Neglected Car

Take the plugs out and put a bit of oil down each one and let it seep in around the crown of the piston to help prevent scoring(don't forget to put them back in!), also replacing the oil wouldn't go a miss and checking all the other levels are ok, the water system might be going red/rusty by now I would have thought as well. Also make sure you have some fresh petrol in it as petrol degrades with time and is more than likely really cack by now in that Volvo.

When it comes to starting an all your plugs and leads and everything is fine, remove the king lead to the dizzy cap and move it away from where it might see any petrol of things. Then crank the engine until the the oil warning light goes out and stop cranking and turn ignition off, then re-connect king lead and have a go of really starting her, on the first start she might be lumpy as hell and will more than likely stall with all the cack that is in the carb coming out. just be patient and restart her, pull the choke out a little and keep her revving at about 1200rpm for a few minutes, then move the car a little and check the brakes and all work as they should.

HTH. Will

If a lead acid battery is left totally flat for a few weeks it's usually beyond hope.

Remove the plugs and squirt in a goodly quantity of thin machine oil - sewing machine stuff or Redex would be fine - and leave to soak for a few days. Then, if possible, turn the engine by hand with the plugs still out using the crank pulley bolt. On some cars it's also possible to get at the oil pump drive by removing the distributor - if you could spin this up in some way to get oil pressure before turning the engine it would all help.

I'd also remove the rocker cover and give the cam and valve gear a good soaking in ordinary engine oil.

If it's been flat for any period of time, it'll be done for.

What the other bloke said about oil down spark plug holes.

No

Expect it to smoke somewhate when started for the first time, and for several days of use until the rings etc get freed up. There shouldn't be any permanent damage though. A good idea might be to take out the plugs, squirt in some oil/ redex/whatever, and turn the engine over by hand a few times. This is much less stressful on the engine, although it will make it smoke even more when started. You can't have everything.

Of far more consequence is the brakes. Assuming it has been parked up with the handbrake on, this could be a problem with some cars. assuming you have got the engine running, you may be able to put it in gear and break the shoes clear of the drums. This of course presupposes that the clutch is not also seized. If this is the case, jack up the rear, take the wheels off, and hit the drums with a hammer( with the handbrake off) until they can be turned freely. Then, with the car securely on stands, start it up in gear, which will rotate the wheels, and with your foot on the clutch try to run the wheel as fast as you can whilst juggling the brake and throttle pedals to keep the drive going whilst the clutch frees off. A bit dramatic, but it works.

Getting it through an MOT is going to be a whole different story.......

HTH

Steve

Be a bit careful if you are spinning the engine with the coil lead removed. IIRC the electronic ignition on these cars will be damaged the HT arcs over more than about 20mm - perhaps you could clamp it near a handy earth point in order that this distance is not exceeded.

DON`T remove the cylinder head unless you reeaaally have to - if you have the Renault 1.4 engine and you disturb the liners you are in a world of pain. If you must, leave a bolt in and tap it on the sides (it`s not dowelled) to break the seal and clamp the liners with some bolts and big washers.

I would also add that it may be worthwhile changing the thermostat - this may have got sticky with not being used. You do not want to overheat this engine (the 1.4 anyway). The head will bend if you so much as look at it funny.

As a previous poster said, it may be lumpy - these often are - the carbs on these are often problematic. The Weber on the 1.4 often shakes it top cover loose and seems prone to clogging up while the Solex on the 1.7 often warps at the base. Might be worth whipping it off and giving it an overhaul in any case.

Good luck

Thx Doki.

Does anybody else agree? Will any degree of loving care and attention revive a 14-month idle battery?

Rob

If you've got an electronics bench power supply, you could try charging it for several days at about 50 volts and 100 milliamps - this may get rid of the sulphation. But after this length of time I'd say no.

You may find that it`s coming from one of these rather than from the tank itself - especially as it`s still got some in it. The flow and return lines that go through the top of the sender unit are the most likely candidate (remove round plate in boot floor, under carpet to check) and naturally the longest and most fiddly to replace.

There is an expansion tank too on the right side of the boot behind the side panel - check the lines to this as well.

If you need to replace any lines it would be best to carefully cut them off the various T pieces etc, rather tan trying to pull them - from what I remember these are not especially tough either.

Well if the pipes from the sender (fuel take off is through the sender unit) are perished, the tank will look like it`s leaking if it has been run at all - regardless of how much fuel is in the tank. I`d replace the tank anyway rather than try and repair it - from a scrapyard if you can find a good one. Don`t even look at a volvo main dealer.....

Unfortunately it was completely stationary for 14 months. I was surprised it burst into life when I tried it after a little TLC, but it was showing signs (and the smell) of a fuel leak before that.

Thanks Will.

Any ideas of a reasonable scrapyard for this sort of thing? I'm away from home in the Leicester area at the moment and am kinda lost as regards such places.

Cheers,

Rob