traxxasme Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Hello everybody. So, today, i just confirmed the ownership of a Pathy I've had my eye on for a while. She's a 1993, auto, XE, and dirty as #&$% lol. But as far as I know, she's been sitting since 2011-2012, without even being started since it was parked. I should have a picture up within a few days or so. So my question is, since I am a "screwdriver mechanic" lol, what are some things I need to do before I even attempt to start her up? This is my list so far, let me know what's missing. Drain gas tank, refill and add 1 1/2 ounce of seafoam. Drain and replace coolant/antifreeze. Drain motor oil, replace, and replace filter. Replace battery, obviously. Replace air and fuel filters. And I heard something about taking the spark plugs out, and adding in like a tablespoon of motor oil? Then cranking the engine a few times by hand. Is that really beneficial/needed at this point? I do have 'some' mechanical knowledge, just not much experience. But i'm certainly not afraid to get my hands dirty and put in a few solid days to make this thing roadworthy. Any suggestions would be appreciated. ~Taylor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stabworthy Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Do you know if the engine is free ?I can bet there will be injector problems. If not now down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traxxasme Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share Posted June 25, 2014 All I know is that it ran like a top when it was parked. I just want to take the right precautionary measures before starting her up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Turn it over with the coil disconnected a couple of times to pump up the oil and then put it back and fire it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushnut Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 I'd add draining the fuel lines. has it been parked indoors or out? if outdoors, you'll want to check for things like animal nests or insects. I once left my VW golf parked at a buddys house for 3 weeks, came back and had an ant nest in the trunk. LOL. also check for corroded brake lines and such. rather than just drain the coolant I'd flush the system to get rid of any rust particles. once you do have it up and running don't forget the other fluids. DOT fluid, transmission, differentials, as well as transfer case. I'd probably do the spark plugs while your at it. When I did mine they were probably 12years old. check the belts for cracks as well as all the hoses for week spots. any oil leaks? the oil trick in the cylinder sounds like a good idea though I have no idea if it will do what I think its supposed to . If you jack the rear of the truck you can turn the engine over by turning the right rear wheel. (not something I've done but only read about,....may not work for an auto trans.) good luck and hope things turn out. oh yea, Pics please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traxxasme Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share Posted June 25, 2014 Yeah, I'll definitely do that adamzan. Its been parked outdoors. There is quite the mold on the inside too.. And there was evena good sized amount of moldon one of the hoses in the engine bay. Didn't know that was something that happened to rubber hoses.. Lol. As for oil leaks, I he can't done a real through check, bit when I was looking at it, I did notice some oil towards the bottom left side of the engine. May be a very slight and very slow leak. And I'll get some pics up asap. The truck isn't at my house yet, so, yeah, can't really go check stuff right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traxxasme Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share Posted June 25, 2014 Hey, quick question bushnut. From what I've read, flushing the coolant system requires you to run the truck after you add the flushing mix. So should I just wait to mess with the coolant until I get it running? Are the gas and the motor oil the only fluids I need to worry about before starting her up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traxxasme Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share Posted June 25, 2014 Hey, quick question bushnut. From what I've read, flushing the coolant system requires you to run the truck after you add the flushing mix. So should I just wait to mess with the coolant until I get it running? Are the gas and the motor oil the only fluids I need to worry about before starting her up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 What color is the coolant? If it is still green and not really dirty looking it's probably fine to run it at first. Just make sure it is full so it doesn't run too hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 The point of putting oil down in the cylinders is to lube the walls and rings a little so it cuts down on the metal to metal contact. ATF burns off easier than oil does, and honestly even a spray of WD40 or PB Blaster is better than nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Welcome to the forum ! If you are looking for an economic and scalable solution for a rear lift or level your truck, come and visit http://4x4design.com/Pathfinder_R50_96-04.php (near the bottom of the page) * we also make custom stickers * http://4x4design.com/Stickers_Decals.html - Just ask for quote ! Cheers. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devonianwalk Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 After you get the motor all sorted out, take a good look at the tires for dry rot. I recently "woke" an old Jeep CJ from a 3yr+ slumber. I did the same steps these guys suggested (using motor oil in the cylinders) and turning the motor over by hand a few times. Took a little TLC but got it purring like a kitten. The gas was so varnished I could smell it weeks after I drained it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Mold! Makes me glad I live on the dry side of the state. Do look for critter nests. I parked my rig (in my driveway!) for less than a week and mice nested in the hood insulation. Check inside the air filter box, too, mice like to pack dog food into places like that, and valves don't like dog food nearly as much as mice do. Speaking of valves, do you know when the timing belt was done last? A little oil in the cylinders is not a bad idea (and you can check the condition of the plugs at the same time). I've read recommendations of other stuff over seafoam for fuel system flushes, but haven't tried either myself. Probably also good to swap out the fuel filter once the nasty gas is flushed out of the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traxxasme Posted June 26, 2014 Author Share Posted June 26, 2014 Ok, so update everyone. Turns out it was started, run, and had the oil and filter replaced 1 yr ago. So I figuredthe gas would be too bad. So I added some seafoam, Heet, and some octane booster to the gas tank. And I'm gonna start it up tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes. Oh, and those suspension spacers look really nice. The suspension con my pathy is stock, and the front needs to be lifted a little to be level. Do you think, maybe one inch? Maybe two? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 sorry , I only do the rear spacers for the wd21... :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 All you need to do to lift the front is adjust the torsion bars. There are no coil springs in the front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traxxasme Posted June 29, 2014 Author Share Posted June 29, 2014 Ah, ok, yeah, I realize that now lol. Sorry, never dealt with these trucks before. So, today's update. I replaced plugs, cap, rotor and fuel filter. Used NGK V-Power as suggested on the forum somewhere. A couple of the old plugs came out wet with water..? And were kinda rusty. Idk if that's just condensation, or what. I've noticed that it is severely lacking for power until like 2500 rpm, so I thought the fuel filter was just coughed or something. But it is still like that after the new filter. Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Hmm. Water in the bores is not a good thing--I don't know which side of the state you're on, but even on the west side I doubt the condensation would be enough. Sure it's not unburned fuel? The only other thing I can think of is a seeping head gasket, but it seems like that would've made its presence known on startup. Either way, hopefully the bores aren't rusted. I wouldn't be surprised if fresh gas helped some (even with boosters/driers, that old gas has to be pretty rank by now). Also look at vacuum lines, electrical plugs, etc. If the check engine light is on, start there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Lack of power under low rpms could also mean the timing is off. Get a light on it and check. If you can't set it to the stock 15 degrees the belt may be off a tooth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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