Starting LT4 from 10 year rest?
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Starting LT4 from 10 year rest? So I have been scouring the internet and trying to ask every car person that I know what the "safest" method would be to start my LT4 that has been sitting in a climate controlled garage for 10 years? Any advice out there? The engine was previously broken in and run for a short time before I bought it from Scoggins Dickey. It is a 385 with pretty high end internals, if that matters.
I don't want to pull the intake manifold to manually prime the engine, should I pull all the plugs and pull the fuel pump relay and turn it over a couple times? Pulling the plugs is a major hassle, so if that isn't necessary it would save me about 4 hours and bloody knuckles.
Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated!!!
I don't want to pull the intake manifold to manually prime the engine, should I pull all the plugs and pull the fuel pump relay and turn it over a couple times? Pulling the plugs is a major hassle, so if that isn't necessary it would save me about 4 hours and bloody knuckles.
Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated!!!
After 10 yrs sitting at least change the oil and make sure it has fresh fuel, which you've probably already done. If you don't want to pull the intake to prime it, I've seen a lot of guys just pull the coil wire and let it turn over a couple of times to build pressure.
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Not much you can do other put fresh oil in it and fire it up. I've started a lot of motors that sat for years, in not the most ideal conditions and they were fine. My current truck sat for 5 years without running until I got it, i've put 13K trouble free miles on it and all I did was fire it up and drive it. I would try spinning it over first to build oil pressure though.
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I can tell you what I did, and perhaps what to expect, based upon a very similar experience. If the car was prepped for storage, your experience may be dramatically different.
Change the oil & filter, fuel filter and battery. Afterwards, see if it will start. It might, and it might not. If it does start, it might sound as if it's going to explode, or that it may be running on a half cylinder.
Regardless, at this point you should begin preparations to replace almost everything between the radiator and rear bumper, not excluding the fuel pump and possibly the fuel tank.
Change the oil & filter, fuel filter and battery. Afterwards, see if it will start. It might, and it might not. If it does start, it might sound as if it's going to explode, or that it may be running on a half cylinder.
Regardless, at this point you should begin preparations to replace almost everything between the radiator and rear bumper, not excluding the fuel pump and possibly the fuel tank.
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You will be able to tell if the fuel pump is priming. You will be able to hear it. My pump was seized after 6-7 years of sitting, but storage of my car was unplanned and I took no preparatory steps.
If the pump primes, turn the key off an on several times. This will get some gas to engine, maybe.
If the pump does not prime, it will probably need to be replaced, but make sure the relay, wiring etc. are good before you proceed with dropping the tank. If you have to change the pump, you might want to get a case of beer, or a keg.
If the pump primes, turn the key off an on several times. This will get some gas to engine, maybe.
If the pump does not prime, it will probably need to be replaced, but make sure the relay, wiring etc. are good before you proceed with dropping the tank. If you have to change the pump, you might want to get a case of beer, or a keg.
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if it were my motor I would pull the plugs and fog the cyl as suggested. then pull coil wire and FI fuse (so you don't wash down cly with fuel) and crank until you get oil pressure. Replace plugs, put coil wire and fuse back in and crank over. Ideally it fires. Your battery will need to be in good shape as you will be cranking for some time to get oil pressure
this after changing oil and confirming fuel tank, lines and filter have been cleaned (filter replaced). Confirm FP even works by attaching a FP gauge to fuel rail
It is possible one or more injectors will be gummed up. they may free themselves. maybe put a bottle of injector cleaner in gas tank. You may find if there is a issue with one or more injectors you may have to pull them and send them out for cleaning.
if it were my motor I would pull the plugs and fog the cyl as suggested. then pull coil wire and FI fuse (so you don't wash down cly with fuel) and crank until you get oil pressure. Replace plugs, put coil wire and fuse back in and crank over. Ideally it fires. Your battery will need to be in good shape as you will be cranking for some time to get oil pressure
this after changing oil and confirming fuel tank, lines and filter have been cleaned (filter replaced). Confirm FP even works by attaching a FP gauge to fuel rail
It is possible one or more injectors will be gummed up. they may free themselves. maybe put a bottle of injector cleaner in gas tank. You may find if there is a issue with one or more injectors you may have to pull them and send them out for cleaning.
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I'd do everything above except I'd put new oil and filter in, take intake off and prime the motor. Because of the limited space you may need to customize an oil pump primer to fit along with a right angle drill.
I would change the oil/filter, pull the plugs and pour a spoonful of oil down in the cylinders and turn it over by hand just to make sure the cylinders are lubricated and no seized pistons, add fresh fuel and new plugs/wires and try to fire her up.
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My motor sat for five years in a garage before I installed it. I put a socket on the crank hub and turned it to make sure it wasn't locked up. Installed it put some fresh gas in and changed the oil, then tried to start it. It wouldn't start be cause the injectors were clogged, gummed up. I cleaned and installed them and it fired right up. That was 14 years ago, I'd do the same with yours.
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From: Lansing, MI via Bowling Green, KY, Dalton GA, Nashville, TN & Atlanta, GA
Had I known better, I would have probably done some of this stuff that I did not do when I pulled my car out of storage, such as oiling the cylinders.
I will agree that MANY issues are likely with the car, if it turns out OK GREAT but I would consider that the exception.
The engine and tranny themselves are what I would be about least worried about.
The reason some of us are suggesting fogging oil is it foams which will coat more of the cylinder rather than just sit at the outboard edge of the piston, it will also burn off a lot better than motor oil. If a piston sat flat level motor oil might work OK but with the angle I see a big benefit to fogging oil instead.
The engine and tranny themselves are what I would be about least worried about.
The reason some of us are suggesting fogging oil is it foams which will coat more of the cylinder rather than just sit at the outboard edge of the piston, it will also burn off a lot better than motor oil. If a piston sat flat level motor oil might work OK but with the angle I see a big benefit to fogging oil instead.
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Fogging or oiling of the cylinders is usually done at the beginning of storage. If you need oil now, you're going to need rings.
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Understood, but it would have potentially cut down on some wear/scoring while trying to get the engine running, and I think that's what most people are referring to in this thread. My compression checks were fine afterwards.