Its Back

hornet

hornet

Forum user
Jan 11, 2007
37
6
lincoln ( bomber county )
After 2 and a half years in storage. My yard is now graced once again by the presence of my Cougar.:) The time spent outoors has not been too unkind, if you forget the mice that were living in the bonnet insulation, (no sign of wiring damage (Phew!)). Paint & bodywork has stood up well, Bearing in mind the engine has not been started in all this time, your thoughts on a restart procedure would be appreciated. V Reg, 2.5 V6 X-Pack. Cheers Hornet.
 
Drain and replace all fluids before you even think about turning the key. It may be overkill, but better that than the outside chance of actually killing it.
 
Welcome back, chuck a can off fresh fuel in. Disconnect the coil pack turn the engine over until oil pressure light goes out. plug the coil pack back in and off you go.
 
charliecd001 said:
Welcome back, chuck a can off fresh fuel in. Disconnect the coil pack turn the engine over until oil pressure light goes out. plug the coil pack back in and off you go.
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have found what Mark has said works well, engine's that have been left complete are generally ok,can be left ages and no problems, problems arise when they are partly "uncovered", take off rocker cover and the cams start to show slight signs of rusting within a few weeks as large amounts of air/moisture gets to them
once started and run for a while change engine oil and filter, if you can run around a bit then add flushing stuff in cooling system flush with fresh water and add fresh coolant
 
The advice about the fuel thing is quite important.

A bit of Googling says that petrol will degrade over time, (the RON goes down) but the only real-world effect of this is that you will be down on power. You could dump in some octane booster though - it won't do any harm. Or maybe fill it with Super?

Water is the main problem. Water in the air will condense in the tank. If the tank was full when you laid the car up, you should be okay. If it was near empty and you have no way of draining it, fill it to the brim and run it, then change your oil again after a few weeks. Water + combustion products = sulphuric acid. You don't want that in your engine.
 
try this(below) works well, its an injector cleaner as well, unless you left the fuel cap open the only air/moisture in the tank will be what it was 2 years ago so shouldn't be a problem
you can get moisture in a tank that is constantly in use, as the return fuel is warm, and especially in cold weather, as the constant warming of the fuel and the cold air creates a very small amount ofcondensation to form in tank

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B006I4AHNC?keywords=dry fuel&qid=1447445500&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1
you may get cheaper elsewhere
 
Thank you for all your advice, I now have a plan. Remove spark plugs give each bore a tiny squirt of WD40 or similar. attempt to turn engine by hand on bottom crank pulley. if it turns ok. change oil & filter + fuel filter (cannot remember when last changed). put in fresh fuel, (tank empty when parked up). unplug coil pack, turn over till oil light goes out (good suggestion, thank you). plug back in and attempt to start. If it starts run for a while, allow to cool and check for leaks, if all ok. replace drive belt, drain coolant & fill with fresh. After that restart run up to temperature and monitor for a good while. If engine ok. time to start the rest, check underneath for corrosion, Bodywork, exhaust, brake pipes, etc. unsieze handdbrake (might need cables) and clean up discs, front and rear, replace pads if required, change brake fluid. replace rear shocks (both leaking when parked up). Take for mot and see what happens, will be a good few weeks before MOT time comes aound, will keep you infomed, cheers,, Hornett.
 
hornet said:
Thank you for all your advice, I now have a plan. Remove spark plugs give each bore a tiny squirt of WD40 or similar. attempt to turn engine by hand on bottom crank pulley. if it turns ok. change oil & filter + fuel filter (cannot remember when last changed). put in fresh fuel, (tank empty when parked up). unplug coil pack, turn over till oil light goes out (good suggestion, thank you). plug back in and attempt to start. If it starts run for a while, allow to cool and check for leaks, if all ok. replace drive belt, drain coolant & fill with fresh. After that restart run up to temperature and monitor for a good while. If engine ok. time to start the rest, check underneath for corrosion, Bodywork, exhaust, brake pipes, etc. unsieze handdbrake (might need cables) and clean up discs, front and rear, replace pads if required, change brake fluid. replace rear shocks (both leaking when parked up). Take for mot and see what happens, will be a good few weeks before MOT time comes aound, will keep you infomed, cheers,, Hornett.
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If you do all that, you're almost guaranteed a good start unless she has a fault. I wish you the best of luck, though I don't think you're going to need it.
 
Mine was stood still for nearly 4 months last year, only being started to move it around the workshop while it was being resprayed. Once finished it needed an MOT but it failed on emissions. Not running it up to temperature and the ECU being in learn mode probably didn't help. Even after a 20 mile enthusiastic run (to and from the test so technically legal) it still failed. Only after another 20 mile enthusiastic run did it pass with flying colours. This year was a decent emissions test too.
I only have one sports cat on mine but you might need a fair bit of warm running to sort the catalysts out. Take the scenic route to the test centre. [emoji106]
 
charliecd001 said:
Welcome back, chuck a can off fresh fuel in. Disconnect the coil pack turn the engine over until oil pressure light goes out. plug the coil pack back in and off you go.
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exactly this advice mate..get the oil there b4 those pistons start pushing..ive always found that a long sat engine loves a squirt of wd40 down the intake b4 cranking..
dont worry mate she'll start ,they always do...just make sure there's plenty of power in the battery. if its not a new one then give it a good charge.. dont rely on jump leads they just cannot get enough power to start or turn an engine fast enough that hasn't moved in a few years..

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hornet said:
Thank you for all your advice, I now have a plan. Remove spark plugs give each bore a tiny squirt of WD40 or similar. attempt to turn engine by hand on bottom crank pulley. if it turns ok. change oil & filter + fuel filter (cannot remember when last changed). put in fresh fuel, (tank empty when parked up). unplug coil pack, turn over till oil light goes out (good suggestion, thank you). plug back in and attempt to start. If it starts run for a while, allow to cool and check for leaks, if all ok. replace drive belt, drain coolant & fill with fresh. After that restart run up to temperature and monitor for a good while. If engine ok. time to start the rest, check underneath for corrosion, Bodywork, exhaust, brake pipes, etc. unsieze handdbrake (might need cables) and clean up discs, front and rear, replace pads if required, change brake fluid. replace rear shocks (both leaking when parked up). Take for mot and see what happens, will be a good few weeks before MOT time comes aound, will keep you infomed, cheers,, Hornett.
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hey if taking the plugs out turn the engine with them out till the oil light goes out then put them in and reconnect the coil...wont stress the starter so much.
 
Not a Cougar but might be of interest as a testament to Subaru. I used to have a Subaru SVX. great car, didn't want to sell it despite not having a use for it. A house sale was approaching so she had to go. The battery was a bosch item, it had been on the bench in the shed for 6 years whilst the SVX was in the drive. I'd put it on a trickle charge maybe once or twice every year. I thought I was wasting the energy but none the less, it didn't take any effort to flick the switch to give the battery the treat from time to time.
Anyway more with a feeling I was wasting my time I put the battery on the car, and gave the key the tiniest flick, intending just to turn the engine over, if the battery was strong enough. The engine caught instantly and ran seamlessly. No smoke, no drama.
over the next few weeks I put the car on the ramps and wire brushed then painted some of the rough edges underneath. She sailed through an MOT and I was sorry to see her sold. 6 years of idleness, same battery and she fired up on the very first turn of the key.
I was impressed. Having said all that I would always go with turning an engine over with a socket on the crank pullet prior to actually turning the key. Cheers Mabo.
 
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