Mk2 Been Sat Idle For 4 Years

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MrBlue01
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Mk2 Been Sat Idle For 4 Years

Post by MrBlue01 »

So I the proud new owner of an imported MK2 1991 built car registered 1998 in the UK. Its been owned by my brother in law for 18 years, but sat on his drive for 10 and not driven for 4 years. It starts okay with a new battery, smokes a bit but then it does have 10 year old liquids in. So I thinking drain and replace all liquids, perhaps replace engine rubbers and seals? Any suggestions or am I heading the right way?


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Re: Mk2 Been Sat Idle For 4 Years

Post by benckj »

Yes, fluids & filters plus plugs, dist cap & rotor then see what crops up. As a shopping list;
Motor oil- synthetic + filter
Trans oil- Refline if MT
Coolant
Brake & clutch fluid.
Intake filter
NGK plugs
OEM dist cap & rotor
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Re: Mk2 Been Sat Idle For 4 Years

Post by jimi »

I wouldn't bother putting fully synthetic oil in a 30 year engine that wasn't designed for it. A decent quality semi-synthetic will be fine and a lot cheaper.
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Re: Mk2 Been Sat Idle For 4 Years

Post by MR2DI4 »

jimi wrote: 16/09/21 13:48 I wouldn't bother putting fully synthetic oil in a 30 year engine that wasn't designed for it. A decent quality semi-synthetic will be fine and a lot cheaper.
Full synthetic is the way to go on just about anything. Probably not a must have in a N/A but its a must have in a Turbo if you want that CT26 or CT20b to last. Anyone who has done any form of motorsport and has built and rebuilt their own engines will notice the difference oils make straight away. Its a no contest, synthetics have been way better than mineral oils for decades now.

The MR2 was designed for a 10W-30 but oil tech has moved on, I use Castrol EDGE 10W-60 in the Turbo.

The only thing stopping you using a synthetic is cost.
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Re: Mk2 Been Sat Idle For 4 Years

Post by jimi »

MR2DI4 wrote: 16/09/21 23:21
The only thing stopping you using a synthetic is cost.
Correct.
I never mentioned synthetic being better than mineral, I never even mentioned mineral or suggested using it ;)

My point was why pay much more for a fully synthetic to put in a 30 year old engine with an unknown history, when a decent semi-synth would do perfectly well.
I've used Castrol Magnatec (10w-40 part synthetic) in my MK1 since I got it (17 years) :)
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Re: Mk2 Been Sat Idle For 4 Years

Post by MR2DI4 »

Agreed no point if the engine is almost stuffed in fact I used to top those up with used oil.

If you have a brand new car or the engine has been looked after AND you intend to keep the car for 20 years then its simple, use a synthetic.

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Re: Mk2 Been Sat Idle For 4 Years

Post by MrBlue01 »

Thanks for the replies folks, I think the engine will be strong as previous owner of 18yrs was a mechanic and he kept up to things until 4 years ago ish. Got new plugs, synth oil 5w/30 but might opt for 10w/30 as you've suggested. Didn't think about, brake and clutch fluid and distributor cap so they'll be next. Let's see it it still has a light smoke haze afterwards, I hope not
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Re: Mk2 Been Sat Idle For 4 Years

Post by MR2DI4 »

I ran Mobil 1 5W-50 for years in the car but I don't think it was the ideal choice. I did try a 5W-30 once but at some stage I had fitted an oil pressure gauge and after about 2000km I noticed the hot oil pressure at idle was pretty low so I swapped it out. Probably good as a flush though, its unlikely to damage anything.
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Re: Mk2 Been Sat Idle For 4 Years

Post by SonicSW20 »

jimi wrote: 16/09/21 13:48 I wouldn't bother putting fully synthetic oil in a 30 year engine that wasn't designed for it. A decent quality semi-synthetic will be fine and a lot cheaper.
The cost difference is pretty much gone these days - You can get 5L of Mobil Super 3000 (what you may consider a "branded" oil) for about £30 and most of the other brands like Shell, Fuchs etc have a fully synthetic at this price point, 5L Triple QX for £20 or so. The semi synthetic version of the Triple QX oil is around £17.50. I've lost more money in coins under the seat :laughing
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