Tips for Starting an Engine That has been sitting a while...

[metallicats33]

I though I'd ask around here first, I figured many of us have big toys as well as little ones...
I recently acquired my father's Jet Boat (after 10 years of nagging) The Engine (454) was rebuilt in 2003 and not ran much between 2003 - 2005. It has sat in my Father's garage since. Any tips on prep and procedure before starting an Engine that has been sitting this long? Should I suck out the fuel that's in the tanks?

Thanks in advance,
James

[Coelacanth]

A couple suggestions...as you said, remove the old gas and put in some fresh gas. To avoid having the engine seize, remove the spark plugs and spray something like PB Blaster into the cylinders; it's an anti-seize spray. You can also hand-crank the motor, and if you start to feel it bind, crank it the opposite way.

Good luck waking up the beast!

[jwscab]

fresh fuel is a good idea.

if it's carbureted, when you first prime the fuel pump (or crank the engine over) check VERY carefully for any leaking gaskets ESPECIALLY if it's a holley, since once the fuel dries up in the bowl, the gaskets have a tendency to shrink. On more than one occasion, I've had to shut off a motor and tighten all the screws on holley bowls. The accelerator pump will often go bad in holley or quadrajets after sitting for long periods, so if the engine backfires or sharply shuts off on quick throttle transitions, you know it's the pump shot that needs rebuilding. feathering the throttle to keep it running will be necessary.

an oil change is a good idea, as well as a shot of wd40 or pb blaster, etc in each cylinder. Once you pull the plugs, and change the oil, crank the engine over until you get oil pressure, then hook the ignition back up.

after all that, you can crank and see if she fires, then closely monitor for fluid leaks, anything burning off, etc.

as long as it was put away properly, and garage kept, you probably don't have too much to worry about.

[metallicats33]

Thanks for the quick responses,

It was garage kept and covered for the last five years. It does have a holly on it should I fill the bowl with fuel and let it sit a bit before cranking? or is it a "cross my fingers" and fire it up situation

[Coelacanth]

Some people put gas in the carb bowls; if so, make sure you have a fire extinguisher nearby, just in case something gets outta hand.

[metallicats33]

Some people put gas in the carb bowls; if so, make sure you have a fire extinguisher nearby, just in case something gets outta hand.

I was suggesting putting some fuel in and letting it sit overnight in hopes it will soak into the seals and "help" out a bit

[jwscab]

if you get a small funnel and stick on the vent tube, add a bit of fuel to bowl and see if it leaks. (this goes for both the primary and secondary).

most of the time, all it takes is a tweak on all the bowl screws(4 front, 4 rear, unless it's two barrel). Once the fuel hits the gaskets and wets them, the tweaks generally stop the leaks. It's just something to look for, since you are paying attention to a bunch of things, and then you notice the intake is soaked, hahhah....

not much you can do on the accelerator pump with the holley, it will just leak like a pig if it's cracked. A quadrajet would just not work, rather than spill fuel. add the fuel, and if you see no leaks, give the throttle a few pumps and see if you see fuel shoot from the squirters. this show the accelerator pump is OK.

filling the bowls prior to firing is also a nice thing to do, you don't have to crank a bunch to get it to fire(although priming the oil pump will also prime the fuel if it's a mechanical pump)

[metallicats33]

thanks for all the tips, It's going to be a week or two before I get it to my house. After that I'll start going over it. Shouldn't be too hard, I've worked on GM big blocks before: a olds 455 and currently a Cadillac 429. Looks to be much more simpler in a Boat application, Lots more room for sure

[Brandon G]

I would definetely get all of the old gas out of the tank. No doubt.

Hopefully the last time it burned fuel, it was the non-ethanol gas. If it wasn't, I can almost gaurantee you will need to go through and clean the carb due to varnishing. The ethanol-mix fuel seems to be really bad about that.

[metallicats33]

I would definetely get all of the old gas out of the tank. No doubt.

Hopefully the last time it burned fuel, it was the non-ethanol gas. If it wasn't, I can almost gaurantee you will need to go through and clean the carb due to varnishing. The ethanol-mix fuel seems to be really bad about that.

doesn't all pump gas have ethanol???

[jwscab]

yes, it's been that way for a number of years now......

ethanol by itself is only slightly corrosive, and you typically don't see any problems even after a number of years in a closed system with just ethanol. the reason that it seems more corrosive is that it absorbs moisture, and also blends with gasoline, so it makes the whole mixture more corrosive than having water sit on the bottom of a tank, that is, water sits everywhere in the system.

drygas for example is pretty much just an alcohol blend that you stick in your tank to allow the water to blend into gasoline so it can be burned off without draining the tank.