Starting a DOHC after 2.5 years

[91DOHC284]

there is no reason for old gas not to fire... my 1965 ford thunderbird sat on my farm for about 20 years... when we finally pulled it out of the blackberry bush my dad drained the gas out of the tank and poured it into our 89 mazda B2200... it ran fine just stunk really bad out of the tailpipe... but something we have discovered about old gas, if you are in a area where there is emissions control, old gas will get the smokiest old peice for shit to pass the test... dont know why but thats the only way to get my 83 chev celebrity 2.8L to pass... and that motor is in seriously rough shape...

so, as far as my experiences have taught me, old gas will run fine...

and as for starting it up every month, waist of time. my t-bird has been sitting for 20+ years and the stock 390 is a turn key startup and i only recently started firing it up i guess last year. no leaks, no problems AT ALL.

oh and my 81 dodge power ram 440 sat for 2 years at my grandparents house with no carb on it. the intake manifold was really rusty, like really rusty. i put a carb on it and a charged battery and put the pulley sistem back on and litterally about 10 seconds of cranking (to get the fuel up to the carb and fill the bowls) she fired up and puffed a bunch of blue out and away i went.

I am currently driving it everyday since the tranny in my cutty is blown.

didnt do no draining of the tank or nothing. changed the oil after initial fire up and a new cap, rotor, plugs, leads, and a rebuild on the Holley 650 and she went just fine till i blew the transfer case last sunday 4xing. (just finished rebuilding that today and is going back in tomorow)

so take whatever advice you want out of my little speach... just pesonal experiences... but you are best of to learn our own lessons... otherwise what is life for if you just do what people tell you to and never learn anything for yourself?

[series8217]

Instead of pulling plugs just floor the engine while starting, that will bring it into clear flood mode and build up the oil pressure which should come up very quick.

The reason you're supposed to pull the plugs out is so there is no compression, and thus no significant force pushing down on the connecting rod journals as the enigne turns over. That way you don't wipe out the babbit layer on the dry bearings.

[Canyonero]

Well, did this car ever get started?

[markz34]

nope nothing it was parked 6 years ago becuase i just baught a new car so i parked it at my cottage . then 5 years after i baught the new car i decided i want to drive the lumina again . so i went there it needed a jump of course lol and it start just about right up stumbled a big but it started and actually ran quite good. but now shes blown r.i.p and i still have the z34 bug so i found an 92 z34 and had to pick that up .

[pocket-rocket]

my black z34 started after 5 years with old oil and gas lol. dont ask me how she started . but after it started i changed everything and took the gas out .

Chevrolet, Like a Rock! 5 years with old gas is crazy, did you use some kind of stabilizer with it before you parked it? I did with the 92, and that was for just over winter, lol.

[markz34]

my black z34 started after 5 years with old oil and gas lol. dont ask me how she started . but after it started i changed everything and took the gas out .

[Juglenaut]

Pressing the schraeder valve in after it sat for awhile doesn't prove if the regulator is good or bad if it has pressure or not.

I had several cars sit and sat for extended periods of time and rust is vary minimal. If it sat that long the oil should have been changed at least twice a year and idled for 20 min. and reved after warm to 3 grand for 30 seconds once a month.

I recently brought my euro back on the road and currently only battling exhaust system failures.

It may only reflect on PR engines but since getting old reliable on the road again I inspected the top engine and found out I had to put a new plenum and intake manifold gasket on it because they where squished and rock hard. However this time I made my own plenum gasket. I scoped around the heads and saw no obvious reason to pull the heads.

[HayesPerformance]

Hey,

Was that picture of your car taken in Arizona? LOL Looks like a spot I know on mount lemon outside of Tucson.......... LOL

[HayesPerformance]

I would also put a small bottle of menthol hydrate in the tank to evaporate any water/condensation build up from sitting all that time.

Did you every start it up every so often at all?

Something I don't like about letting a engine sit without running it every so often while it parked is some of the oil seals start to dry up/ harden and you can end up with some new oil leaks. It would be a bad Idea to add a oil additive to soften the seals abit like Lucuas, etc.

There was in one HOTROD Magazine I had a new cylinder spray that helps clean the cylinders without causing damage for a engine that has sat some time. I forget where it is..........

[OldSkoolGP]

Along with priming the fuel system you should also bleed the old fuel out of the fuel rail or it'll just end up back in the tank and in the engine which won't burn very well. Before you turn the key on for the first time try pressing in the schraeder valve on the rail and see if fuel squirts out. If it does you still have rail pressure which means your pressure regulator is still good. Then turn the key on a couple times and pressurize it and do it again twice more. By then you should have clean fuel in the rail which will make startup easier.

[gpse3400]

Fogging oil would be good but as long as you had the TB closed any oxidation would be minimal. I'd get some IsoHEET and thow that down the tank. Instead of pulling plugs just floor the engine while starting, that will bring it into clear flood mode and build up the oil pressure which should come up very quick. Should be at lik 70 psi in 3 seconds, hold for no more than 5 more seconds. Release the gas pedal and and it should start up roughly and then clear out. Before doing this you'll need to prime the fuel system, you can do that by running the loose connector by the drivers side electrical center tot he positive remote terminal or you kick the key on and off 3 times. Keep it off for 10 seconds then turn it on for 5.

[JMo60]

see if you can get a boroscope to look at the cylinders,, you could use some fogging oil or wd-40 in the cylinders and then start her up after building oil pressure with the plugs out

[gpchris]

you may have rust. My cylinder walls rusted after 2 months sitting in my garage. It had no pistons or heads but you could still have some..

[grandprixgtp_91]

you should take the plugs out and crank it over until you see the oil pressure start to rise up on the gauge, wont take long at all, dont forget the oil filter will hold all the oil, so really there shouldnt be a problem.

Jake

[5speedz34]

Is the gas in the tank that old too?

Ya

I plan on draining that out and cleaning the tank also.