I found a 2001 NB Miata that has been parked in a heated garage for 2.5 years. As near as I can tell, the key has not turned in that time. So the battery will be dead. Photos show tires are inflated at least enough to not look flat. 1500 miles from my home. Do I call a transporter to ship or do I fly and drive? If I plan to drive it, I guess I would put in a new battery and drive it straight to a quicky lube for fresh oil. The tires will hopefully unflat spot with some rotations. Any other concerns? What should I plan to do before driving it a lot? Coolant, brake fluid, trans and diff, new plugs. Am I missing anything?
Bring some clean injectors, just in case. I'd be less concerned with coolant, trans and diff fluid.
Do people really have heated garages?
Check oil & coolant level, pull ecu fuse, crank for 5-10 seconds, reinsert fuse, start and look for leaks. Then, gingerly test brakes.. Fix anything immediately concerning.
Oil change and drive home.
If you can, it wouldn't be an awful idea to drain the gas tank and fill with a few gallons of fresh before putting the key in it. Or at least dump a few gallons of 93 in it and give the car a shake.
Rumor is that a heated garage helps a car rust faster due to the warmer temps and the Chicago salt.
Funny that my personal car is in the same situation.
But I'll be far more abusive- just start it and go.
See if you can get a grmer to check it out
It's a friend of our so I know it is good. He was on the bad side of a bike-car accident and hasn't felt comfortable getting back into the Miata since then so it's just been sitting. Just been sitting in the corner. 75k miles. Top replaced and I'm pretty sure timing belt, too.
Datsun310Guy wrote:
Rumor is that a heated garage helps a car rust faster due to the warmer temps and the Chicago salt.
I think that's only a thing when the car's going in and out. If you park it clean, it'll be just like it's in AZ. Only without the sun damage.
BrokenYugo wrote:
If you can, it wouldn't be an awful idea to drain the gas tank and fill with a few gallons of fresh before putting the key in it. Or at least dump a few gallons of 93 in it and give the car a shake.
Alternately, octane booster. I'll bet the stuff in it will get you the gas station, though.
Easiest way to drain the tank in an NB: pull the fuel line off the rail and put it in a jerry can. Then jump FP and GND in the diagnostic box and let the pump do all the work. There's no drain plug in the tank.
If anyone's curious what happens if you leave a Miata sit for two years, I have your answer...
It gets dusty. Seriously, took a little extra effort to turn over, other than that... Oh and the A/C works still.
My 2000 sat for a couple of years before I bought it from the previous owner's widow. I swapped in a fresh battery and fired it up. It took a little cranking, but it was also five degrees out that day. It also passed the pre-registration emission testing on old fuel.
Start, look for leaks. Go but some gas in it and go.
Looks like a nice car.
Thank you Osterkraut for taking time out of your weekend and helping a fellow GRM'er even though we've never met. Now on to the next stage of the adventure!
