Putting a P6 back on the road after a long storage - What happens to a car when it is unused?

mrtask

mrtask

Well-Known Member
Hello fellow Forum folk. Who can tell me what one should expect to have to do to put a car back on the road after it has been in storage for a long time? What happens to a car when it isn't used? Apart from changing the oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, coolant etc. what should I look out for? What does one do to an engine that hasn't turned over for a long time before attempting to start it? What would other P6 fans suggest is a reasonable amount of money to pay for a 1973 3500 Auto with leather that hasn't moved for a decade and can't be driven home!? I'm wondering if it might be cheaper to use my own severely rusted '73 V8 as a parts source and restore this other possibility instead, depending of course on the state of the base unit... Now I think I know all of the places where P6s rust out! Let me know what you think! ???
 
hi,
first of all get yourself a 15/16" socket and put it on the bottom crank to make sure the engine turns over manually/freely, get rid of all the old petrol and put new in. i rescued a 28 year old 3500 auto that had been stored for 14 years, the engine would partially turn by hand, so i poured diesel in the bores and every day, and for three or four days kept turning it back and forth until it freely rotated. the car fired up and ran lovely. changed all the fluids, cleaned all the brakes etc and ran it for a while, the only problem i had was that it being an early engine with the rope seal on the back of the engine it had dried out through lack of use and would not reseal so the oil leak got worse until i had to replace the rope seal. until you see the car and see what condition it is in, then you can go from there.
 
>poured Diesel in the bores

Remove the spark plugs and pour Diesel in the cylinder bores? How much Diesel per bore per day!? Why? What does putting a different type of fuel in it do then? Presumably it burns when the engine eventually starts up...
What makes an engine possibly seize up if it remains unused, anyway? Imagine you were explaining to your mother-in-law, 'cos I'm a total rookie!
 
The reason for the diesel is to help release any build up in the Bores/Barrels/cylinders so that the pistons (and piston rings) can move up and down. You can use the likes of WD40 if you wish but diesel is as good and cheaper. The quantity to use depends on how much movement there is when you turn the crank and the position of each piston in their respective barrel. Just remember that once you are satisfied the engine is turning freely turn it over with the starter motor/ignition WITH THE SPARK PLUGS REMOVED. This will remove the excess diesel which is not easily combustable unlike petrol and if you leave to much in the barrels it may cause damage (little chance of this if you let it blow out under the compression stroke as the engine turns over). Remember that this may take a few days to fully release and too much force could break a piston ring. If the diesel disappears as you pour it in each cylinder or lowers over time it may well be a piston ring is seized. If so remember the diesel will have mixed with the oil in the sump if you decide to start the engine and run it.
 
hi,
thanks for that jules, i did not quite make it clear. mr task if you read it there is an 'and' in it, so if you read it right it does not say every day to put diesel in only to put it in the first day and then follow what jules said.
 
Ians tip with the diesel in the bores is a cracking idea. If, like me, you're more imaptient then as a substitute for diesel you can boil up some engine oil in a saucepan and (using a suitable funnel) pour it in to the cylinders and it'll have the same effect except (hopefully) a lot faster.
Be warned though - boiling oil is nasty painful stuff, but handy to have about if you are trapped upstairs whilst the neighbours are battering the doors in.
The oldest i've ever done was a Nissan 300zx that'd stood unused outside for 5 or 6 years. Luckily the motor was still free so a full service including all fluids and new brakes all round and it went through it's MOT. I even got the period 1980s 'Datsun' bakelite fronted radio to work.

DD.
 
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