My truck has been sitting. Opinions

My '99 Ram has been sitting for a while while I'm out of the country. Need to get it running and need suggestions/opinions.

1. Battery is dead so I know I need a new one.

2. I put some Stabil and octane booster in the tank but should I:

A. Drain tank prior to firing it up and put fresh gas in it? Siphon it out or drop tank? If I drop tank, has anyone done that?

Thoughts?

Thanks

How long has it been sitting? Less than a year.. new battery check fluids and fire it up. top the tank off with fresh gas at the nearest station and enjoy the ride.

Did you run it w/the stable in the tank?if not i would pull the carb and give it a freshen up.

Agree it depends on how long and also storage conditions.

If less than a year and reasonably dry storage suggest you change the battery, check fluid levels and fire it up.

It has been less than a year. I fired it up on my last time home from deployment. Going home soon and needed to fire it up to haul junk. Wanted to run it by people before it cost me more $$ in the long run. I put Stabil and a good octane booster in it when I'm gone. Truck is old, but low miles on it

ONLY if the truck will not start or run well..

WAY TOO MUCH overkill on posts like this....

I will put a new battery in her and go from there

I think I'd add a battery and hit it. Pulling the carb could take some time on a 99, I think he missed the year.

I would check all fluids and look things over first... After a drive and a good warm up, would change oil and filter...

if you follow this advice at least have a big towl and a fire ex. handy incase your floats are stuck.

Those stuck EFI floats are a pain.

I bought an '84 /6, 4 spd. that had been sitting for nearly 3 years. Checked the fluids, put a good battery in it and a splash of gas in the carb, and it fired up like it had been started yesterday.


Tim

Yep, just run it, some of my junk goes a year and still cranks with napa gold batts.

I never us stable, never change plugs. Even my generator Ive not changed the plugs in 9 years, rotate gas one time a year, starts in less the 5 pulls.

My lil dodge parts runner has 127k on org plugs and still gets as delivered mpg.

Ive never understood peoples storage and the way they maintain things, but I do live in a dry dry low humidity area.

I didn't know '99 rams came with carburators.
Was that a option....

Check the gasket of the top rear third brake light housing. Oddly this lets water accumulate below the passenger side carpet.

Check the brake lines, especially where they are hidden by the plastic fuel tank.

Check the fuel line from tank to EFI rail.

Do not be surprised if cracks in the brass arms of the OEM thermostat have cracked and allowed it to cock sideways and jam partially open.

If the antifreeze it not up to spec the stamped steel impellor of the coolant pump eats away.

If the top of the dash has been exposed to the sun for years it will crack quickly with new vibration.

Yeah, don't worry about the the gas, I pumped 30 gallons out of a boat fuel tank that was 2 seasons old. it looked and smelled normal, so I kept it and used it. if yours is less than a year, it won't be a problem for you.

Check the fluid levels and boost it. If the battery won't take/hold a charge, replace it then not before.

Just because it's dead doesn't mean it's defective.

Kevin

Amen! The battery may or may not be good. Put it on a charger and let it sit for a few hours. Check voltage with charger on. Should be around 14 VDC.
Then remove a charger lead and check voltage. Should be around 12.6 VDC. Then let it sit for four or more hours. Check voltage again. If it is still around 12.6 you're good to go. If it has dropped below 12.2 you probably need a new battery. As they cost $100 or more now, it is worth it to me to try to keep an old one rather than just buy new. Also, many parts stores will test your battery for free.

As for the rest of the vehicle, check fluid levels, throw some new gas in the tank along with whatever is in there now and drive the truck!

Sitting for a year is nothing. Try sitting for 15 years. I've done that more than once.

R.

That is my plan of attack. I'll take it out and take it to the parts store to have it checked, then go from there. Yes, I'll check all of the fluids, have oil changed, etc.

Just went through this with my father's 2000 Caravan. Parked with a leaking front seal two or three years ago. Thought I'd drain the gas out. Put a hot battery in it and pulled the relay and found it had a full tank of gas. Didn't know what I'd do with that much gas, so I just started it. Couldn't believe how well it started and idled.

New battery
5 gallons of gas
check all fluids

You'll be good to go

I just bought a 92 W-250 that had been sitting pretty much for a year.Prior to that it hadn,t been run much at all,the guy was going to use it for a wood hauler. I put a new battery in it, gave it a couple of whiffs of either and it started. Let it idle a bit, put it gear and drove it 6 miles home.Only thing I noticed, the transmission did,nt want to shift out of low,then second gear.Afer a little delay,it up shifted and drove fine. I need to check the fluid level in the transmission.Probably change the fluid and filter.Suprising what a vehicle will do....