Top three restart tips after long period sitting

Arde

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I was just reunited with my cars, my household, California.
Regarding the E9, what are the top three steps to restart a Webber carb E9 after 5 months of no use?
Other than recharging the battery, of course.
 

Thomas76

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Upgrade to one of those fancy newer starters that spin faster, turning the engine over faster, pumping fuel faster.
 

Dick Steinkamp

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I hope it was stored with a full fuel tank and with some Stabil in it. The full tank helps prevent condensation in the tank. The Stabil keeps the gas fresh. Gas (with or without ethanol) can go bad in 3 months.

If not, I'd probably put some fresh gas in the tank with the old and put in a bottle of Heet to absorb any water that may be there through condensation.

I'd check the oil and coolant level, pull the coil wire, and crank it until I had oil pressure (let the starter rest periodically). This should also bring fuel to the carb bowls. Then replace the coil wire and start it. Let it idle until it warms up, checking for leaks.

The battery may not take a charge. They don't like to sit without a battery tender or trickle charger. They sulfate.
 

stphers

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Ahh you beat me to it but I would not let it sit here and just idle, I would keep it at about 1300-1500 rpm until it gets at least a 1/4 warm and then drive it, very carefully until it gets to full operating temp at 1300 the alt has for sure kicked in and is charging. It is best for engine wear and tear to drive it , carefully, to get it to full temp, running it just at idle is loading the engine up. fuel wise, that is
 

Christoph

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Congrats on being back with your E9. First, five months I do not regard as long period rest. In Germany, almost all classic cars sit for five to seven months each year because of unfriendly conditions outside. We are used to this. Your car probably was sound when you last used her so there is nothing much to worry.

A good idea may be to look for water or oil stains on the floor under the car prior to moving or even starting it. That way, you know where it came from. Some people aroung here still use the routine @Dick Steinkamp and @stphers describe. However, leaving a car standing at idle is not recommended anymore, in Germany it can even get you into trouble with neighbours or the police.

A starter motor in good order takes a minute of work without complaint. By then, the engine should fire up, and you are ready to go. If you want to be very careful, rev not over 2500/min for about seven miles, then not over 3000/min. Apply the brakes a few times (hard) to check for proper function. At the first filling station, adjust tyre pressure and check for leaks again. Once there, play with the lights, wipers, horn, fan etc.

When the oil is warm, takes 3x the span the coolant needs, you may go up to 3500, then 4000, and after 30 miles full throttle. Don't forget to cool the engine down on the last seven to ten miles before turning the engine off.

That said, I don't know about American petrol, the kind of oil you use, and Weber (one b, pray you) carburettors. My suggestions may work better with European cars than with USA versions.
 

Mal CSL 3.0

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Not Weber related but, after having my car sit many months at a time when I was travelling, I always poured a bit of fresh oil into the engine, as after many months the entire top of the engine really dries out around the tappets and values. Not sure if it has any benefit but makes me feel better knowing the top half of the engine has fresh oil circulating whilst being cranked over. My mechanic who rebuilt my engine also suggested this.
 
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deQuincey

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Congrats on being back with your E9. First, five months I do not regard as long period rest. In Germany, almost all classic cars sit for five to seven months each year because of unfriendly conditions outside. We are used to this. Your car probably was sound when you last used her so there is nothing much to worry.

A good idea may be to look for water or oil stains on the floor under the car prior to moving or even starting it. That way, you know where it came from. Some people aroung here still use the routine @Dick Steinkamp and @stphers describe. However, leaving a car standing at idle is not recommended anymore, in Germany it can even get you into trouble with neighbours or the police.

A starter motor in good order takes a minute of work without complaint. By then, the engine should fire up, and you are ready to go. If you want to be very careful, rev not over 2500/min for about seven miles, then not over 3000/min. Apply the brakes a few times (hard) to check for proper function. At the first filling station, adjust tyre pressure and check for leaks again. Once there, play with the lights, wipers, horn, fan etc.

When the oil is warm, takes 3x the span the coolant needs, you may go up to 3500, then 4000, and after 30 miles full throttle. Don't forget to cool the engine down on the last seven to ten miles before turning the engine off.

That said, I don't know about American petrol, the kind of oil you use, and Weber (one b, pray you) carburettors. My suggestions may work better with European cars than with USA versions.

i am one with Christoph reflections

not a long time, just check levels, maybe remove coil plug to get oil pressure, and try start normally,
then one two minutes and go for a smooth drive
good point on checking brakes
enjoy
 

Arde

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Very useful tips! Unfortunately I did zero preparation work (stabilizer, trickle charge, etc.) as a three week trip turned into five months. I am dealing with the VW Cabrio first, it was left parked on the street until a neighbor told me the city left a notice due to upcoming tree trimming. A friend moved it to the driveway, so now it is blocking the cars in the garage, the door cylinder lock broke and fell out at that time. A locked car with dead battery, a flat tire, no key option on passenger side, trunk does not connect to cabin (not a hatchback), spare tire well full of water from last storm, and alarm cannot be disabled because the cylinder lock is out...and alarm disables start, not just noisy.
Of course the flat tire is not repairable, so I need to get two new tires one rim at a time.

I may put the famous "for sale, ran when parked" sign.

Why the hell did I come back.
 

Arde

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Success! Following the recommended steps the E9 started and its engine sang its beautiful sound. The exhaust stank initially and I drove away in fear of Greta Thunberg showing up at my place with blood injected eyes to scream at me. Filled up the tank to realize the other mistake of not filling it 5 months ago. Almost 5$ a gallon now...
3 cars work, 5 to go.
 

Arde

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That said, I don't know about American petrol, the kind of oil you use, and Weber (one b, pray you) carburettors. My suggestions may work better with European cars than with USA versions.
Yes Weber of course. Webber is my BBQ grill...and it uses charcoal not petrol.
 

Cornishman

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Success! Following the recommended steps the E9 started and its engine sang its beautiful sound. The exhaust stank initially and I drove away in fear of Greta Thunberg showing up at my place with blood injected eyes to scream at me. Filled up the tank to realize the other mistake of not filling it 5 months ago. Almost 5$ a gallon now...
3 cars work, 5 to go.
$5 a gallon, wow. Whatever next.
I paid £1.60. Litre the other day which is about $10 a gallon. It’s probably even more now as I haven’t filled up the E9 for a couple of weeks.
Glad you got so many cars running, how do you find time to drive them all, or they shared amongst the family?
 

Arde

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$5 a gallon, wow. Whatever next.
I paid £1.60. Litre the other day which is about $10 a gallon. It’s probably even more now as I haven’t filled up the E9 for a couple of weeks.
Glad you got so many cars running, how do you find time to drive them all, or they shared amongst the family?
Got the E39 M5 to work now, so two cars to go.
My fleet covered 5 drivers and assumed one car was at any point in time being serviced. N+1 redundancy. Plus the classics aren't daily drivers. Plus there is no public transportation to rely on here in the Silicon Valley.
My three children are out of state, so I could reduce the fleet by 2-3 cars, which I am thinking of doing.
 

mulberryworks

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Batteries that have sat for some time can experience acid stratification and in addition to being discharged they won't take a charge at all. I have replaced several batteries in the past because I though they were dead.
I just had this happen to a battery that was brand new a year ago and has been sitting in the garage in its Boxster since. The answer was a bit of bump and slosh to get things stirred up. I was able to get the battery charged to 100% though the charge can take longer than normal. I've attached an article that has more details.
 

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Arde

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Batteries that have sat for some time can experience acid stratification and in addition to being discharged they won't take a charge at all. I have replaced several batteries in the past because I though they were dead.
I just had this happen to a battery that was brand new a year ago and has been sitting in the garage in its Boxster since. The answer was a bit of bump and slosh to get things stirred up. I was able to get the battery charged to 100% though the charge can take longer than normal. I've attached an article that has more details.
Very interesting. The Cabrio battery took no charge, they gave me a new one under warranty (2010 date code).
I read that AGM has no acid stratification.
The E9 battery is AGM (Red Optima) and after connecting the trickle charger for one night it was in great shape. The car started after the carb priming cranks (about 6).
The E36 is also Optima so I am not sure what the problem is there, trickle charge did not do it, and a jumpstart did not get it very far. Today I will sort that one out.
 

Arde

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Car #7 is up! The E24 was in the shop to solve once and for all the vexing problem of poor Nissen radiator quality resulting in heat exchanger failure and coolant sucked into the automatic transmission. This time the shop (which does mostly Mercedes) installed a transmission fluid cooler ahead and below the radiator, I picked up the car and it is a blast to drive.
 

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