A few months ago a wrote asking for suggestions on the potential of reviving a car sitting for the last 6 years, specifically a Mazda Tribute first generation.
I got more details. And perhaps this will change the prognosis for the vehicle.
A family meme we gave it to another a family in need. The Gifter gave of for free, with the stipulation that it is as is, and the Giftee takes care of all maintenance.
After a year or two of driving it the Giftee let it sit. The reason?! Because it wouldn’t pass emissions. The Giftee wants to take it back, and try to get it running. So he can have a second backup car.
And they are coming to me as the “car expert” to see if we can get it done (I’m not really an expert relative to many here in the forum, but in the family, I’m the go to guy.)
So I’m thinking this Tribute may be able to be saved with a little elbow grease and not too much labor?
1) The biggest cost would probably be a new catalytic converters. I am assuming that is the emissions problem. What else should I lookout for for emissions problems?
2) Assuming I can jump start the car, and fluid levels are up, would it be safe or detrimental to drive the car about 20 miles to my garage. What’s the bare minimum I would have to fix just to move it 20 miles?
3) To get it going, this is what I got from the last thread: siphon the old fuel out. Change the oil. And make sure all the other fluid levels are up.
Assuming there are no surprises, is there anything else I have to change? Or shall we just junk the car?
If it has been sitting for 6 years, there's a good chance you won't be able to get it running well enough to drive 20 miles without doing the gas drain and refill first. Gosh knows what that deteriorated gas did to the fuel injection system. The brake discs might be rusted enough that braking might be a problem, too. The tires are probably questionable. I'd tow it, as it would probably take a fair bit of work to make it safe to drive. I imagine that the car is not properly licensed and insured at this point, too.
If you or some other member of the family isn't a mechanic, (or willing to learn fixing this car) you are probably going to have to spend $1000-2000 getting it to run well and drive safely - emissions, repairs, tires, belts and hoses, fluids, repairing any rodent-chewed electrics, and on and on. Though there are a dozen different reasons the car may have failed emissions other than the catalytic converters - some cheaper to fix.
All in all, unless a car has some collector or sentimental value, it would probably make more financial sense to sell it for the ~$500 you get for a junk car, take the $1000-$2000 it would take to fix it, and go buy something "rusty but trusty" that runs and drives as a back up car.
Thanks for the advice.
Scotty has a video on getting a car going that has been sitting for years. One thing to look out for is siezed wheels. It could have failed emissions for pretty much any component of the EVAP system so don't replace catalytic converters until you know for sure that it is the issue.
Thanks!
If it's been sitting for 6 years, there's going to be some work and expense in getting it going again. First, I'd check Scotty's video on how to get a car running after it's been sitting, first from Scotty, second from Scotty, and one from Chris Fix. The tires are probably shot and not round after sitting that long, so if you drive it, you'll need to drive slowly. You'll also need a new battery just to get it started. You'll also need to change all the fluids, coolant, brake fluid, transmission fluid, oil. Check the air filter and make sure you don't have any disconnected hoses.
It sounds like you're just making an assumption that the emissions failure is catalytic converter related. If you haven't done so, I'd suggest actually doing some diagnostics to figure out why it won't pass emissions. Just throwing parts like catalytic converters at a problem is a good way to waste money. It could be oxygen sensors, it could be bad fuel/air mixes caused by vacuum leaks, it could be misfires from bad spark, it could be a million things, but you won't know until you diagnose the problem. An OBDII scanner can get you started in figuring it out. If you don't have one, auto parts stores can scan the car and give you a report for free.
You're right. It is just an assumption. There could be more to it, without a proper scan.