's been got a rip in it, has been sitting a while and even worse, been sitting in snow, then the cv joint may have started to bind. Might be time for a new axle. Also, as silly as it sounds, check for small animals in the engine bay and intake/exhaust. They'll find nice winter homes in your car.

 

[mn95TSi]

heet is gas line water remover

you'd have wanted to put stabil in the gas tank so the gas doesn't loose it's octane properties if you were storing it.

if there is a lot of gas in there (around 1/4 tank or more) you might even want to consider draining it.

 

[robs90tsi]

Hehe, my friend and I found two nice mices' nests in his # 2 and 3 cylinders when we pulled the head off of his N/T talon after it was sitting for 4 months.