hi, I am writing from Europe, I have just bought a Viper gts year 1999, the car is in good condition, has no accidents, has 30k miles, but it has not been used since 2010, so I would have to carry out several interventions: change engine oil, filter oil, brake oil, and I would like to ask you experts about the timing belt, I do not know if it is made of rubber or if it has a metal chain and how often it needs to be changed, you suggest me if there are other components to be reviewed after a period of such long inactivity, then I would have to buy some spare parts and here in Europe I don't think there are spare parts for this very rare car, can you tell me a website where you can order spare parts?
reviewed after a period of such long inactivity
- Thread starter crifa10
- Start date
The Viper uses a chain instead of a belt, so you should be fine to leave it alone. You rarely hear about anyone changing one out unless they are doing other work while they are there. As for other things to look for, 10 years of sitting would have me worried about seals and other rubber parts, depending on where it was stored. Things like radiator hoses and ball joint boots are the first that come to mind. Tires for sure would be another big one to check.
to tell the truth I do not use it, I would drive it 10 minutes every year, so I am not interested in changing tires or other expensive parts, but for the health of the engine and the car it is a good idea to change the oil and oil filter and brake oil, as well as this does not come to mind
I get where you're coming from. Those were more just things I would check on before doing much with the car. It's entirely possible they are still in good shape, but if any of the rubber parts were looking really dry or cracked it would be better to replace them now then have them fail, even in the short amount of time you might drive it. If the car sits around for a bit and doesn't leak, then the seals are likely okay. Really, just starting the car up every once in a while and letting it get up to temp is good for it, even if you don't actually drive it anyway.
Everyone has different opinions on tires as well. How you plan to drive it has a lot to do with that. I personally don't mind older tires because I'm aware that they have less grip and I don't drive the car like I'm on a racetrack every time I get it out. I drive my car like a normal car and don't push its limits when I'm just running out to the store or some other errand, so it doesn't bother me. However, if the 10 minutes you plan to drive it a year would be through twisty Italian countryside where you're planning to have fun with it, I would really consider getting some fresh rubber depending on what is on the car now. If you're just cruising around town I probably wouldn't worry about it as much.
Everyone has different opinions on tires as well. How you plan to drive it has a lot to do with that. I personally don't mind older tires because I'm aware that they have less grip and I don't drive the car like I'm on a racetrack every time I get it out. I drive my car like a normal car and don't push its limits when I'm just running out to the store or some other errand, so it doesn't bother me. However, if the 10 minutes you plan to drive it a year would be through twisty Italian countryside where you're planning to have fun with it, I would really consider getting some fresh rubber depending on what is on the car now. If you're just cruising around town I probably wouldn't worry about it as much.
yes it's true, I live in the countryside in Italy, but I'm afraid just to sit in this car, imagine driving it, in reality my purchase has an objective investment over the years, I know that the viper is very dangerous, it could be enough to turn it on and have a ride of 10 minutes for once in a year? or better to do 2 laps in a year?
TEALLIFE
Enthusiast
I think you need to make a decision on what you plan on doing with the car.
It likely needs to be turned on more than once a year.
Doing laps at a track is another completely different story.
If you change all the fluids (including the fuel) and filters, and it runs well otherwise, there's nothing else you need to do in order to drive the car casually for 10 minutes.
therefore oil, oil filter, brake oil and consuming all the fuel every time (almost all) while gearbox and differential oil is 20 years old, but has so little road that it is not necessary to change them, especially if you drive as a beginner
I use motul tekma ultima 10w40 engine oil for my truck, and i would like to use the same oil on the viper, but other viper users have indicated me better Motul 300V competition 0w40, your opinion? Use only for short and short trips every year (about 10 miles)
Really Vipers are very robustly built, so putting miles on them is generally not going to wear anything out aside from tires. I have nearly 130,000 miles on my 04 and all of the mechanicals are still in great shape. I know I'm one of the odd ones though. I never think of a car as an investment because I'm buying it for myself to enjoy, not the next guy down the road. I've never bought a car with the intent to sell it later either, I pretty much always think of my purchases are "permanent" initially. I'd only sell something if I just don't enjoy it anymore.
As for oil, honestly it probably doesn't matter that much either. As long as you keep it fresh and have reasonable quality stuff in it, you'll be fine. There is a testing lab over here that you can send oil samples to and they did a big report once that looked at samples from the same model of engine from customers that used all sorts of different oils and the general conclusion was that wear numbers had very little difference as long as the oil was changed regularly. The Viper has 10+ quarts as well, so the oil can last a fairly long time in the sense that it has more volume to absorb contaminants.
As for oil, honestly it probably doesn't matter that much either. As long as you keep it fresh and have reasonable quality stuff in it, you'll be fine. There is a testing lab over here that you can send oil samples to and they did a big report once that looked at samples from the same model of engine from customers that used all sorts of different oils and the general conclusion was that wear numbers had very little difference as long as the oil was changed regularly. The Viper has 10+ quarts as well, so the oil can last a fairly long time in the sense that it has more volume to absorb contaminants.
TEALLIFE
Enthusiast
Any fluid that is 20 years old needs to be changed.
