I’ve adopted a project evo 9 that has been sitting for 5 years. It has been sitting on axle stands in a carport under a car cover for that time. Now it is time to get it back on the road!

There’s no obvious rodent damage, plenty of insect presence. A little bit of mould on the interior but not all that bad.

So far, I’ve put the battery on a trickle charger (hoping for the best), turned the motor over by hand a couple times (no issues with that) and ordered rotors and pads all round.

Fuel is very low, potentially even all evaporated. I’m planning on putting 25L (6.6 gallons) of fresh 98RON (comparable to 93 octane in USA) fuel in before I start it up.

Oil is dark and still oily but seems a bit thin. I’m thinking I’ll drop the oil that is in there, put some generic low viscosity oil in, start and run until it is hot so the thermostat opens then drop that oil and fill with the right spec.

I’ve got fluids for the transmission, rear diff and transfer case. The coolant was changed not long before it was taken off the road, I’m not sure how that would deteriorate with time so not sure if it needs to be flushed?

Any advice or thoughts will be awesome and hugely appreciated! I am in New Zealand, so the products available to me will differ.

I’m keen for some advice on the brakes, they look like they have been repainted improperly and a bunch of road dust etc has stuck to the paint. I’ve struggled to find a service that repaints brakes and I’m not sure about the best way to do it myself. I’ve found a kit that uses a brush (not spray/aerosol), which I’m leaning towards as I don’t have much confidence in a spray can. But they are pretty dirty, the road dust looks like it has stuck to the paint, so I'm not sure how clean I'll be able to get them for painting.

 

I'd probably inspect the plugs and scope the bores for any rust. I'm a bit **** so I'd probably pull the sump and clean up any sludge too, I would cut the oil filter and look for any glitter, I would drain the fuel all out including the lines. I might pull the cam cover and check for rust on the cams. The brakes would be my last worry but if they're real bad I'd get them blasted and powder coated properly, no dodgy paint brush job for me.

 

if its dry stored at a temp controlled garage... then i would just add fuel & start it, drive it without WOT until the second fuel tank..., if there would be very slight surface rust... nothing you can do anyway... the fuel & oil lubrication will take care of it.

afther the second fuel tank > change oil & cambelt/balancer belt

I have several cars that i often don't drive for 5 years... i've just turned the key and drive away... after doing the above... never had any issue the last 25+ years this way & that includes cars i do 8h trackdays with, ranging from normal to supercars

if it's under a carport... depends on your climate... low humidity & higher temps... then i would to the above

else

i would just try starting it... without coils connected, to build oil pressure etc

 

why was it on jackstands before? i'd check tires' quality for sure. check hose and clamps. i'd personally clean everything first lol. congrats

 

Thanks guys appreciate the help. All noted for when I get stuck in.

The previous owner was in the midst of getting a bit of work done and life got in the way, the clutch had some light slipping before it was parked up, so that is on the list too, but getting it running is task one. Wheels weren't part of the deal so I've organised some Evo 8 MR BBSs with a new set of Eagle F1s.

 

Would be nice to see updates as you make progress on it. What are your plans for the car, reliable daily driver, weekend car, track car, etc?

Regarding refinishing the brakes, I refinished mine while on the car. Took the wheels off, sanded the brembo calipers with 600,1000, 1500 grit sandpaper, cleaned them with 30% IPA, masked off entire car minus the calipers with painters tape and plastic sheets, 2 coats of high temp gloss black spray paint, wait 3 hours, applied new brembo logo decals I got off ebay for $15, apply 2 coats of high temp clear coat, wait 3 hours, unmask everything and reinstall wheels.