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Cranking the Element after nearly 2 Years of Storage

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2.3K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  dgale  
#1 ·
All,

I am on the trail again of using the Element. It's an 06 EX and it has 221K miles on it.

I have one that has turned 16 and is going to be driving around town, so the Element is the best choice for that.

It had not been cranked in nearly 2 years, and after checking the fluid levels, cleaning the air filter etc, and also replacing the battery, it fired up. I took it to the local AutoZone and they told me that the alternator needs replacing. I'm sure they are right.

I searched through the threads and didn't see a tutorial (picture or video) of that, although I did see the serpentine belt change one. Anyone know of such a video?

Sort of a second question is this: Is there anything that I should do besides changing the fluids out to this vehicle to prepare it for use? I've got about two months before school starts and the vehicle goes into daily use...


Thanks all!
 
#5 ·
Sounds like you already turned the car over, so too late for this advice but anytime a car has been sitting for a long period of time without the engine being turned over, I'd recommend removing the spark plugs and squirting a bit of oil into each cylinder and then turning the engine over by hand before actually starting it. Cylinders and rings can develop a layer of surface rust over time when just sitting there - normally engine use would prevent this from happening but when it just sits there, rust will eventually move in. This is especially true of whichever cylinders have valves open, as air is free to move in/out on a daily basis as air expands and contracts with changing temperatures. Air contains humidity (moisture), which encourages rust. If the car sits long enough, this layer of rust can become substantial enough to damage or break rings when the engine os first turned over…squirting oil and turning it by hand will lubricate things and gently break any rust bond between rings and cylinders. Once this is done and the engine turned over, the rings should wear away any rust that had accumulated.

Anyway, you already turned it over and things are probably fine after two years anyway, but this is good advice to folks who go to start a car that has sat for an extended period of time.