Car sitting for some time
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Joined: Jan 2022
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Wonder if the stock power steering cooler is starting to leak? This is a common problem and leads to cross-contamination of the power steering fluid and coolant. I mention this because the PS fluid shouldn't really look that bad with chunks of crap at just 17k miles if everything is normal.
You can read more about this problem here:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-m...g-success.html
You can read more about this problem here:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-m...g-success.html
For good measure I’d prob run a bottle of Gumout Regane or another injector cleaner that contains PEA in a tank or two of gas.
Last edited by Y2K_Frenzy; Dec 6, 2023 at 06:25 AM.
Only thing I would add to the advice on what to check so are are to get under the car and check all the bushings and mount points. My 2002 with 33k miles had a clean CarFax and vehicle inspection came back clean but when I got under the car I found a different story entirely. The transmission mount was shot and the rear suspension bushings had deteriorated which was surprising for a California/Nevada car to me. I had a mechanic go through the car top to bottom with me after receiving the car. This I wanted to do for a safety perspective. I did all the same except for the spark plugs, not needed with such low mileage. I would add to check all the suspension bushings, transmission mount, engine mounts and all suspension linkages.
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Jan 2022
Posts: 1,362
Likes: 256
Only thing I would add to the advice on what to check so are are to get under the car and check all the bushings and mount points. My 2002 with 33k miles had a clean CarFax and vehicle inspection came back clean but when I got under the car I found a different story entirely. The transmission mount was shot and the rear suspension bushings had deteriorated which was surprising for a California/Nevada car to me. I had a mechanic go through the car top to bottom with me after receiving the car. This I wanted to do for a safety perspective. I did all the same except for the spark plugs, not needed with such low mileage. I would add to check all the suspension bushings, transmission mount, engine mounts and all suspension linkages.
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 34,643
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From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
I'm surprised you guys have so many problems with bushings on these low mile cars. Having high miles certainly wouldn't make this problem any better, as constant use is going to cause even more wear. With that said, the only bushings that have shown any signs of deterioration on my 19k mile '98 are the rear sway bar bushings. They don't show any visible wear, but they have started to squeak a bit in cool weather. I don't have any problems with any of the other bushings you guys have mentioned after 25 years/19k miles. Perhaps storage conditions are the difference.
The auto transmission didn’t shift all that well either, late shifts etc, until I added a can of Seafoam Trans Tune to the fluid. After about 100 miles it started shifting normally again. I’m assuming the shift solenoids were clogged with dried up “gunk” from sitting for years.
MG Chemicals 408C is another interesting rubber chemical. I can't see a use on a car, but it's supposed to be a ringer for cleaning/restoring the rubber rollers on laser printers!
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 34,643
Likes: 2,571
From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
On the other hand, my '74 still has some original bushings that could probably use replacement but aren't as bad as one might think. This car only has 42k miles (well documented, one family owned), and basically sat untouched from 2006 to 2022. It had a bunch of fuel & cooling system issues when I brought it back into service, but not really any problems with bushings.
I spent about half a year researching and collecting as much information as I could on my CETA #1315, and there is still a whole lot of things I still don't know.
Owner 1 had the car for 11 months in Nevada (I found the dealership that sold the car) and 2,536 miles on the car. How the car was stored in Nevada I don't know, was it under a garage or sitting out is anyone's guess.
Owner 2 had the car for 12 years and a month and put 35,484 miles on the car in California. This owner changed the oil and serviced the car often, it appears to have been their weekend driver .
Owner 3 had the car for 4 years and 9months and put 6,500 miles on the car in California. This owner is where I believe all the issues I have ran into started occurring as only 1 oil change and 1 fuel pressure sensor replacement are all that was reported.
I found a hacked up stereo install, really bad stained carpet and batting I decided to replace, wreck damage and a bad body repair to the passenger side ground effects. Hood is missing all the decals. Under the car I found all sorts of gravel lodged everywhere, scrapes, pinch welds folded over, and yes rotted and brittle/falling apart bushings on the sway bars, bump stops, transmission mount, etc. Motor mounts are suspect but that is for another day at this stage.
Storage condition is the largest contributor as this car was driven, not a lot, but it didn't sit around all that much either. I think the bushing material needs to be moved around from time to time just to stay playable, especially in desert heat.
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I
I'm surprised you guys have so many problems with bushings on these low mile cars. Having high miles certainly wouldn't make this problem any better, as constant use is going to cause even more wear. With that said, the only bushings that have shown any signs of deterioration on my 19k mile '98 are the rear sway bar bushings. They don't show any visible wear, but they have started to squeak a bit in cool weather. I don't have any problems with any of the other bushings you guys have mentioned after 25 years/19k miles. Perhaps storage conditions are the difference.
I haven't had this problem either, but I never let mine sit for more than ~4-6 months during winter storage. Even with such low miles, mine has never truly "sat" completely untouched for any long period.
I'm surprised you guys have so many problems with bushings on these low mile cars. Having high miles certainly wouldn't make this problem any better, as constant use is going to cause even more wear. With that said, the only bushings that have shown any signs of deterioration on my 19k mile '98 are the rear sway bar bushings. They don't show any visible wear, but they have started to squeak a bit in cool weather. I don't have any problems with any of the other bushings you guys have mentioned after 25 years/19k miles. Perhaps storage conditions are the difference.
I haven't had this problem either, but I never let mine sit for more than ~4-6 months during winter storage. Even with such low miles, mine has never truly "sat" completely untouched for any long period.
Last edited by Y2K_Frenzy; Dec 7, 2023 at 11:44 AM.
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Verdad Gallardo Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
I think I may know why you’re surprised about bushings and other items going bad from sitting. I think because in your minds eye every car “sits” like yours. You know, in a garage and they’re taken care of like it’s a “collectible.” If one was to leave a piece of foam or rubber outside for some years would you expect it to still look brand new? When the trans seal dried out and leaked I on mine I assume air was able to get inside and oxidize or whatever causing “gunk” to form inside the solenoids. I don’t know how long mine sat outside but it was long enough to need a re-spray. Nothing lasts forever outside my man and the cars in question are at least 21 years old. I wasn’t expecting my shocks to be be bad 20 years old and 27k miles but that wasn’t the case either for me.
But even being stored inside, unless the garage is climate controlled (none of mine have been), the car is still subject to drastic changes in temp and humidity - not as rapidly as outside, but it's still not the same as being in a bubble. Obviously things like paint, trim, headlight lenses, etc., are well protected in a garage, away from UV exposure, bird droppings, acid rain, etc., however most bushings (due to their location under the car) wouldn't really be impacted by those perils even if the car was outside. So maybe it has less to do specifically with indoor vs. outdoor storage and more to do with overall climate. It can get extremely cold where I live, but rarely does it get much above the lower 90s. Either way, temps in my non-climate controlled garage can swing from ~0°F to ~100°F but only rarely are they at those extremes, usually somewhere in the middle.
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Trans filter How long do y’all think a transmission filter can sit in the pan before it starts to deteriorate? I’ve never cut one open but I’m assuming it’s some sort of paper or gauze type material inside. Will the fluid eventually just “eat it away” breaking it down causing gauze particles to float around? Has anyone ever seen that happen?