Calling all Gearheads....HELP

[Tr3aguy]

OK...so I have to switch gears right now and find out if the motor will turn...The car has been sitting for about 20+ years....for the first ten years my In law was lubricating the cylinders....then nothing. I really want to dig into the motor a bit.

Questions are what to look for?

What to disassemble?

I was told to use ATF fluid in the cylinders for a while to loosen things up and take it slow.

Should I go through the cooling system?

How would I rig up a bypass stater setup to try and kick the motor over?

I got about 30 days of night shift which means days to myself up until noon or so....

Thanks....

 

[TR3TR6]

I would remove the spark plugs and squirt a pretty good shot of the ATF fluid in the plug holes and let it set a couple of days. Then I would try turning the engine over with the hand crank first. Using a starter may break something if its really froze up.

 

[TR3driver]

Mine sat for closer to 30 years and no one ever lubricated it. Most likely the engine is the least of your worries.

Pull the plugs, squirt a generous dose of PB Blaster or your favorite penetrating oil into each cylinder, then let it sit while you work on the other stuff.

I would definitely at least rebuild the fuel pump. If it is 20 years old, it won't have an ethanol-resistant diaphragm. Replace all the soft fuel lines, for the same reason. Minor overhaul (new gaskets) for the carbs, just to be sure there's no old fuel or spider webs.

Then I would (did) hook up the battery and spin it with the starter (plugs still out), listening for bad noises and waiting for the oil pressure to come up. (Coincidentally this also clears any excess PBB still lurking in the cylinders.) Hot wire the coil, pull the choke (or disconnect the return springs so you can pull the jets down by hand) and start trying to make it run.

After that, it's just troubleshooting. In my case, the fuel shutoff was totally blocked, so I replaced it with the one from the wrecked car. No spark was eventually traced to a bad wire between the dizzy & coil (but I also replaced the points & condensor along the way). And that's all it took!

Use your judgement on the cooling system; but every one of my old hoses failed within a few days even though they looked fine.

Not necessary for a first firing, but I sure wish I had replaced the fan bushings before I put the apron back on!

 

[Tr3aguy]

Great advise...Thanks. But how would I hook it up if the wiring harness has been pulled out? Is there some kind of bypass starter setup I can make or buy?

 

[TR3driver]

For the starter, my suggestion would be to go ahead and (temporarily) install the cables and solenoid. The stock solenoid has a bypass "button" on the back of it, so all you need is it plus the heavy cables to the battery & starter, and the ground cables. As long as you're using the bypass button, the solenoid doesn't even need to be grounded (so you can leave it hanging on the cables if you like, just don't let the terminals touch anything).

If you don't want to deal with the two ground cables (one battery to body, other frame to engine), you can just run a battery cable directly from the battery to the engine block somewhere. But make sure it makes good connection to the engine, and don't try to use one of the valve cover bolts or that handy looking tab on the cover.

For the coil, just run a temporary wire from the hot terminal to the battery. Keep in mind, though, that if something goes wrong, you will want to disconnect it in a hurry.

 

[hondo402000]

I have not seen anyone suggest you change the oil and filter at minimum or pull the pan too, and then pull the dizzy and use a drill and spin the oil pump to at least try to get fresh oil to the bearing. If it sat that long you could spin a bearing or worse seize one up and break a rod

Hondo

 

[toysrrus]

Howdy Folks,

I`ve "FLOODED" every "Nook & Cranny" I could find with "Mavel Mystery Oil" to help loosen things up everywhere on various occassions. Let sit for about week & "Wa-La"; "She`s Alive".

Best Wishes JP,

Russ

PS: If its any sort of comfort JP; My Engine Bay looked exactly like yours about 1yr. ago. You`ve seen the current pics. She`s in the shop now & We`ll be installing the Engine, Trans etc this Weekend.

 

[sp53]

What I would do if you are concerned or if the engine was left outside is pull the plugs, oil filter, and valve cover, clean the filter can, pull the pan drain, and put plug and the can back on. Then fill the engine with oil up to rings or close to that, basically to the top of pistons. This will oil the chain, lifters, bearings, chain tensioner,rings, basically everything right below the valves. Let it sit for a couple of days then turn it over by hand on and off for couple of days. Then drain that oil out and put the normal amount of oil in. You could then prim it or spin it with the plugs out and you will be fine
Steve

 

[Tr3aguy]

Guys...Randall, Russ & Steve....Thanks again for all the recommendations. I will have some time to organize and dig into the motor just a bit. I think I will drain whatever fluid may be left and order some hoses...cap, rotor etc. Squirt some ATF fluid in and let it sit for a while.

Night Shift for 30 days.....means day time car work....

 

[frankenstang57]

Nobody mentioned the gas tank. Those things can get pretty nasty inside if they weren't drained when parked. My Herald sat indoors for the better part of 30 years. The tank was so rusty on the inside, I had to replace it. Looked like new on the outside. I would at a minimum, unhook the fuel line to the pump (from the tank) before I'd attempt to crank it. Then again, if the tank is dry and drained, no worries. I vote for fresh oil as well.

 

[Marvin Gruber]

I bought a very early drum brake 56 TR3 this fall that was stored in a building since 1987, got it home. checked to see if the engine would turn by hand which it did. Checked oil level, that was good, black but full. Carbs were free and clean. Cleaned points, hooked up a gas bottle and battery. It cranked right up and ran pretty well after warming up. It is back in storage for now but now I know condition of engine. BTW factory o/d

Marv

 

[Tr3aguy]

So I have a new side mount gas chamber of some sorts. It appears to be a mechanical fuel pump that mounts to the block. Is this common on the TR3? The fuel tank has been out....so just rigging a line to that should be good to see if it turns over...With this long of a time. Do I need to break down the carbs?

Also would it be good to replace the gaskets?

 

[MDCanaday]

BAD BAD DOG!!!!! Never start up a stored motor with out fresh oil!!!Great horny toadies man do you know what the lubrication properties of old sludge are?? For one thing it wont go through the little holes that lube the bearings,so I guess you can now kiss them good bye.........
MD(mad dog)

 

[Tr3aguy]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have ordered parts and have devised the plan for removing parts for cleanup. I have a few items on backorder...and I need to learn how to read the spare parts catalogue so I can order some gaskets.

Is it best to use some permatex along with the gaskets or just the gaskets?

I also have to figure out which thermostat I have sleeved or not and fail open and such.

I also need some gas line.

Regards,

 

[TR3driver]

Sorry for the long delay, JP.

I prefer Hylomar "Universal Blue" for most gaskets. It seals at least as well as classic Permatex Aviation, but actually never hardens while the Permatex will eventually set up like a rock. That makes it a whole lot easier next time you need to disassemble for some reason. With Hylomar, the joint just pulls apart usually without tearing the gasket at all, and even when it does tear, it peels away easily. In fact, most of the time, the gasket is actually reusable. Then a quick rub with a rag & a bit of solvent will clean up the surface ready for next assembly. Just a whole lot better IMO than having to spend more time chipping away at the old gasket, than it took to actually solve the problem!
https://www.hylomarsealant.com/index.html

The thermostat in the car is almost certainly the later, non-sleeved design. Even the factory approved them for the earlier cars.

How much difference the sleeve makes appears to depend on what problem you have. With a healthy cooling system and engine, it doesn't seem to make enough difference to notice. Also didn't seem to make any difference for the various cooling problems I've fought with over the years.