Will my engine run well after sitting for over a year?
Submitted by admin on May 6, 2009 – 6:56 am7 Comments
Proud Daddy asked:
I have a ’89 Beretta with a 2.8 V6. Last year during the building of my house the timing chain broke. I drained the coolant and removed some of the hoses but then didn’t have time to complete the job, so it sat. Now that the house is done, I have all the parts and tools needed to replace the timing chain, but I’m wondering if the engine is still sound after sitting for so long, mainly because the cooling system has been open to outside air for over a year.
This is a non-interference motor, meaning that none of the internal components came into contact when the valves went out of time, so there should be no damage due to the chain breaking.
Your engine may have been damaged when the timing chain broke. Otherwise, if you put everything back together properly, it should run fine. I’ve had engines apart for a few months and put them back together without problems. In fact, they ran better than ever after a valve job.
well you can flush the cooling system, normally cars don’t run the same right away, you will probably need more parts, but you won’t know what till to try to drive it for a week. stuff will start having issues.
dont sweat the small stuff. fix it a go on. i made an old 41 ford run when the engine hadnt started in almost 20 yrs. new plugs, adjust the points, fresh gas and go. although i did manage to sell it before i ever got it home…………..lol
If you get it all put together properly it should run fine. Having the cooling system open is okay, unless a mouse built a next in there. Now with the V-8 chevys the valve guide seals dry out if they sit, then it smokes when you run it.
You might try pulling the plugs and ********* a LITTLE transmission fluid on top of those pistons and spin her some by hand before you fire her off.
If any gasoline was left in the engine, it probably seperated out and has varnished some of the engine internals. Some seals might have suffered some from being dry so long.
The waterpump should probably be checked out if it was outside all year but I would assume most other components of the cooling system shouldn’t have suffered too much. Hard to say though without looking at it.
You should change all fluids and drain the gas before starting up again. Most gasoline goes stale after sitting for as little as two weeks. If you anticipate storing your car for long periods of time I suggest adding a fuel stabalizer to your gas. It won’t make stale fuel fresh, but it will pervent fresh fuel from going stale.