Okay to let Toyota Camry sit (undriven) for a long time?

The license plate has been taken off and the insurance stopped on a Toyota Camry 1999, for about 6 months now. Is it "okay" to let it sit, or should I run the engine every once is a while. Is running the engine sufficient, or should I actually drive it around the block, or just in the driveway? Or, should I just sell it if I plan on letting it sit any longer? What are some "problems" associated with the car sitting for an extended period?

Reply to
Arctic Wolf
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A ten mile drive in temperate weather should be sufficient exercise every two months (minimum)

Otherwise, sell the car.

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- Philip @ Maximum Torque RPM
Reply to
Philip®

"Arctic Wolf" muttered darkly in news: snipped-for-privacy@uni-berlin.de:

Before parking it, it should have been taken for a long run to get it good and hot, and burn off as much moisture as possible from the combustion chamber and exhaust.

Starting and running briefly as you describe is the worst thing you can do.

Since we do not know how hot it was when parked, and if the car will sit for several years, I would not advise starting and running it. Pull the plugs and give it a squirt or two of engine oil in the plug holes. With the ignition OFF, crank the engine by hand a few revs to distribute the oil. Put the plugs back and leave it.

Remove the battery, change the oil, coolant, transmission and brake fluids.

Jack up the tires and put stands under the SUSPENSION ARMS, NOT the frame. You want to keep the suspension compressed, but the tires off the ground.

Make sure the car is on covered concrete that is warm all the time, or put vapor barrier on the floor under the car to prevent moisture from rising up and rusting the mechanicals and the underside.

Depends how valuable the car is to you and how much trouble you want to make sure it is stored properly. A '99 Camry is not exactly a '62 Ferrari GTO.

Rust, corrosion and seizure of many, many moving parts, including the engine's internals. Moisture and temperature changes are the main culprits.

A properly dry-stored car that has been prepped correctly will stay in good shape for decades, but rubber parts will eventually embrittle in that time.

--
TeGGeR®

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Reply to
Tegger®

What is really required is to drive it for about 10 minutes at highway speeds once a month if you can. Otherwise, as close to that as you can manage. Merely idling or driving around the block is not adequate.

Reply to
AKT

do.

the

fluids.

up

culprits.

good

time.

That said... hmm lemme tell you a resurrection story.

My '82 AE70, when I purchased it, had been sitting for two years. Simply parked and forgotten. I'm told it was 'a little rough' when it was parked.

For two years it sat outside on a nasty cracked up concrete pad.

The body started to rot in strange places, the tyres perished, the battery failed...

The day I bought it I went around there with a fresh battery and a petrol can. I put a little gas down the little carb on top of that old 3A-U, gave her a wind and *VROOM!*

The 3A didn't miss a beat. Instantly, the whole car breathed life. All the electrics were still functioning, the brakes were NOT ceased (thank god) and the engine sounded as healthy as ever. It turns out that the 3A was knackered, which is how it got the 2T... but the horror that this old car that was so nasty and rotten looking fired up first shot, and stayed running! Impressive.

Toyota can build solid cars... but for the love of sweet baby Jesus store the things properly. If it's gonna sit, store it like Tegs here says, or it'll end up like mine did - half buggered. I fixed mine, but it's not exactly a common model. A '99 Camry is.

Nick.

Reply to
Nick Trounson

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