How To Safely Store A Spare Engine Until Wanted

[flyfisher 6 2 Cars]

i have a spare mi 16 alloy block engine which i want to keep as a spare what im trying to find out is should i keep oil in the sump and crank it over by hand every so often.which is the best way to store this . any advice would be helpfull

[omega 82]

always thought it might be a good idea to fill the engine up with oil right to the top so everything is covered in oil.

never tried it

turning it over by hand might be a bad idea unless you take the plugs out and but some oil down the bores.

[Baz 421]

Basically stored out of the elements and extreme temps it should be fine.

 

Stick some light oil down the bores and turn it over every so often to stop it seizing/liners etc corroding & rings sticking.

[flyfisher 6 2 Cars]

yes thats very much along the lines i thought of thanks baz

[custard-rallye 25]

I left my vtr engine in the shed with no rocker cover for 2 years and it ran first time when fitted

[flyfisher 6 2 Cars]

yeh probs would be o.k to do that but better safe than sorry

[welshpug 1,657]

yeah but how long did it last with all those rust particles on there

 

removing both manifolds and taping up the ports will help.

[SurGie 54]

Try spraying some WD40 down the bores to stop them rusting and dont let the crank stay in the same place for too long, give it a turn over and leave in a different place for a while.

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

Topics merged into one & cleaned up.

 

Graham.

[Cameron 16]

WD40 is a solvent and will dissolve any oil in your bores, so don't go squirting that crap anywhere near your engine!

 

The best thing you can do has already been said: take the manifolds off, put duct tape over the ports and stick some tissue in any holes / hoses to stop bugs and animals taking up residence. If it's being stored for a long time, stick a few drops of oil down the plug holes every few months and turn the engine over a couple of times.

Edited October 8, 2010 by Cameron

[blniasgti 0]

Agree with Cameron just remove the manifolds and block up all holes/hoses and around once a month drop some oil into the bores and turn it over by hand.

 

 

always thought it might be a good idea to fill the engine up with oil right to the top so everything is covered in oil.

never tried it

turning it over by hand might be a bad idea unless you take the plugs out and but some oil down the bores.

 

You lot will laugh,

 

Was round my mates house last year and when pulling up i saw his misses topping up the oil in there focus, after being sat there a while i saw her put 2 cans in the bin then dissapear off, too what we then found out to start the car and with a strange noise she came running in shouting as the car wouldnt start and was making a strange noise, we both walked out and Ben asked where the spare can was? To which she replied "you said to fill the car up with oil" we opened the filler cap and about 10mm below the cap was oil so the whole engine was full with oil, Oh i laughed i had to walk away as they were arguying loudly and i wasnt helping almost crying with laughter !

[allye 530 3 Cars]

Agree with Cameron just remove the manifolds and block up all holes/hoses and around once a month drop some oil into the bores and turn it over by hand.

 

 

 

 

You lot will laugh,

 

Was round my mates house last year and when pulling up i saw his misses topping up the oil in there focus, after being sat there a while i saw her put 2 cans in the bin then dissapear off, too what we then found out to start the car and with a strange noise she came running in shouting as the car wouldnt start and was making a strange noise, we both walked out and Ben asked where the spare can was? To which she replied "you said to fill the car up with oil" we opened the filler cap and about 10mm below the cap was oil so the whole engine was full with oil, Oh i laughed i had to walk away as they were arguying loudly and i wasnt helping almost crying with laughter !

 

Oh my god! Did it not blow every seal! What happened to it?

[blniasgti 0]

well it's been sat in the farm yard ever since, so i guess its fubar'd especially with the trail of oil it left when i dragged it behind the tractor from there home to the farm ! but to be honest i aint got a clue whats wrong with it now, i aint that bothered as long as they pay keep payin dad to store it at the farm and with the way they were arguin i dont want to bring it up as i can tell it's a touchy subject

 

But oh how everyone laugh's when there not around

[Daviewonder 533 3 Cars]

Was round my mates house last year and when pulling up i saw his misses topping up the oil in there focus, after being sat there a while i saw her put 2 cans in the bin then dissapear off, too what we then found out to start the car and with a strange noise she came running in shouting as the car wouldnt start and was making a strange noise, we both walked out and Ben asked where the spare can was? To which she replied "you said to fill the car up with oil" we opened the filler cap and about 10mm below the cap was oil so the whole engine was full with oil, Oh i laughed i had to walk away as they were arguying loudly and i wasnt helping almost crying with laughter !

 

 

A Dutch guy that I used to work with did this too, unfortunately when the engine wouldn't start he tried to get a tow start, needless to say that was the last time that that engine ran.

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

A mate of mine bought a bargain Golf GTI 8v off ebay, probably about 10 years ago now. It was advertised with an engine problem, it would not rev and was pouring out smoke.

 

Talking to the guy he bought if off, the last time he drove it was to the petrol station locally to get some oil.

 

We got it back, it would run and idle OK but would not rev, pouring out smoke.

 

Dipped the stick and it was well up, we drained the sump and got 12 litres out.

 

Put 5 litres back and all was well, bargain!

[swordfish210 20]

I accidently overfilled the oil in my old Volvo 360 by about 1L once (still not sure how) Anyway i didnt have time to drian the oil out as i was doing a trackday at Llandow in a couple of hours. The car spent the whole day burning off the oil and spitting it all over the subframe but the engine ran sooooooooo much sweeter after that day It revved a lot better and didnt smoke under hard accelaration anymore, win win

[dcc 855]

dont think i would want to take a volvo 360 around a track! far too much of a safe car!

[CaptainK 11]

I've been storing a 2.0 V6 MIVEC engine in my FTO's engine bay and a 2.0 16v XU10J4RS engine in my 205's engine bay both for over a year now. They started fine the other day when I moved the FTO out of its garage. Its a shame, but the DVLA are a bunch of plonkers and really need to be bombed for their awkwardness and slackness.

[gaz832 7 1 Cars]

i know from storing my motocross engines is if u leave the bores open rust will get it. keep it wrapped in bubble wrap or air tight packaging of some sort. i wrapped my engine in bubble wrap and they are still fine .

[DamirGTI 342]

... fogging oil/foam :

 

http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/fog.aspx

 

.. if it works for winterizing marine engines , should work for road 4 stroke as well ..

 

Damir

[SurGie 54]

I have left my engine in a warmish not totally cold garage for over a year and have put some ferosol stuff from bilt hamber earlier this year and it turns round just the same.