Hello I have a 1937 Chevy truck she's been parked for 30+ years, in a barn/garage. The motor turns very slowly with the 6 volt starter, shes definetly not seized. I blew the fuel lines with compressed air, new wires and plugs, cap and points. Fresh gas and battery.. I picked up some marvel mistery oil today how much should I poor in the plug holes? Do I let it sit, than turn the motor over, with plugs off. Than fire with plugs on??
well....since no one's sticking their tongue out.....if you can let some MM sit in there for a spell....and then do a compression check with a gauge - hopefully having about 80 pounds or more to get started...give it a try with some new plugs....if you fowl them they are the cheaper of stuff....before you start let us know the compression ratio - you have to have gas - spark and compression....and new oil in the pan as well.....oh.....and she said timing too.....
basically what I do is put the squirt nozzle on the can ( if they still come with them ) and give each cylinder a good squirt , then put the plugs back in let it sit a day or 2 , then pull all the plugs out then try to crank the motor over again to pump the excess oil out and move the oil around ( do not try to crank the motor with the oil in it as it might hydraulic and bend a rod or break a piston ) then put new plugs in it and a dribble of gas in the carb to see if it will fire .
I'd start simple first, since not seized but spinning slowly...good shiny ground and hot connections on both battery and starter and block (ground). Still slow?..pull starter put the juice to it and see if it "torques" over, as opposed to just "winding up" like a slow motor. I don't think oiling anything up is going to help you (although not a bad idea).
Ive started up dozens of engines that have been sitting for years. I call it waking up zombies. Lubing up the cyl walls is always a good idea. MM oil is good. However I use a equal mixture of auto transmission fluid and diesel fuel. and I fill every cyl to the top. let it set a week. after a week a good amount will have seeped past the pistons & rings and into the oil pan. so I change the oil. Disconnect all the wires from the starter and just leave the battery cables. hook up a 12 volt battery. and crank the starter with just the 12 volt battery hooked to only the starter. Hook up a seperate battery to fire the ignition.be sure and unhook the lines from the gas tank. the tank and gas lines will need to be thoroughly cleaned before using. and old stale gas can cause valves to stick and will gum up the carb. I suspend a small tank and gravity feed the carb bypassing the fuel pump. the fuel I use for initial startup is mixed like for a chain saw. 1/2 pint of 2 cycle oil to each gallon of gas. Spinning the plugless engine with a 12 volt battery will quickly clear out the oil from the cyls. after cranking the plugless engine reinstall the plugs and it should start. sometimes spraying WD 40 into the carb when cranking will help it start. If you get backfiring check the timing and firing order. If that's Ok you will need to pull the valve cover and check for sticking valves. It wont hurt to spray WD40 or some other type of lube directly on the valve stems . lots of times ive cranked 12 volt engines with two batterys rigged for 24 volt. you might have to take the carb apart and clean it. just keep fiddling with it and be persistant and you will get it running. there is no such thing as to much lubricant on a engine that has been asleep for any extended time.
Get the small oiling cans with the long flexible snout. This allows you to spray the walls of the cylinder... Moving the snout, to get all sides. Let it spread and soak for a few days and then do it again. No need to fill the cylinders. Also, stay away from WD40. It can coat the metal and keep oil from lubricating. WD40 will burn off, leaving no protection. About 12 pumps of the oil can relates to about 4 caps full of MMO. You only need enough to coat the walls and rings. Also, Under the valve cover and on the stems. Shouldn't take more than half a small bottle. Many people swear by Kerosine/Trans fluid mix, but I would stick to MMO.
My take is its almost impossible to get the cyl walls completely coated by squrting or spraying through the plug hole. if you completely fill the cyls with diesel and trans fluid and let it soak you will loosen the surface rust that might be present. Also the mixture will seep down past the rings and loosen and lube the corrosion between the rings, cyl walls & piston grooves. That helps prevent Broken or stuck rings. When cranking the plugless engine and blowing out the mixture a lot of loose debris carbon rust ect will be blown out also. If you have access to a air compressor you can further blow out the cyls . with your suggestion the portion of the cyl below the piston,s will still be relatively dry. WD 40 makes a good starting fluid and unlike either its oily and wont seize a engine. The MMO is good. however the amount needed to completely fill the cyls would be rather costly. the mmo would be great under the valve cover & stems.
Thanks for all the comments everyone, I pulled the plugs and poured 2 ounces of marvel mystery oil in each hole, I waited 2 days and cracked the 6 volt starter with a 6 volt battery.. It worked! Motor spun freely!!.. I'm going to drain the oil next and drop the oil pan to clean up any necessary sludge or build up. New spark plugs and ill try to fire it up, ill update this thread with more pictures too..
I always add some MMO to my oil changes in my old cars,it does work like they say it does,also put some in the gas tank,it helps to keep the gas fresh longer,i swear by the stuff. harvey
Ok so I thought I would be able to fire up this old truck, but with the spark plugs out she spins freely and quick and when I put the spark plugs in she's slow and sluggish still spins and tuns but not fast enough to start.. I have spark and fuel, any suggestions on what I should do?! I'm in Orange County, Anaheim area if any one local can help! Cold beers and lunch!!
The only thing that has changed is the starter having to crank the motor with compression. I would suspect the starter, have you installed a 12 volt battery? I have used 12 volt batteries with 6 volt starters many times without failure.
Could be a 12 volt starter on it already. After all these years, you never know what's been changed. I say try the starter on 12 volts, it might surprise you. If the starter goes out, hey, it needed rebuilding or replacing anyway.
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