Starting a v8 that's sat a while

[mechanicalmoron]

It's a ford windsor v8, 351, in an 81 f150. It's been sitting about a year. I'm wondering if I should pull the plugs and oil the cylinders, or anything like that. Or if I can just jump it and start her up.

I'd like to avoid pulling the plugs, because it's so filthy that I'd have to degrease it first, to avoid the risk of getting grit in the cylinders/threads. But I'll do whatever's best for the motor, I know it was in running condition when parked, and I don't want to toast a fine truck due to being impatient.

Any opinions?

[singlecamslam]

I think you should be fine with just cranking it over for a while untill oil pressure builds up, than start it. I'd like some opinions on this as well.

[!Zar!]

The best thing to do is clean it, then remove the plugs and drop a few drops of marvel mystery oil down each cylinder.

Or you could just say fuck it, and start it up.

[OutToWinPAHC]

pull plugs, cut fuel and crank it a series of times like any older motor and build some oil pressure before you let it rip. Pulling valve covers and soaking the rockers with oil don't hurt, and a small hit of oil in the top of the pistons wont hurt. Motor, WD40, just to help for the first 5 seconds. Granted it will smoke for the first 30 seconds but who cares. And dont go crazy revving it right away. Let it idle in for 30 sec if pressure is good.

[AFSil80]

^ Don't do that.

Do what Zar recommended. Pull plugs, pour down some marvel mystery oil, put the plugs back in and forget about it for a day or two and then come back and crank it by hand.

DO NOT try to get it to crank by using the starter. The wrist pins are the most susceptible spot to being stuck/corroded because unless the engine has oil squirters, they won't see much oil if it's been sitting.

Once it's soaked for two days, take your 1/2" drive ratchet and whatever socket fits the crank pulley bolt, and gently work it back and forth until the engine turns freely. When I bought my 66 LeMans, I had to do this as the car still had the original Pontiac 326 under the hood. I'd get maybe a quarter turn before I'd hit heavy resistance, and then I'd back it off and go the other direction until I hit resistance.

Think of it as if you're tapping a hole for threads. You never just run it down, you cut a little, back off, then cut more. Turn the motor over the same, and you shouldn't have any issues. Unless it's completely screwed, but if that's the case you're only out a quart of Marvel oil...as opposed to just cranking it and it could go from acceptable to seized.

[mechanicalmoron]

Well, considering that I read this motor doesn't have much trouble starting, and I also did some reading and determined after about a week, assuming no rust, all dry starts are equal, I went and tried to jump it. (Main thing I read is if you rev it while cold, you're likely to bend sticky pushrods, and just to start it and let it idle for a while to loosen up)

So, considering it's just been sitting a year, I tried to jump it with my s13. It's either siezed, or the battery is so bad and such a drain, that it won't turn. Left the 240 idling ten minutes to start changing the battery (so it wouldn't pull so hard when trying to crank) , but even with the 240's idle set at 2500 I could get it to click, but not turn. And the solenoid was fine, because it was drawing a lot, it would drop the 240 like 1k rpm, and the jumpers got so hot I burnt myself taking them off.

Does this mean it's siezed? Or just that it's got more than twice the displacement of the 240, and takes more juice to turn over than it could get with the bad battery in the circuit?

if it's siezed I won't give up, and will work oil in and try to save it, but from the reading I did it seemed like unless you know it's locked, there's not much good in pre-lubing it.

I think I'll try removing it's battery, and if it still won't crank, I'll tear into everything and let some oil soak for a week, then try.

(I don't have a socket big enough to turn it by hand, I don't think)

Wouldn't it be awesome if I already melted the starter doing that.....

[AFSil80]

Yeah, the click means that the starter isn't getting enough power to kick it over.

Which means the motor is probably fighting the starter, as opposed to your battery not having enough juice. Pour the marvel oil down the spark plug holes, and follow the instructions I laid out.

Do not try to use the starter. Find a socket that fits. It could be seized, it could be stubborn. I couldn't tell you since I'm sitting behind a computer screen instead of staring at the engine.

[mechanicalmoron]

Yeah, the click means that the starter isn't getting enough power to kick it over.

Which means the motor is probably fighting the starter, as opposed to your battery not having enough juice. Pour the marvel oil down the spark plug holes, and follow the instructions I laid out.

Do not try to use the starter. Find a socket that fits. It could be seized, it could be stubborn. I couldn't tell you since I'm sitting behind a computer screen instead of staring at the engine.

Yeah, totally not the batterys draw, I tried it without the dead one in the circuit, with the same results.

....now I guess it gets fun. Fuck, I don't have a socket that big, and it's really back in there and has a fan in the way, too. Maybe I'll drag it in gear.

Since I'm doing this all the shitty way now, does anyone have any advice on a carb that's sat? The filter was off it, and it's a bit dusty, though I tried to suck it out with a shop vac.... I'm terrified of trying to adjust it (I don't have any clue what I'm looking at, really), and so would rather not do any real rebuilding. Is it particularly hard to remove it and clean it without changing how it will run? Is there an online carb 101 type resource, that explains what's what?

[Matej]

Start it with an impact on the crank pulley. :)

[mechanicalmoron]

Start it with an impact on the crank pulley. :)

In my frustration at it, I considered getting a jump from my friend's big block truck, probably has like twice the power of my s13s alternator..... It's another one of those old fords that was jumped, and started right up, unlike my pos.

But I'm not that stupid.