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Starting the car after 6 years of storage 200 1987

posted by  mkraynek (returns) on  Fri May 5 16:41 CST 2023
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Hey everyone, it’s been a while.

I was a regular on the board while my 87 240 was a daily/weekly driver back in 2007 and before. Moved across the country, brought the Volvo, and it sat. Briefly restored it to working condition about 6 years ago with some minor electrical work and all new brake discs/calipers/pads. Then the child came. Car sat again. That brings us to today. . .

I’m switching jobs, and with that a company vehicle goes bye-bye. My commute is all of 5 miles, so I figure I might as well give the 240 a shot. I’ve got an appointment lined up at the Volvo shop on Monday but of course I went out to start the car and nothing’s happening. I charged the battery (new in 2016) and it won’t hold a charge very long. With the battery at ~75% and the sketchy Harbor Freight charger on emergency start mode, the engine will crank but won’t turn over. Other thoughts:
I checked the 25 amp fuse behind the battery. It’s in working order and the contacts are clean.
I’ll try out the fuel pump relay as soon as I have another set of hands.
Gas is pretty old. I believe it had stabilizer added way back when, but not sure how long that lasts. Should I drain the tank and put in fresh fuel?
Any other ideas?

I've got the next two days to figure it out. Otherwise I'll be pushing it into the alley for a tow truck to pick up.







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    Starting the car after 6 years of storage 200 1987

    posted by  CeeBee1 on  Fri May 5 22:18 CST 2023
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    last visit: Wed Oct 16 20:06 CST 2013
    [RELATED]

    Try this for solutions

    Go to this Website from the Club Down-under.

    https://ozvolvo.org/archive/

    Type in: problem

    you will get this

    Volvo_problem_solver_repair_manual_1962-1994_Models.pdf

    Download it.

    I have an 87....don't give yours away.

    I've also got an 80 that's been stored since 2018----It is this years project.

    Charlie







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    Starting the car after 6 years of storage 200 1987

    posted by  machine man on  Fri May 5 18:45 CST 2023
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    last visit: Wed Oct 22 15:40 CST 2014
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    Hi

    You might want to think over about having it towed away. The resale of these cars has gone way up especially if the body is in good shape.
    Parts are getting rare in places and not cheaper.

    Was the car kept in some sort of indoor space?
    If it was outside you may have cat and rodent damage so look for that.

    Yes the product gas stabilizer is probably not made to last that long. It’s most Naphtha that coats the molecules of gasoline to keep oxygen away from it so it doesn’t oxidize for some period.

    I have never seen any specific time allowances mentioned anywhere so don’t count on the gas being good.
    All the octane is probably dead. Just like a battery the lead has sulphates on the bottom and is basically shorted out. Good thing it doesn’t run as it would do the alternator no good.

    Gasoline turns into a smelly gel and clogs up stuff.
    At this point it all has to be flushed out from one end of the car to the other.
    I wouldn’t have even tried to start it even if it was in doors.
    Barometric air pressure changes on the fuel tank reduced the gasoline in the tank to to a stale ale!

    The worse thing you can do to any machine is abandon it.
    Why have you kept it, if you didn’t plan on keeping it?
    I have FORD F-100 sitting for seventeen years in doors and the engine is shot. When the timing chain slipped I parked it on stands. Started to work on it but I have been disgusted with it since new.
    But the gas tanks have been totally emptied. One is on a shelf plugged.
    The body of the truck is worth more than I ever paid for it no matter how dusty it is.

    The idea of some lubrication in the cylinders is good and cranking the engine with a hand wrench is even better.
    Good chances are the oil pump has lost prime and things like the cam journals in the head are super dry.

    So I’m not jumping you for parking it for only six years! That nothing much as it just depends on the locations climate.

    Phil








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    Starting the car after 6 years of storage 200 1987

    posted by  B.B. on  Fri May 5 18:01 CST 2023
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    last visit: Mon Oct 6 13:15 CST 2014
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    Welcome back,

    Did the battery have a chance to freeze? If so it's junk.

    Did you check for spark?

    I'd pull the plugs and give a shot of mystery oil to each cylinder to
    help free any stuck rings and let it soak overnight.

    Then start troubleshooting. Maybe starting with a compression test.

    Bill






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