StangEaterSS

iTrader: (41)

My moms boyfriend has a 2002 SS camaro that he bought bran new. the car gets driven maybe twice a year. it has about 3,000 miles on it. it sits in the garage and gets started once a month then a short drive around the block and then right back in the garage. the tires have dry rotted even tho they look bran new one has went flat. we started thinking things may need to be checked out since this car sits so long.

the plan was to pull it out now that its spring and do the oil change, replace the belts, put a new set of tires on it and maybe a coolant flush. Is theyre anything we need to look over on this car. I'm sure sitting for 10 years isnt too good on a car. lots of things can dry out id assume.

any opinions are apreciated.

Ghostintheshell

Rubber parts - bushings get dry.
I'd do fluids as well.

sjsingle1

iTrader: (1)

bet most every rubber part is shot......check it out

01BlueSS1995

anything rubber and anything liquid!

fastazzls1

get some silicone lubricate seals, is it manual or auto, bleed clutch if manual change brake fluid, coolant, oil, air filter drive it to get every thing warm and hot, i would personally not change the rear diff or anything, i would change the belts and look at the refrigerent level in a/c system i bougth one that sat for 9 years and did all this have put 32oook miles on car with minor problems

StangEaterSS

iTrader: (41)

it is an auto. we been thinking about fluid and filter change on the trans

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

It's only 10 years old guys, not 40.

My '98 has sat a lot over the last 14 years. Only has 16k miles. Hoses are original and perfect, so are all the rubber bushings (control arms, sway bars, etc). Just last week I drove the car for the first time in 6 months, no problems with the rubber at all.

If the car is stored indoors, rubber will last longer than you might think.

groundZ-28ERO

True true, my uncles 86 iroc has been siting off and on for 26 years, 36k on the clock, and all the rubber is good on it. It was even siting in a junk shed for several years.

sjsingle1

iTrader: (1)

every thing rubber on my 2000 was shot..........and is now changed

01BlueSS1995

Thats very true! RPM has spoken.

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

Hope you haven't been running it and driving it with the same oil for those 10 years. Oil gets old in 6 months. You can damage the engines' internal bearings with old oil.

.

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

lol....true. Just in the past year I started replacing hoses, wiring, front end parts and plastic ****......and my car has been driven hard for 14 years. Daily driver since bought new in April 1998.

.

Ghostintheshell

I didn't suggest he gut all rubber - but just check it

Daniel Richards

iTrader: (1)

hoped you drained out the gas from the tank everytime you parked it, or used a fuel stabilizer, because like oil gas breaks down and will rot the tank.

StangEaterSS

iTrader: (41)

oil change every spring. prolly still not enough if moisture could get into it from sitting. well I looked at the car myself this weekend. all hoses and belts look perfect. the tires look bran new but are all dry rotted and cracked. we have decided to flush the coolant and re fill, change the tranny fluid and filter and do oil change. new tires are goin on this week also.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Moisture won't get into the oil in large amounts within just 12 months from sitting in an environment where there are no rapid temp changes or excessively humid conditions. If it was sitting outside, this would be a greater concern, but not so much in the garage. On the other hand, the pratice of starting the car regularly and just driving it around the block will introduce more mositure and oil contamination than just leaving it sit un-started for extended periods. You're never going to get the oil up to the proper temp to burn off the moisture created from said run time with such a short overall trip. Not to mention, cold starts are when an engine usually sees greatest wear, so there's little point in making the engine endure frequent cold starts just to run around the block.

I never even start my '98 unless I'm going to take it for a significant drive. This often means that the car will go for 2-6 months at a time without being started. The engine still runs as good as new after 14 years. I do keep stabil in the gas at all times though, which has also kept the fuel system free from gum/varnish issues and working perfectly all these years.