jmayer29

Greetings All.

I'm about to reacquire a 1998 Cobra I sold to a friend several years ago. The car has sat in his garage unstarted for the past three years. I've done the stored car restart, but never with anything this "new".

I know it is a good idea to prelube the engine, and in years past, we'd pull the distributor to spin the oil pump with a drill. Since the Cobra doesn't have one, I'm open to suggestions... My thought is to pull all the plugs, squirt some oil in the cylinders, disconnect the coil(s) and spin 'er over with the starter. Any better suggestions?

In other areas, I'm prepared to renew all fluids including brakes and power steering, tires, belts, hoses, etc., but I welcome any advice from the assembled masses...

Thanks!

kartracer55

Marvel mystery oil.

gt96stang

Hope he put fuel stabilizer in the tank...

JD1969

Your plan sounds good, I never worry unless it has sat for more than a year (like in this case). The brake fliud and power steering should be fine, unless it was bad before going into storage

jmayer29

Thanks for the help.

I replace the brake fluid on my motorcycle every year since it is hydroscopic. After sitting for three years, I'm sure this stuff has absorbed a good deal of moisture, but we'll see. Changing all the fluids is cheap insurance in my book...

My big fear is a dry start on the engine and any damage to valve springs from being stuck in one spot for three years.

Derf00

After three years of sitting I would think it would be wise to change ALL fluids. They do have a shelf life and even if they were 'good' before going into storage, any water in the system would cause corrosion or loss of physical properties for the fluids. Not arguing with you but you of all people usually err on the side of caution.

jmayer29

The nice thing is, this is a triple black convertible in perfect condition -- right down to a mirror finish repaint courtesy of Ford after they fudged the factory paint job. It's only got 45k miles on it and is completely stock except for subframe connectors and strut tower brace...

dsum14

I would drain the gas tank and release all the fuel in the lines and start over new with that also.