Hey everyone, first post here after many years of reading posts in the background. I am looking for some feedback on a motor I have in storage currently. This motor is destined to land in my '78 CJ5 Jeep but other projects (and small children) are putting this project out about 6-9 months from now. I have owned the motor for almost a year already. Here are the specs if anyone cares but my question is more around priming the motor with oil while it sits.

LM7 from '05 truck
LS2 valve springs installed
LS2 oil pump
LS2 timing chain set
LS2 cam
Everything else is stock LM7 in the longblock, untouched by the seller
Other than assembly lube, no oil is in the motor

The seller I purchased this motor from installed the LS2 parts for me and used plenty of assembly lube knowing it was going to be stored for a long period. He also fogged the cylinders and sprayed the valve train down good with lube. So right now it is sitting in my garage on a stand. Each week I turn the crank to a different resting position because I am scared letting it sit in a certain position will fatigue the valve springs that are under load. This may be an irrational fear but sometimes my **** retentiveness gets the best of me.

For the past year, it turns no problem (plugs are out) and silently. On this week's turn, I could hear a faint chatter from the timing chain and I assume the oil that was on it has finally dripped off and that's causing the noise. Everything still turns smoothly, I just hear a faint chatter-like noise at a couple points during a revolution. I am not worried too much as I feel the noise will resolve itself once lubrication is introduced.

TL-DR - What I am looking for is guidance on these three topics:

1.) Should I stop turning the motor weekly, perhaps maybe go monthly, bi-monthly, not at all?

2.) Given I heard chatter, do I need to pull the timing cover and inspect? (I'd like to avoid this if possible)

3.) Would you suggest I go ahead and prime the motor using this DIY as extra insurance? https://ls1tech.com/forums/tools-fab...er-20-a-2.html

Thanks again for those who read this, I am excited to finally need to interact with this group as I get near my LSx install.

Chris

 

Depends somewhat on where you're at. Climates vary dramatically from one area of the country to another, however, your situation isn't much different than putting the car away in the winter. I park my car in an unheated garage at the first snow here in Ohio, put it on a Battery Tender and leave it until spring. I don't generally start it or turn the engine over until the weather warms up. That's pretty much the norm here. I've had the car since new in 2004 and haven't had any issues in 60,000 plus miles. I had the heads off a little over a year ago and the cylinders showed no signs of rust or corrosion, so my method seems to be adequate. If you're near the ocean where the air is moist and salty, you may need to give the engine more attention.

 

Thanks, that is helpful. I live near Raleigh, NC so it's a pretty friendly climate to mechanical things. I figure I might as well prime the motor with oil given it seems to be a cheap DIY. I just wanted to get opinions if I do/don't need to worry about manually turning motor while it waits to be installed.

Do you have any thoughts on the timing chain chatter resolving once I get some oil in there? It's pretty minor but I also don't want to ignore it if oil will keep it quiet.

 

I can't imagine how a timing chain could develop a problem when the engine is just sitting or that you could turn it fast enough by hand to know it was even making noise. Since the engine is on a stand - it's a simple task to pull the cover and check the chain if you're uneasy about it. I'd say that if the chain was OK when you stored the engine - it's still OK. It can't hurt to turn the engine a quarter of a turn monthly but I wouldn't beset myself over it.

 

Stop now. Infrequent turning only serves to push what little corrosion has happened through the motor. Either install it or leave it alone. If you choose to leave it alone, wrap it in sealed plastic with a few bags of desiccant to leach out moisture. Occasional tinkering may be the worst thing you can do.