motor hasnt started in 13 years

What do i need to do before I start a fuel injected mustang engine that has not started in 13 years? it has hydraulic roler lifters, do i have to pull the intake and soak the lifters in oil? should i worry about any of the bearings that havent seen oil in 13 years? The engine has was inside a storage building and was drained of fluids back in 1995 when the mustang was wrecked and dismantled. do injectors or any other seals or gaskets need replacement after this time? or can I just fill with oil and coolant and turn the key?

you may have to get new lifters. they may have settled down and they will not pump up again.

The rings are probably rusted and stuck. It would be smart to take it apart and put in new rings, hone the cylinder walls to get the surface rust off, then put all new seals and gaskets on the topend. You will probably cause more damage to the engine trying to fire it up and hope you have oil flow through the pushrods and lifters and oil pump.

Edited: 6/6/2008 1:46:30 PM by Maz2low

The rings probably are rusted your best bet is remove the Spark plugs spray some lubricant in there to help upon turning over . I would then reprime the motor by removing the distributor . So you need either a priming pump or make one up from a distributer using a drill. You can remove the valve covers to see if it is priming properly

I would most likely turn the motor over manually/slowly by the flywheel to help cut the cylinder walls evenly . You most likely will not notice any seal leaks in the engine until it is warmed up . As for Injectors you will know quite quickly if you have a problem there .

ya probably do a basic overhaul on it. northernauto.com has great prices on rebuild kits and what not. that's where i got mine.

holy shit 1995 was 13 years ago??! damn i'm getting old...

Originally posted by Maz2low



Edited: 6/6/2008 1:46:30 PM by Maz2low

The rings probably are rusted your best bet is remove the Spark plugs spray some lubricant in there to help upon turning over . I would then reprime the motor by removing the distributor . So you need either a priming pump or make one up from a distributer using a drill. You can remove the valve covers to see if it is priming properly

I would most likely turn the motor over manually/slowly by the flywheel to help cut the cylinder walls evenly . You most likely will not notice any seal leaks in the engine until it is warmed up . As for Injectors you will know quite quickly if you have a problem there .

^^^^what he said! Pop the plugs and shoot some pentrating oil in each cylinder and let it soak for a bit, reprime the oiling system, and I would roll it over by hand and make sure it moves freely before using the starter.

Ok. thanks guys. I am able to turn the engine over with a socket on the crankshaft. It turned right over after I pulled the plugs. I didnt want to pop the intake, but I had to pop the upper plenum to get the valve covers off. This engine looks brand new!!! originally it only had 30,000 miles on it before the mustang got rear ended. I am gunna install it in my truck, prime up the oil and go for broke. if I have to replace lifters, I can do that while its in the truck. Thanks again all

you can also make a priming tool out of an allen wrench (i can't remember what size) & weld it to a long rod or screwdriver or something. i also can't remember, but chevy goes one way & ford goes the other...i believe it's ford that turns counterclockwise, but either way you'll feel it very soon in the drill if the oil pump is sucking up the oil. if you don't feel it within 3 or 4 seconds...stop & go the other direction! don't cavitate the oil pump!!

i think the lifters should be ok, i've built engines that have sat a lot longer than that, but for future reference, just loosen all the rocker arms if it looks like a motor will sit there that long. also it's a good idea to take out the plugs to relieve compression so the rings aren't under any stress.