Starting a Z3 that hasn't been used for around 8 years

[BrickTopBrick]

Hello people!

A 1999 Z3 Coupe 2.8L has landed on my hands, and I'm looking to fix it and bring it up to shape. The car has been sitting on the exterior under a roof without being started for probably 8 years. Me and my father would like to work on it and replace whatever is necessary so that I can use it (first own car). Now, he doesn't get home until next Wednesday, and in the meantime he asked me to clean the car, buy a battery for it and see if it starts, check KMs, etc.

I bought and charged the battery and later today I was going to go clean it and try to start it, but I would like to know if it's safe to start the car, that hasn't been started for years. I've read the pre-purchase advice thread and we are going to go through the car with it in mind next week, but I just wanted to know if by starting it, if, say, the water pump is broken, it would do damage to the car. Is there anything we should do/check on the car before starting it up for the first time?

Thank you!

PD. If you like pictures: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1Q...9HdzBmbGRVT1l3

[ZoO]

Check and change all the fluids.

[danomite]

Don't even think about starting the car without changing at least the oil first!!! I would recommend changing the coolant as well. You should also check all belts to make sure they haven't deteriorated to the point of crumbling. I'd give the cooling fan a quick once over too.

Let us know how the clean-up and restoration comes along.

It looks like it's in great condition!!!

[MIKYZZ4]

First remove fuel pump fuse/relay.
Remove sparkplugs, insert a thimbleful of kerosene into each cylinder, let penetrate overnight.
Next day add same amount of oil to cylinders. Apply socket and wrench to crankshaft pulley bolt,
turn engine over by hand to prevent damage. If it turns easily by hand and not frozen in place, engine should be ok.
Place towel across sparkplug openings to catch sputtering oil, kerosene mixture. Install new battery, crank motor.
Now that you have verification of a cranking, unfrozen motor, you can drain all fluids and replace with new.
This would include fuel, coolant, transmission, differential, engine, brake, power steering fluids, along with all applicable filters.
Now that she is all freshened up and ready to go, reinstall fuel pump fuse/relay, and new sparkplugs.
Now crank her up!

[BrickTopBrick]

Thank you all for the more detailed knowledge!!

I will definitely take your advice, and I'll probably take some pictures along the way to make an album of the restoration. MY car knowledge is pretty limited but my father knows his way around so we'll probably be able to do most if not all together. Let's hope, I can't wait!

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Quick question, would I be able to install the new battery and just contact the car so that we can see the kilometers and see if the battery works? I can't do much else until next week apart from cleaning it.

[Vintage42]

First remove fuel pump fuse/relay... reinstall fuel pump fuse/relay, and new sparkplugs. Now crank her up!

Would it be possible to siphon and refill the tank with fresh fuel? Also an additive for cleaning the injectors.

[Mr Bingley]

Cleaning it after 8 years of sitting is enough for a young man with limited car knowledge. There will be a lot of cleaning to be done inside and out--this is not a simple car wash. I say leave the fluids, battery and starting it to your dad.

There may be issues to contend with like mouse nests, bees (hornets) nests, etc. Take your time. The leather will need to be cleaned and conditioned, the carpets shampooed and vacuumed, the glass cleaned (leave the rear window alone for now). Wipe everything down under the hood with a damp cloth rinsing regularly until it runs clean. Do online research into the best cleaning products--don't just use Amorall leather wipes, but a leather soap and leather conditioner and follow the directions. Top off the tires to at least 35 lbs--they will need to be replaced, but at least topping them off will help with the flat spot 8 years of sitting will have impressed.

When you are satisfied that you have the paint spic and span (several soap and water washings) and have dried it with a chamois or clean micro fiber towels, wax it with just plain car wax--wax on--wax off. Keep the wax off the glass and any unpainted plastic or rubber, like mud flaps if it has them. Don't forget to at least wipe down the door jams and inside the trunk--if not wax them too. At the end of the day, it should be perfectly clean--meaning you can't find any dirt no matter how hard you look, including, with a Q-tip, the wheels and air vents.

Oh, and look at (but don't touch) the emergency brake to make sue it wasn't set 8 years ago--the handle should be down, parallel with the center console. If the handle is up, at say a 45 deg. angle to the center console, post back here for further input.

[rf900rkw]

I'm always amazed at the (il)logic in these threads. What does changing the diff oil have to do with getting the engine started?

Put a wrench on the crank pulley and move the motor. Doesn't take much. All you are doing is making sure it isn't seized solid. Assume that passes

Drain the fuel. Drain as much as you can, fill with some fresh, and count your blessings you don't have alcohol like we do.

Make sure it has oil in it. Change the oil if you are feeling really lucky.

Remove the spark plugs.

Now, for the first time, turn the key on, listen for a fuel pump. Crank it in short bursts until the oil light goes out. Crank it some more.

Install the plugs

See if it will fire up. Once it starts, run it no more than a minute. The biggest thing is you want to make sure it runs smoothly on all cylinders.


Once you know the engine is basicly sound, you can continue with changing the washer fluid and polishing the cam cover.

[vanne]

Cool little project, some nice wheels and you have one heck of a cool first car.

[BrickTopBrick]

Cleaning it after 8 years of sitting is enough for a young man with limited car knowledge. There will be a lot of cleaning to be done inside and out--this is not a simple car wash. I say leave the fluids, battery and starting it to your dad.

There may be issues to contend with like mouse nests, bees (hornets) nests, etc. Take your time. The leather will need to be cleaned and conditioned, the carpets shampooed and vacuumed, the glass cleaned (leave the rear window alone for now). Wipe everything down under the hood with a damp cloth rinsing regularly until it runs clean. Do online research into the best cleaning products--don't just use Amorall leather wipes, but a leather soap and leather conditioner and follow the directions. Top off the tires to at least 35 lbs--they will need to be replaced, but at least topping them off will help with the flat spot 8 years of sitting will have impressed.

When you are satisfied that you have the paint spic and span (several soap and water washings) and have dried it with a chamois or clean micro fiber towels, wax it with just plain car wax--wax on--wax off. Keep the wax off the glass and any unpainted plastic or rubber, like mud flaps if it has them. Don't forget to at least wipe down the door jams and inside the trunk--if not wax them too. At the end of the day, it should be perfectly clean--meaning you can't find any dirt no matter how hard you look, including, with a Q-tip, the wheels and air vents.

Oh, and look at (but don't touch) the emergency brake to make sue it wasn't set 8 years ago--the handle should be down, parallel with the center console. If the handle is up, at say a 45 deg. angle to the center console, post back here for further input.

Thanks for the cleaning advice, I'll do just that between today and tomorrow. I've been driving for some time know so I know when the handbrake is on 😀😁 - which it is if you look at the pictures I posted on the link, so could you give me the advice on what to do if it was activated?

And also thanks to everyone else! Going to be my first car as in my first own car (used friends/parents cars before).

Sent from my LG-H990 using Tapatalk

[Kram71]

Would it be possible to siphon and refill the tank with fresh fuel? Also an additive for cleaning the injectors.

In my opinion that is the most important thing. Try to drain as much of the old gas out and refill with fresh gas.

I might also swap the plugs as well if that is not too much for the new owner.

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks for the cleaning advice, I'll do just that between today and tomorrow. I've been driving for some time know so I know when the handbrake is on  - which it is if you look at the pictures I posted on the link, so could you give me the advice on what to do if it was activated?

And also thanks to everyone else! Going to be my first car as in my first own car (used friends/parents cars before).

Sent from my LG-H990 using Tapatalk

Good luck with your new wheels. I have seen cars on TV that went 40-50 years without running turn over fine after they have clean fuel, a strong battery and fresh plugs. Please keep us updated on how things go for you.

[MIKYZZ4]

[QUOTE]

I'm always amazed at the (il)logic in these threads. What does changing the diff oil have to do with getting the engine started?

Yes and No Randy,
yes you are correct, changing the diff oil has nothing to do with starting the engine,
and no-not illogic, just OCD, as this is not your standard abandoned, neglected stored in a field type of resuscitation.
Now that doesn't mean I disagree with you, as I understand your point of view.
As it's such a diamond in the rough, my recommendations are the procedures I would follow if it was my vehicle,
others are free to choose the quick, less detailed approach.
I stress the prestart maintenance in this situation due to the excellent condition of the vehicle,
as after a quick wash and startup, as soon as it rolls out of the garage on its own power,
MOST owners put required maintenance on the backburner. With this in mind, I hope that you, along with others,
understand my point of view. Besides the dust and dirt from sitting, I would be proud to have this as my first car.

[Vintage42]

.... Try to drain as much of the old gas out....

Does the tank have a drain?
If not, is there a valve in the filler that would prevent inserting a hose far enough to siphon or pump?.
If so, gas would have to be removed though the pump hole behind the passenger seat, in which case it would be good have a fresh gasket on hand.

[MIKYZZ4]

You should have no problem siphoning the fuel out of the tank thru the fuel filler door/cap area.
A 5gal fuel container and hose should suffice.

[EurospecE39]

You should have no problem siphoning the fuel out of the tank thru the fuel filler door/cap area.
A 5gal fuel container and hose should suffice.

Depends if the car has the anti rollover valve to prevent gas from spilling in an accident. I do not know what year they became required, but if your car has it, it's damn near impossible to get the tube down there. The siphon kits are meant for lawnmowers and other small tanks that you want to winterize by removing the fluids.

If it has the valve, you will probably need to get under the car, remove the fuel line and drain. PITA.

[Vintage42]

Depends if the car has the anti rollover valve to prevent gas from spilling in an accident... If it has the valve, you will probably need to get under the car, remove the fuel line and drain. PITA.

That valve was my concern. I have not tried to see if my 1997 Z3 has it, but our newer non-BMW cars do.
If the OP's Z3 has the valve, I wonder if the tank can be drained from below, because all the lines are on top at the pump access. I think the tank will have to be siphoned/ pumped out from the fuel pump access.
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...2#post29326722
This describes removal of fuel from the tank:
http://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/tech...eplacement.htm

[MIKYZZ4]

If the fuel pump is operational, use it as the siphoning mechanism.
Disconnect supply hose at fuel rail and run an extended hose connection to 5gal fuel container,
while supplying power to fuel pump.

[Wertles]

You should have no problem siphoning the fuel out of the tank thru the fuel filler door/cap area.
A 5gal fuel container and hose should suffice.

This will not work on my 99 for sure. I just had to drain my tank to change a gasket. The roll over valve stops the hose at about a foot in. I ended up unhooking the inlet from the fuel filter and jumped the pump to take 7 gallons out.

[BrickTopBrick]

UPDATE:

So it turns out that the car had actually been semi-maintained and actually passed inspection up to 2013. Hadn't been used much but started and ran a few kilometers every few months. When we got there, to our surprise, for the last revision my grandfather had taken it to the shop and changed oils and all fluids, so everything was new when it stopped moving in 2013. The tank was also full (probably filled up to go to the inspection and never used again). We checked the oil and it was in good condition, but I'm still going to change it after it passes inspection and we insure it, as right now I can't legally move it around.

We cleaned it up first and placed the battery, checked lights and systems and everything worked perfectly, we changed the sparkplugs and since the oil looked good, we decided to try to start it. It started INSTANTLY, as if it had been used all this time (video of the startup - that sound was orgasmic). It has 126K kilometers.

Then all, we needed to do was top off the tires and we took it for a ride on a small road. The car looks beautiful. Next up is cleaning the headlights, insuring it and passing inspection and it should be good to go. We are going to take it to a shop afterwards so that it gets checked just in case, but it's looking really, really good.

Here are some pictures!

[Krohn27]

UPDATE:

So it turns out that the car had actually been semi-maintained and actually passed inspection up to 2013. Hadn't been used much but started and ran a few kilometers every few months. When we got there, to our surprise, for the last revision my grandfather had taken it to the shop and changed oils and all fluids, so everything was new when it stopped moving in 2013. The tank was also full (probably filled up to go to the inspection and never used again). We checked the oil and it was in good condition, but I'm still going to change it after it passes inspection and we insure it, as right now I can't legally move it around.

We cleaned it up first and placed the battery, checked lights and systems and everything worked perfectly, we changed the sparkplugs and since the oil looked good, we decided to try to start it. It started INSTANTLY, as if it had been used all this time (video of the startup - that sound was orgasmic). It has 126K kilometers.

Then all, we needed to do was top off the tires and we took it for a ride on a small road. The car looks beautiful. Next up is cleaning the headlights, insuring it and passing inspection and it should be good to go. We are going to take it to a shop afterwards so that it gets checked just in case, but it's looking really, really good.

Here are some pictures!

That's great! It looks like an awesome project and a great car!

[ZoO]

that sounded very healthy.

[BrickTopBrick]

So, after back and forth and shelving the project for five years, we finally got it moving!

Here's a video of it's first roll! We had to:

• Remove all fuel from tank, lines, etc.
  
• Change all filters
  
• Troubleshoot and change fuel pump
  
• Remove tires that were quite stuck

among other things.
But so far running great!

https://imgur.com/a/ljaNL9C

[z3forlife]

There’s another guy (David from Spain)here you may want to see if you can track down. He has a nice one too. The value of these cars will only go up and up.