# First time starting in 14 years



## thegave (Dec 22, 2008)

I have a mk1 Rabbit that hasn't been started in the past 14 years and I was hoping someone could give me basically a list of all the things I should do to get it to run.
I know for sure it will need a new battery, and probably fresh fuel. I should probably change the HT leads and distributor cap, 
Is there anything else I should do before I crank it? 
It's been stored in a garage on jack stands so never exposed to rain but I live in the Berkeley hills so there's plenty of fog and moisture in the air.


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## classicgameswi (Aug 16, 2007)

put some oil in each cylinder to prevent wear on startup, also check the oil. changing the oil first wouldn't hurt either. Check the timing belt for cracking etc. too.


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## thegave (Dec 22, 2008)

*Re: (classicgameswi)*

How, remove cam cover or hand turn engine?


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## nnamssorxela (Jul 19, 2009)

*Re: (thegave)*

I believe the bottom most pulley on the side of the engine is the crank pulley. DO NOT turn the cam pulley. It is a 19mm.
You can easily access it from the bottom of the car. Mine had been sitting for 9 years. I put a squirt of automatic transmission fluid (I used this because it contains lots of detergents that will eat through anything that might be seizing your engine up) in each cylinder and let it set for a few days. 
The fuel system will more than likely need to be cleaned. Mine runs on carb cleaner for a second or two, then dies as expected due to clogged injectors or various other fuel system parts. When starting be sure to have a spare battery or booster battery/car so you won't drain the one you just bought.


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## thegave (Dec 22, 2008)

*Re: (nnamssorxela)*

I've heard of the ATF trick; do I apply it directly into the cylinders(??) or through the regular oil filler cap and turn the engine over by hand?
Also with fuel additives I don't know if you have something called Redex over here but is any kind of octane booster/injector cleaner okay or does it need to be a type of carb cleaner (more potent cleaning agents?)? Also how should the ratios go? Generally it's like one unit per full tank, should I double that (one unit and a half tank) or more or less?
Cheers


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## vwPanda (Apr 30, 2006)

I'd look in the gas tank before the fuel pump ever comes on.


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## thegave (Dec 22, 2008)

*Re: (vwPanda)*

There wasn't much in it I filled it with about 3 gallons of fresh premium and a bottle of injector cleaner...
Oh I also kind of over-filled it with oil and it smoked a wee bit. Is this bad? Like two quarts too much.


_Modified by thegave at 7:36 AM 9-15-2009_


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