Starting a car after 1 year off the road

richardson2525

Story is I have an old car (1987). It was driving until last year when I bought it off the previous owner, I replaced a few panels did a few jobs and now it's cosmetically perfect and I want to start driving it.
What I plan to do is fit a new battery,
replace 4 tires,
flush the engine and new oil and filter,
replace disc brakes if needed (they've rusted)
What else should I think of doing to get it back in roadworthy condition.
Is there anything I should be doing with the fuel or any other fluids for safetys sake. (BTW it's a '87 Merc 190E Automatic)

Owen

I'd examine the brake fluid as it's been sitting stagnant for a year, also the brake cylinder & piston seals, and brake lines. The last thing you want is not to be able to stop. Check any rubber hoses under the bonnet for signs of perishing - fuel lines, air lines, etc. Last, but not least, take a moment to unclip the lighting connectors and use some contact cleaner, of if you're really stuck - WD40, to drive out any moisture before current is passed along them and you blow a bulb or two.

richardson2525

ned78 wrote:

I'd examine the brake fluid as it's been sitting stagnant for a year, also the brake cylinder & piston seals, and brake lines. The last thing you want is not to be able to stop. Check any rubber hoses under the bonnet for signs of perishing - fuel lines, air lines, etc. Last, but not least, take a moment to unclip the lighting connectors and use some contact cleaner, of if you're really stuck - WD40, to drive out any moisture before current is passed along them and you blow a bulb or two.

By lighting connectors, do you mean for the headlights, indicators etc.? I replaced both headlights yesterday due to condensation build up inside the glass. Thanks

Stevo11

They're a v.tough car (have an '88 190D and an '82 230CE), brake disks should be fine after a few stops (just check they're not scored nor gone too thin), its usually just surface rust. The engine will be grand after the oil + filter change (do the air filter too), drain the tank if you have time (was it left empty? Might have some rusting on the inside... best to carry a spare fuel filter incase the current one gets clogged).
Steve

richardson2525

Great advice Steve -good to get advice from someone in the know with these cars. I nearly forgot about the fuel filter, I'll change it as a matter of course just in case, looking forward to getting her back going and retiring the current workhorse

Just My View

Parts of the engine might be almost bone dry so it might be no harm to run on a very light low viscosity oil at first. It should diperse into where its needed much quicker than a heavier oil. Replace it with a good regular grade oil after a few hundred km much like on a new car.

tapest

Can you turn the engine over by hand, it being an automatic?. If not, stop it firing and turn it over on the starter for a while
t

richardson2525

tapest wrote:

Can you turn the engine over by hand, it being an automatic?. If not, stop it firing and turn it over on the starter for a while
t

I'm not sure what you mean Tapest by turning it over by hand -do you mean putting it up on stands and rotating the wheels or rotating the crankshaft with a socket and extension? Would this be to get the oil flowing around the engine a bit before starting it with the sparks connected? Sounds like a smart idea to get it nicely lubed up inside before turning the engine at high revs

alias no.9

Don't forget to change the plugs and it's probably worth giving a spray of wd40 into each of the cylinders while you're doing this.