Mini Mad
Posted 03 November 2013 - 10:33 PM
Battery undoubtedly flat.
Apart from that, should I be aware of anything else? Or just charge battery, connect it up and hope for the best?
Generally, I appreciate 6 months is a bit long but how long before you can cause damage to engine by not running it?
My Mummy Says It's OK
Posted 03 November 2013 - 10:36 PM
Best to check all the fluids, fully charge the battery, remove the spark plugs and turn it over to get oil pressure, plugs back in, and give it a whirl.
Moved Into The Garage
Posted 03 November 2013 - 10:53 PM
Follow the advice by Myredmini and you should be fine.
It is important to make sure you have oil pressure before trying to fire the engine. If after that the engine fails to start there may be some fuel issues to sort through but let's not put the cart before the horse.
Six months may sound like a long time but it is not necessarily a bad thing if the car was running well when parked and stored in a relatively good place/environment.
Mini Mad
Posted 03 November 2013 - 10:53 PM
Best to check all the fluids, fully charge the battery, remove the spark plugs and turn it over to get oil pressure, plugs back in, and give it a whirl.
good point about oil pressure....
Well I'll be buggered if I can find it
Posted 03 November 2013 - 10:54 PM
Petrol hasn't got the same shelf life as it used and as it evaporates will leave a goo in the fuel system, best giving that a flush through. Have a spare battery to hand!
Mini Mad
Posted 03 November 2013 - 10:54 PM
Follow the advice by Myredmini and you should be fine.
It is important to make sure you have oil pressure before trying to fire the engine. If after that the engine fails to start there may be some fuel issues to sort through but let's not put the cart before the horse.
Six months may sound like a long time but it is not necessarily a bad thing if the car was running well when parked and stored in a relatively good place/environment.
Yep car was fine before. Will remember the oil pressure. So just remove plugs and crank it a little? How long for?
Mini Mad
Posted 03 November 2013 - 10:55 PM
Petrol hasn't got the same shelf life as it used and as it evaporates will leave a goo in the fuel system, best giving that a flush through. Have a spare battery to hand!
Best way to flush it?
Moved Into The Garage
Posted 03 November 2013 - 11:09 PM
You may or may not need to flush the old fuel out. Yes, fuel does go bad but how fast it goes bad often depends on how and where the car was stored. As primitive as this sounds, if the fuel in the tank "smells funny" or not right, then it probably isn't and it should be flushed. If necessary, siphon the bulk of the fuel out. You will get all but perhaps a quart out of the bottom of the tank. Then add about 3 gallons of fresh fuel to dilute what old fuel was left behind. At the carburetor, disconnect the rubber hose and aim it into a catch bucket. Remove the spark plugs and the main lead from the distributor so the engine won't fire and so there will be no sparks. Then have an assistant crank the engine to pump the old fuel out of the lines. Once you move a couple of cups of fuel you are done. Connect everything back up.
You asked about how long to crank to develop oil pressure. If you have a gauge... as soon as you see the gauge climb off zero. If you have a warning light, crank until the warning light goes off. If oil pressure doesn't build, post back and we'll walk you through how to re-prime the oil pump.
formally known as samkingd0n
Posted 03 November 2013 - 11:17 PM
My Mummy Says It's OK
Posted 03 November 2013 - 11:21 PM
Priming with oil is to protect the engine when it initially starts up with it being sat for so long, its pretty important to do!
More Jammy than a Jammy dodger.
Posted 03 November 2013 - 11:37 PM
just start it, it's only been six months.
Mini Mad
Posted 04 November 2013 - 08:24 AM
So is it a myth that engines seize up after some time?
Or is it just fuel problems like described?
Moved Into The Garage
Posted 09 November 2013 - 12:52 PM
Engines DO seize up. However, it would be very unusual for it to happen in six months unless you left it after something like a head gasket failure and with the plugs removed. One of the most common storage related failures is for the rings to stick to the bores from sitting dry and/or rusting in place. If you do not lube the bores and gently work the crank to free the rings they can break which is obviously "bad".
Mini Mad
Posted 06 February 2014 - 10:04 AM
Still not got around to this. Will wait a month or two for better weather. Then hopefully it can dry out a bit first.
Plan of mine is:-
1. Remove battery and charge it.
2. Replace, remove coil connection and crank engine (to get oil going).
3. Connect back up fingers crossed.
One other thing - brakes. I guess they might be a bit seized too.
Up Into Fourth
Posted 06 February 2014 - 11:39 AM
Always good to start it and get it up to operating temp at least once a month while its sitting there to prevent having to do all the above work :)
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