jamesac83

If it had been started in the mean time, there is no purpose in the pulling the fuel pump fuse.

Car Analogy

...but in the future, unless moms is actually going to drive the car, past point of fully warmed up, she is doing more harm than good by just starting it on a regular basis.

Next time, put some fuel storage stuff in the full tank, put fresh oil in it, put a cover on it, and thats it. No starting. If you want to put it on jack stands to protect the tires, that is good too.

Drive it, or park it. Don't start it.

As for the gas in there now, just put some good fuel injector cleaner in, and go for a long drive to use up the old gas and get some fresh stuff in there. No need to drain tank.

cosmomiller

Thank you for serving our country; I feel like your sentiments: I appreciate what my country has offered me. I was in your shoes a while back. I served too, both active and reserve; I retired. I am fortunate to be using my military skill set in a civilian application.

I also had to leave my cars behind heading downrange. Our cruises were around 10 months or so. We had a couple plans of attack.
If you just left the car on the pier at the designated spot, you covered it, filled the tank to the brim (avoid water condensation) added StaBil and disconnected the battery.
If you could, you left it with someone who could start it up once a month and give it a short drive to keep things going. Ideally, if you do start it once a month or even two, it really should be run for at least 15-20 minutes to allow a complete warm up and discharge of any condensation and water. You can add some StaBill to the gas and maybe a little Sea Foam to the oil. Another good thing to do if its garaged for a while is to have a battery minder going to avoid complete discharge of the battery.

Check six.

yamahaSHO

Exactly. The amount of moisture accumulated from just starting the car and not fully warming it up on a drive to burn it off is quite large. This year, my buddy started his car and found an exhaust leak at a turbo gasket. Water (condensation) was dripping out of the leak almost instantly. The crankcase experiences this same condensation.

If it's not going to be driven, do not start it.

antonio12

alrighty..many thanks ya'll..

"Live Like There Is No Tomorrow"
"Be Safe And Stay Safe"

roadsterred

Thank you for your service. 2 years is a long time for a car to sit. I would remove the sparkplugs, squirt oil in the cylinders, disconnect the ignition, and spin the motor with the starter for more than several seconds. As for the gas, drain the gas tank and put in some fresh gas before trying to start the engine. Once the engine is started, keep the rpms at 2000 for several minutes to get the oil circulating. It's a Honda and you shouldn't encounter any problems. Change the oil, coolant, and brake fluid.

copmagnet82

What most people said was right, but two things are wrong:

1. You should keep it at full tank for long term storage, never let it sit empty, it's not a lawnmower. The fuller the tank, the less condensation inside of it.

2. Do not keep the car on jackstands, off the ground; you may have issue with the shocks, which are designed to be "compressed", not stretched out by the springs. What you need to do is actually put more air in the tires and that's pretty much it. Damaging flat spots from the car sitting on tires are more of a thing of the past. Simply put more air in the tires and you will be okay. Even if you develop a flat spot and feel it for a while as you're driving, after a few miles it'll go away.

3. Start or not to start is a controversial topic, so I'll leave it alone

Yaupon

Lots of good ideas here. Wish this information was around in 1966 when I had to store my '66 GTO before Uncle Sam gave me an all expenses paid trip to SE Asia. Oh that's right, the internet wasn't invented yet. Seriously, thank you for your service and be safe on your tour.

DanBurke

Empty tank, been there done that. Left a car at home for two years while I was overseas. Got home to California. Loaded up car to drive to New Orleans. Got 20 miles before the engine starved out from rust in the tank blocking the fuel lines. Put some stabile in a full tank.