Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Starting an engine that's been sitting

I'm planning to unmothball my 1979 Bronco in a couple weeks and fire it up for thw first time in approximately 5 years.

It's a 400/C6 with that's mainly stock aside from the intake/carb and exhaust.

I've never left anything set this long and then started it again. I was thinking to siphon the gas out of the tank, blow the fuel line out. New fuel filter, new oil and filter, new battery. Maybe pull the plugs and shoot some Marvel Mystery oil in the cylinders and let them sit overnight? Should I do anything to the transmission? Cooling system?

Any suggestions or anything I'm missing?

I plan to pull the whole thing out and rebuild it with some higher compression pistons and a mild RV type cam in the next couple of years but don't have the time or money right this minute. It was a good runner when I parked it and I would like to be able to drive it a little and fool with the rest of the truck before going straight to an engine rebuild. I'm just worried about screwing up something if I just pour some gas in it and fire it up.

Just for good measure I'd turn it over by hand before you try to start it.

Roll over by hand dittos.

Sea Foam "Fogging Oil" in the spark plug holes, and the Mystery Oil's a good plan, too. Don't hydraulic the thing,....spin er' up with the plugs out after soaking, go ahead and make a mess,...Feeding regular Sea Foam in through the carb, once fired up, may go a long way to freeing up any stuck rings.

I've been known to use plain old #2 Diesel to "pickle" long dead engines,...in the absence of the products above,...
Can't say it doesn't work just as well, either.

Cold starting a long dormant Engine without the precautionary measure you're WISELY considering is stupid, wasteful, and bush league rookie, back yard fender jocky dumb.

Luck !

GTC

Charge battery, clean carb bowl if possible. Check for mouse nests in air cleaner and intake. Pull the plugs, give each cylinder a good shot of PB Blaster then crank it w/o plugs in 20 second bursts until oil light goes out. Then put plugs back in and fire it up. Easy throttle until rings have re seated and valves have banged any rust of seats. That's a quick and dirty startup.

50 - 50 mix of diesel and ATF let me start a locked diesel engine (~ 15 years dormant). Lots of hand turning 'till it went around, but she's still rumbling today. Been 18 years, now.

Dude...it's a ford. She'll fire.

Put some fresh gas in that sucker, pump the throttle 3 times, hit the switch. It'll cough and sputter...will run for about 15 seconds and shut down. 3 more pumps, hit the switch, and take er for a drive.

Then...please look me up when you're ready to sell it.

Make sure it'll get clean air, good gas, and the lower the is free and lubed. If you haven't run it in 5 years, it'd be stupid to hurry it up now. Lol.

Pull plugs, shoot a bit of diesel in the holes, let sit over night. Drain the crank case and put in 4 quarts 5-30 and a quart of tranny fluid.

Spin by hand with plugs out to belch out any diesel.

Replace plugs w new, Marvel or Sea Foam in gas and crank it up.

Maybe change oil again in a few days.

I know of an old timer that used to pour a little diesel in the crank before changing oil and let truck just idle before draining oil. Said it helped clean any gunk out that may be in the engine.

I'd consider pre-oiling it. There are ways to pre-oil a rebuilt engine by using a pressure preluber or taking the distributor out and spinning the oil pump with a cordless drill and adaptor.

Mineral oil... haven't done it in a lot of years in breathing new life in a stored vehicle, but if car was stored with the engine full of old oil, I'd drain the old oil putting the plug back in and with an empty pan pull the plugs in all cylinders then fill with light mineral oil letting it seep down and into the pan... do it again, when it all seeps down the second time start turning the engine over by hand, slowly and a lot. If you have an engine to where you can make up a tool and spin the oil pump with a drill motor all the better. The mineral oil will help to remove any rust, grit or particles of and moisture that has developed with time, and is compatible with o-rings and seals to where they won't be damaged. Once it has all seeped back into the pan the second time... drain and temporally fill with a light 5w30 oil then clean and adjust the plugs putting them back in.... disassemble the carb cleaning and putting a new kit into it and go to town.

Phil

In 1995 I had a stuck 312 Y-block from a 1957 ford. I wanted to put it in my '55 F-100. I figured it was junk.

The old man used the #2 fuel and trans fluid and I'll be dipped...she moved a bit. 2 days later, hand cranked it 1/2 way. Damn think fired. It was a smokey SOB for a while but smoothed right out.

Bingo. Hasn't any of the other posters had to pre oil an engine??? Buy an oil pump priming tool and don't turn it over by hand "dittos" whatever the fu ck that means, until you know the bearings are lubed and pump primed. Never turn an engine over dry. Bad things happen to the bearings and rings... Marvel mystery oil in the cylinders works good too...

Interesting, I never thought to mix ATF with diesel to thin it and make penetrating oil. I do use ATF cut 50/50 with Acetone all the time for freeing rusted or stuck screws. Aircraft mechanic buddy turned me onto that one.

What about a Chev diesel thats been sitting for 5 or so years? I have one that should be moved over Labor Day, but I can tow it if I have to. Only has to move about 80 yards, before sitting another year at least. Right next to the other one, that does get run several times a year.

Likely the best thing to do is tow it, and do a bunch of the other stuff that I can, and let it sit?

One is parts, but I haven't decided which one yet..... run one has about 2K worth of front end work mandatory, plus a worse body. Non-run was given to me by a neighbor, after being given to him with little information other than "a main bearing might be going out". It was driven to the site, and not moved since. Probably all the seals and such are dried out and shot?

I just jump em and run em.

You have a good plan

The fuel may give you a problem being stagnent or retaining water.

Other than that issue, change the battery, oil & filter. Fill the oil filter before installation.

Honestly, nothing else is necessary if she ran well before.

Fire it up.

-Ken

I thought he was nuts...giving me a line of bullschidt but I'll be damned if it didn't run. It's now being swapped for a 351w.

Prevention helps

Have a summer only car

Always use prig in the fuel tank, always put a tbsp or so of marvel mystery oil down each plug hole before removing battery & covering it up

It sat 6 years IIRC w/out running it

I really need to sell that car, but it's just too fun

Was lookin at buying another truck, but just can't wrap my head around why 1 couple needs six pickups