After almost 10 years, it's time to get the Evo running again. I'm going to try my best to approach this seemingly-insurmountable task intelligently. Unfortunately, I made this eventual task more difficult by being stupid.

The car has barely been run -- maybe gotten warmed up every couple of years and has had its oil changed. Why? I figured it was a good thing to do. Of course, I didn't realize that oil has a shelf life and I bought all of my Mobil 1 in 2008...

And the gas currently in the tank is also from 2008...

I don't know how many here have experience dealing with this sort of nonsense, but any opinions are welcome. I won't be offended.

I think the things I need to do first include:
* drain gas, either from plug underneath tank or by running the car until the fuel pump drains the tank (eww).
* fill tank with gas from, maybe this decade.
* change the oil, also preferrably with something from this decade.
* brake fluid change? I haven't yet researched how long those fluids are good for, but I will pick up new bottles since all of my motul is probably bad as well.
* replace tires - all of my brand new sets of RE-01Rs are past their best-by date. The fact that I even have RE-01Rs already dates them.
* replacement seals - I'll order whichever ones are needed, but I don't have a good idea of the magnitude of this effort. I figure there must be a bazillion seals that need changing
* fuel pump filter replacement? Or wait until I upgrade the FP since I might eventually go E85?

I think this is the bare minimum before I can even consider getting the car tuned. I figure that leaving the car as-is and then having FFTEC tune it is just asking for trouble. But on top of that, I have registration issues to manage. The car is a gross polluter in CA and can no longer be driven on the street, which adds to the fun!

It was either this or dump the car and just buy something like a Focus RS that I don't need to screw around with. I opted for the painful route.

Any comments on the bulleted list or the overall process are welcome. I'm not in a rush, hell the car has been sitting in my garage for years, but I want this done in 2017 because I am itching to hit the track / autocross again.

 

Mine sat for four years. I had the timing belt kit and serpentine belts changed. I also drained and changed engine, trans, differential, coolant fluids.

 

Thanks, I had not considered the belts. I figured it was a mileage, not month thing. However, google searches tell me that it is worth considering. Perhaps the first step will be to do a visual inspection of the belts, then do an initial service visit at FFTEC to have them change the belts. If I change them myself, I'm pretty sure I'll end up with even more things to repair.

 

i think your on the right track...

i would

assuming it starts with new fuel and a new battery...
(if it doesnt then i would pull out the injectors and have them cleaned)
then i would get it good and hot and then change the oil again.

maybe you will be lucky and the seals will be good... (no leaks

 

I started the car last year and it would probably start fine tomorrow if I tried, but just trying to be safe before a retune. Probably easiest to just have the car towed to the shop and have them do all of the work for me.

 

Matz! Damn you still have your evo!

How have you been?

 

Hi Bryan, I have been doing very well, thank you. How have you been? From reading your build thread, it looks like you've had a few vehicles since we last did a dyno session. I've been rolling around in a couple of crazy cheap Volt leases for the past five years. Can't beat $100/mo.

But having an electric vehicle has made me miss having an alternate fun car to drive. And since I can't swing another car payment right now, working on the Evo is the next best thing.

Status update: I spent the last two hours cleaning junk from the garage, sweeping up mouse poop and disinfecting the area, and tidying up around the racing simulator. Maybe by next week I can get access to the engine and inspect some belts!

also found some brand new parts... useless to me as I'll never install them, so will post soon. God, and a brand new E85 conversion kit still in its original GST packaging!

 

Pretty good pricing on Mobil 1 on Amazon, I think. Just ordered 5 qts @ $5.51/qt.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

ATE TYP 200 was possibly a bit of a rip at $19.79/L, but amazon is just too damn easy like that.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

New set of Michelin PSS 245-45/17s set me back $742, but the inevitable hospital bill after blowing out an aged tire is definitely going to be higher.

Next step - change oil, change brake and clutch fluids, mount and install tires, replace spark plugs and front O2 sensor.

Found SA2015 replacement for my old SA2000 helmet, but there's no point in jumping the gun on a helmet until the car is running.

http://pyrotectstore.com/product/pro...l-face-sa2015/

 

Certainly not the kind of progress seen on razorlab's or electric bom's build threads, but I'm still somewhat pleased.

I almost picked up a new car and therefore had a lot of motivation to clean the garage. No new car, but now I can work on the Evo more easily.

Picked up 2 gallons of gas from the station and put it in the Evo. Now I have new gas, yay.

Bought a trickle charger, which told me that my battery wouldn't hold a charge and needed to be replaced. Ordered a new one from Amazon, now the car starts without jumping.

Pulled the spark plugs and they looked like crap. Overnighted some new Iridiums from Amazon and they showed up today. Just put them in and am waiting for the torque wrench I ordered from Amazon. Should show up today as well.

Brought all of the new tires down from the wall and have them ready for installation.

Somehow found the tool to remove the lugs from my wheels. Need to order new ones that don't require a special socket.

Took the car out for a short drive down the street. I forgot there's no ramp behind that side of my garage and I proceeded to jack up my front bumper. Brilliant.

Thank you, Amazon, for making it possible to buy random stuff and have it show up the same day or the next for almost nothing.

 

change all the hoses. Soon they will start leaking. Actually in the long run you will have problems with that car. Not using it is the worst thing you can do. I would sell it.

 

Challenge accepted!

 

The seals, I'd drive it and check for leaks. Change the ones that leak. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

I'm definitely optimistic. I'll drive it up and down a little more once I swap out the tires, hopefully tomorrow. I somehow lost my floor jack so that has blocked me for tonight. But I will definitely do what you have proposed, especially after my screwup yesterday with the curb and the front bumper. Who knows what else could have happened underneath there.

 

New shoes are installed and ready to go! yay. Next week - illegal driving around the house just to see how it does. Seems to idle better with the new plugs. The old ones looked pretty awful.

 

I'm posting this, hoping that it will be useful information for someone out there in CA, regardless of their vehicle type.

I decided to get moving on acquiring the one-day registration tickets so I'll be ready to go when I get an appointment at FFTEC. I realized that AAA handles that sort of thing, so I went over there today. I also read that you can get a TOP, or "Temporary Operating Permit", which allows you to drive the car for 60 days without vehicle registration. That would be a much more useful way to handle things over the next several weeks.

In order to get a TOP, you must present the smog failure paperwork from the station, which I had. However, in order to get that, if you are like me and had your registration suspended, you also have to pay a $14 fee. And in order to get that cleared, you have to have proof of vehicle insurance first, unlike with the one-day permits.

After this, you have to pay a vehicle registration fee, which is $757. Only then can you get the TOP. Except in my case, since my vehicle hasn't been registered since 2011, I am now ineligible to get the TOP. I am forced to go to AAA or the DMV for every single trip I plan to make with the car.

In summary, if you are dealing with this, you'll have to follow the steps I am going to take:

• Purchase insurance, $XXX
• Pay vehicle suspension fee, $14 (https://vfr.dmv.ca.gov/CISA/index.html)
• Pay vehicle registration fee, $757
• Buy one-day permit
• Get tuned / repairs
• Buy one-day permit
• Get smogged
• Repeat until pass
• Maintenance work

Looks like September will be a busy month for me.