Advice on Taking the Esprit Out of Storage

[cjac]

Looking for advice on bringing my 1995 S4S out of storage after 2 years of slumber.  I put stabilizer in the tanks prior to storage but would like to drain the old gas out before start up.  Is it possible to siphon both tanks through the fill doors?  

Also; the car did not have any battery for the 2 year period nor has the engine been turned over.  Should I be alert to any ECU issues, etc?  

Any other recommendations or concerns to watch out for? 

Much appreciate it!

[ChrisJ]

Change the cam belt would be my no 1 item.

[Sparky]

+1 for cambelt.  Syphoning may be difficult; draining via the balance pipe is effective but can be messy!  ECU should be absolutely fine, but will take time to learn.

[naasaa]

Or just loosen the banjo bolts below both tanks. 

[Escape]

Some tanks have a drain plug, that's the easiest.

We've just put a Stevens NA back on the road after a good 2 years of storage. I didn't bother getting the old petrol out, she started just fine and on the first drive we added fresh fuel.

I would start with an oil change and check of coolant, transmission oil, air filter etc. And turn the engine over by hand, just to be sure. Same with the brakes. No battery is much better is much better than leaving one in to drain completely. The ECU will recover soon enough, though idle might be a bit rough at first, so don't panic, just drive it. 😉

Cambelt should be a priority unless it was done just before storage. Anything 4 years and older should definitely be replaced before trying to start her.

Filip

[cjac]

Thanks gents...some very very helpful information here.  The cambelt was done in 2018 (black belt) and has approx 7-8000 kms on it.  Oil was changed just prior to storage and tires were over inflated to approx 40lbs to help avoid permanent flat spotting.  I left the battery out as I did not trust any electrical gremlins/power surges, or freak electrical accidents to cause issues down the road.

[Clarky5150]

On 09/08/2023 at 15:23, cjac said:

Thanks gents...some very very helpful information here.  The cambelt was done in 2018 (black belt) and has approx 7-8000 kms on it.  Oil was changed just prior to storage and tires were over inflated to approx 40lbs to help avoid permanent flat spotting.  I left the battery out as I did not trust any electrical gremlins/power surges, or freak electrical accidents to cause issues down the road.

Standing the cam belt for prolonged periods isnt good on the Esprit engine due to the tight radius on the bottom pulley. Its not the belt itself but delamination of the teeth on the belt. You would be ready on time for a new belt even if regularly run. You may be Ok for initial start but change before running.