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I have a 5.3 I built and ran and the. Stored. Pretty sure I put coolant in it before storage to keep it rust free in the coolant jackets. Well last night I got some rusty water and it’s been sitting for years. I drained the coolant from the pass side coolant block plug ( gona do the driver side once i get a big enough Allen) but the water was basically dark brown/black. Do I fill the motor with 100% coolant concentrate and leave it be or do I leave nothing in it and hope it doesn’t continue to rust? The engine has a waterpump on it, crank pulley, intake, spark plugs and ICT billet exhaust port covers. I’m pretty bummed bc I went out of my way to store this and yet the water is still terrible.
If climate controlled storage or not I would use 50/50 mixture of anti-freeze.
Are you going to plug all the openings so you can fill the block all the way up to the cylinder heads?
If climate controlled storage or not I would use 50/50 mixture of anti-freeze.
Are you going to plug all the openings so you can fill the block all the way up to the cylinder heads?
it’s not climate controlled. Detached 2 car, freezing in the winter and hot as ***** in the summer.
I had looped the cooling hose and the idea was to fill
it all the way up. It’s fully assembled with waterpump and water neck but no Tstat.
Anyone? I had to buy a 17mm Allen to get the driver side plug out but I did and water was still really dark brown. The motor is wedged up against a concrete wall so not a lot of room. I did get a pic of the coolant chamber. Judging but the color it looks fine. I guess I should fill it back up with a 50/50 mix and call it a
say?
I've never stored an Engine with coolant in it, and never had an issue. Then again I had them bone dry, sprayed WD-40 in the critical spots, then bagged them with some form of dessicant sitting on the valley. At most was a year tho so can't speak for long term I guess.
It’s tricky. If it’s climate controlled, no problemo. Zero. If it’s not, then your constantly fighting condensation. Hot air temps by day bring the engines temp up and as the air cools at night, the engine doesn’t cool down as fast as the air around it AND in it, therefore causing condensation. Bagging an engine only makes this worse because the condensation can not evaporate in a sealed environment surrounded by the bag. Ventilation is key. Leave the spark plugs out if going long term storage, so the cylinders can release the condensation. Running a fan is a good idea. The problem is much less in winter months, but summer can be brutal especially in the southeast US. Humidity is high and mid day to night temperature swings are high, causing even more condensation.
If your building one to store for a while, a paste (grease) based assembly lube is best. Use it liberally everywhere. Coat the cylinder walls, camshaft, lifters, pushrods, timing set, try to pack a decent amount in the oil pump. Believe it or not, the rockers will be the first to rust because condensation RISES and forms heavily under the valve covers. It will eventually drip on the rockers.
As Merv stated, no need to put any coolant in the engine if storing it. Never put straight water in an iron block regardless. Your asking for corrosion and lots of it. Take it from me guys, I’ve been doing this crap a long long time and I’ve learned all this the hard way. School of Hard Knocks as many will say.
I decided to throw some coolant in it and then I used a small bore camera to take a look in the cylinders on the pass side (easy access). The cylinders look great and not showing any signs of rust. This engine has prob been sitting for 6 yrs minimum.
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5.3 spare motor storage 
