1992 Corolla, almost unused.

#1
My cousin has a 1992 Corolla. He bought it new. After a few months of driving, he put it in his garage and never drove it again. His reasoning , who knows. The battery and everything else is original and the vehicles was never prepared for storage.

Can this twenty four year old car be put back in action at a cost that makes it worthwhile ? I know the battery has to be replaced, all fluids must be drained and replaced, all hoses must be replaced and so much more.
What a challenge.

Because it's been garaged all these years, it looks great.
 
#2
My list off the top of my head would be:

1. Fluids Flushed and Replaced(Engine, Transmission, Coolant, P/S, Brake, FUEL)
2. All Brake Lines
3. Any rubber hose that is visibly cracked or is not soft and plyable (When you squeeze the hose, does it feel dry rotted? If so, replace)
4. Battery

After doing those 4 things, I'd be sure to crawl under the vehicle and inspect for any significant rust on the frame, suspension, or brake components. Turn on all your lights and be sure that they work. Do other basic safety checks that should be done at any regular preventative maintenance service.

A DIY Weekend Wrencher could get her fixed up without any major issues.
 
#3
I am really happy to find this thread and hope I can learn and contribute to the dicussion.

I recently became the third owner of a 1992 base model corolla with low miles (46,6xx) that is in excellent cosmetic condition. It had been the previous owners daily driver for the last 6 months (he did timing belt) and before that original owner kept it as a 2nd or 3rd car (23 years garaged and averaging 1,500 miles/year).

I changed the oil day one and it is currently with radiator specialist for flush and new thermostat. The ~12 oz of coolant I drained was dark magenta color, which makes me wonder if it is the original coolant...it should have been green (?) so the reddish color is somewhat baffling to me. I replaced with 12oz Prestone Radiator Flush + cleaner; then idled/drove 3x/at least 20 min with heat full blast over the last 2 days. I plan to put 44k through its the next tank of fuel. Fuel filter and brake flush will happen in the next 500 miles.

I know the starting systems wear out (I replaced starter and ignition on my last E90 corolla at 155k), and wonder at what point should I be thinking about prophylactic maintenance/replacement of key parts? I inspected brake lines/hoses and nothing felt dry/brittle and all fasteners looked solid, but are these things I should be replacing sheerly because of their age?

Really the bigger questions I'm thinking about are where to leave these original, 24 year old parts be to do their thing and where do I try to preempt failure?

Finally, I have two questions that relate more to cosmetic issues: no rust on body or frame/undercarriage, but there are a few bare metal spots in freckled paint chipping. What is the preferred treatment for these spots? Where can one find accurate color matched touch up paint?

Thanks in advance for insights/wisdom!
 
Top