Thread: Hasn't been started in 9 years, What do I do??? Please Help!

Tweet

....I've got a 415 small block Chev thats been sitting in my back yard for 9 years. I will try to turn the motor over {by hand} this Sunday. If its not frozen up I've read where I should use an electric drill to circulate the oil thru the motor { put it in the distributor}. Can't I just do this by turning the crank with a socket? Sounds easier .... Also I read about putting Marvel Mystery oil in the plug holes. I sprayed WD 40 in the plug holes years ago. Oh, it has aluminum heads {if that matters}. Any imput on this would be great. Thanks a bunch, Bill.....

Originally posted by billlsbird
....I've got a 415 small block Chev thats been sitting in my back yard for 9 years. I will try to turn the motor over {by hand} this Sunday. If its not frozen up I've read where I should use an electric drill to circulate the oil thru the motor { put it in the distributor}. Can't I just do this by turning the crank with a socket? Sounds easier .... Also I read about putting Marvel Mystery oil in the plug holes. I sprayed WD 40 in the plug holes years ago. Oh, it has aluminum heads {if that matters}. Any imput on this would be great. Thanks a bunch, Bill.....

bill, the motor has been sitting all this time so the bearings or anything that needs oil will be dry, so you dont wont to turn the motor over untill you get some oil up there and you do that by turning the oil pump with a drill. you wouldnt be able to turn the motor over fast enough by hand and if you use the starter it might wipe the bearings out before you get the oil up there. you need to spray something in the plug hole that would cut the rust and gum out.(like wd-40) let it soak over night.

Why would you ? You are going to put it on a stand & flip it over for a quick check of the bearings anyway - aren't you?
If it's in a car then just turn the key Bill- it's steel- not gonna hurt it....if your worried then your going to flip it over anyway and you might as well do that first.
Good Luck & charge that battery good !!

I don't think WD40 is the best thing for freeing rusty motors. It removes the oil from the cylinder walls and causes more rust when it evaporates.. Marvel Mystery oil works better and I read on here that deisel fuel is better than the mystery oil. Turning the oil pump with a drill is important if you don't want to ruin the bearings. If it has a lot of rust in the cylinders it may break some of the rings when you turn it over and you'll have to rebuild it anyway.

If you have the time to do this, it will definitely work; I unstuck an old Chrysler flathead that had been stuck for many years this way. I learned this from an old shadetree mechanic way back in the days when there were more shade trees than there are now. With the V-8, if it is on a stand, it will be easier to do, because you need to get the cylinders vertical.

Mix some cheap motor oil and Marvels and/or diesel, 50/50; you will need about twelve to fifteen quarts of each, so the diesel is a bit cheaper. With the engine on the stand, turn it so one bank of cylinders is straight up and down, pull the spark plugs, fill all of the cylinders with the mix, and re-install the old plugs. Do the same on the other bank, then roll it up straight, and fill it full with as much of the mix as you can get into it. Let it sit for a week or two, at least; longer is better. When you are ready to go at it, again, put a big drip pan or some other means of catching the oil, under the thing, pull all of the spark plugs out, and start trying to turn it by hand. Once it is free, drain all of the stuff out of it well, refill it to normal with fresh oil, rotate it a few times, prime the oil system with a drill motor ( the adapters to do this with a Chevy are usually available for a fair price at most good speed shops), and proceed as you normally would.

It seems to be overkill, but all of the engines I have ever done this to have survived very well. Of course, you could just put it on a stand, and pull it apart, and re assemble it, or even rebuild it, and you would have no question about it's condition.

tranny fluid in the cyls also works as well as diesel for freeing up rings and such ....

......Thanks a bunch everyone. I will go purchace a drill motor adapter to turn the oil pump over. Then put some transmission/diesel oil/marvel's in the plug holes & let it sit.
Someone mentioned that I could break a ring and have to rebuild the motor? Its already bored out as far as it'll go. If it did break a ring can a motor be honed out to repair this? Or would the block be junk? Also turning the motor over and checking the bearings? What am I checking for? Thanks again for all the help. I'm really clueless when it comes to motor overhalls and such {thank God there's no such thing as 'dumb questions'??? or is there??? }.... Bill.... p.s one other question, if I decide to put lower compression pistons in it {to run a blower} can new pistons be put in without reboring it? {its already maxed out bore wise}.... Bill.....

BillsBird, before you spend money on the adapter find a long old flat tip you have just laying around, long enough to reach down the dis shaft, then break the handle off and use that. Cheaper and works just as well as the "special" adapter they sell. Also you can always sleave the cylinders, if done right its just as good as a brand new block. Most people here will argue with me on this but my ex father in law did that on his 76 Caddy and a friend did it to his 427 for a 34 ford, both have been driven lots of miles and the 427 has been driven hard and they are still running without a problem.
Just somethings to look into before you scrap it if its bad.

That Chevrolet sponsorship for his shop must have been sweet. Smokey was the man.

Originally posted by The Al Show
I don't think WD40 is the best thing for freeing rusty motors. It removes the oil from the cylinder walls and causes more rust when it evaporates.. Marvel Mystery oil works better and I read on here that deisel fuel is better than the mystery oil. Turning the oil pump with a drill is important if you don't want to ruin the bearings. If it has a lot of rust in the cylinders it may break some of the rings when you turn it over and you'll have to rebuild it anyway.

Ow yea I agree with that marvels mystery oil is some amazing stuff used it on my boat that has been sitting for 10 yrs good good stuff

i dont know much about breaking engins loos.
but i have broke one loose its in a 1930's aliss tractor it was sitting for around 50 years probly with nothing over the exaust when i got it i bout a can of pb penatrating oil and uesed the hole thing in the cilinder walls and then took a hammer to it and i got it turning a littel but i will try some mystry oil
P.s pb works good also

Cooler weather is on the way, which means it’s about time to start getting ready. WD-40 can help make these tasks easier. Try it to:



Winterize boats, personal watercraft and other water toys
Coat tools and accessories to prevent rust from forming
Lubricate and prevent rust on overcoat zippers
Drive moisture from fishing gear before storage

marvil mystery oil might be better than wd-40 but ive never heard that wd-40 causes more rust?

About the oil pump primer adapter, I think I paid about 20 bucks for mine from Eastwood, and would never go back to using my homemade ones, if I had a choice. The first one I made, from an old screwdriver; it kept slipping out of the slot in the end of the pump shaft, until I made a sleeve that fit over it to keep it in place. The second one was better, made from scratch from some 7/16 inch rod and tubing, and is passable good. But the one from Eastwood is a Caddillac compared to the others, with its centering bushing, and end made to fit right; just better. You can also make one from an old junk distributor. Remove the gear from the shaft and take the guts ou of the distributor, cut the advance weight plate off of the top of the shaft, take the points plate and vac advance plate out of the housing. Put the gear back onto the shaft and grind the teeth off of the gear, then take the gear off and reassemble the shaft into the housing, and re-pin the gear. Set this contraption into the hole, and chuck the end in a drill and go for it. Just be sure that you got all of the teeth off of the gear, and that it does not hang up on the cam gear, or it will damage the cam when you spin it.

WD-40
Spent a few years in the Marine Corps reserves and after weapons were cleaned at the end of drill weekend we'd spray them down with WD-40 and check them back into the armory. Next month when they were checked back out they'd be covered with surface rust. After a couple of months of this we finally decided that the WD-40 was causing the problem.
It might be good for freeing rusty bolts, but using it for rust prevention it's worthless.
A thin coat of machine oil will serve you better.

billlsbird was asking what would be good to use in the motor (to loosen up any rust that may have accumulated over the yrs. so he could get it to turn over. he said he had used wd-40 before and i said that it would work ok, there was nothing said about rust prevention that i know of and i still say wd-40 would be ok to help loosen the pistons up, but not the best, or the only, just ok if thats all i had setting around the shop id use it before i would drive up town for something dif. thats my story and im sticking to it.

this is a wd-40 ad, some body need to call them and tell them that they dont have a clue about the product that they have been saleing for the last 50 yrs.

Cooler weather is on the way, which means it’s about time to start getting ready. WD-40 can help make these tasks easier. Try it to: Winterize boats, personal watercraft and other water toys Coat tools and accessories to prevent rust from forming Lubricate and prevent rust on overcoat zippers Drive moisture from fishing gear before storage