Starting engine after sitting 3 years
06-19-12, 10:21 PM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
Starting engine after sitting 3 years
Hey all. The LS has been sitting a few years due to a transmission issue that I'm hoping a good flush will take care of. The strainer started to clog causing obvious issues. If it is shedding friction material it could either be the torque converter or clutches. A good transmission shop owner friend of mine says it sounds a bit more like a torque converter shedding material but we'll see when I get it going again.
It's been sitting about 3 years garaged inside. I want to take whatever precautions I can before starting up the dry motor. I think I'll change the oil and filter and pour 5-10 gallons of new premium fuel into the tank. I'm also thinking about pulling the plugs, dropping some ATF/marvel mystery/etc and letting it set a day or two. Then turn the engine over with the started with the plugs pulled for a few several second bursts to get things moving again and make sure the cylinder walls are lubed and maybe the bearings get some pressure.
Is there anything else I should look into to get this thing back going again after this amount of time? It's sitting around 220k miles right now but the engine was always tight and never burnt any oil. The transmission is my main issue. The front end was totally rebuilt by myself with OEM UCA's, LBJ's, and strut rod bushings so there is a good amount of money in this thing to make it still in great shape to keep driving.
It's been sitting about 3 years garaged inside. I want to take whatever precautions I can before starting up the dry motor. I think I'll change the oil and filter and pour 5-10 gallons of new premium fuel into the tank. I'm also thinking about pulling the plugs, dropping some ATF/marvel mystery/etc and letting it set a day or two. Then turn the engine over with the started with the plugs pulled for a few several second bursts to get things moving again and make sure the cylinder walls are lubed and maybe the bearings get some pressure.
Is there anything else I should look into to get this thing back going again after this amount of time? It's sitting around 220k miles right now but the engine was always tight and never burnt any oil. The transmission is my main issue. The front end was totally rebuilt by myself with OEM UCA's, LBJ's, and strut rod bushings so there is a good amount of money in this thing to make it still in great shape to keep driving.
06-20-12, 12:25 AM
#2
given that the torque converter has no friction material in it and the clutches do, i would swap the whole trans....
if there's that much material in the TC its prolly toast too.
pulling the plugs and a squirt of WD40/marvel/motor oil (light) is not a horrible idea.
if there's that much material in the TC its prolly toast too.
pulling the plugs and a squirt of WD40/marvel/motor oil (light) is not a horrible idea.
06-20-12, 12:13 PM
#3
"A good transmission shop owner friend of mine says it sounds a bit more like a torque converter shedding material"
Are you sure he is a good transmission shop owner and friend as PD says there is no friction material in there to shed.
I would get hold of a good used tranny with it's matching torque convertor and replace the lot.
It would also be a good idea after removing the plugs and squirting in the lube to turn the engine over manually a few revolutions to gently release the piston rings from the bores if they are stuck and to make sure nothing has seized.Then crank the engine over on the starter to flow the oil around then refit the plugs and fire it up.
Are you sure he is a good transmission shop owner and friend as PD says there is no friction material in there to shed.
I would get hold of a good used tranny with it's matching torque convertor and replace the lot.
It would also be a good idea after removing the plugs and squirting in the lube to turn the engine over manually a few revolutions to gently release the piston rings from the bores if they are stuck and to make sure nothing has seized.Then crank the engine over on the starter to flow the oil around then refit the plugs and fire it up.
06-20-12, 04:19 PM
#5
Definitely.
They also make that additive that removes the water that collects in fuel over time. New gas and the additive would be smart. Same with getting oil up on the top of the motor. If you can, turn the motor over a few full rotations manually after your lube her up.
As far as the trans, why not drop the pan and clean her out as much as your can.
They also make that additive that removes the water that collects in fuel over time. New gas and the additive would be smart. Same with getting oil up on the top of the motor. If you can, turn the motor over a few full rotations manually after your lube her up.
As far as the trans, why not drop the pan and clean her out as much as your can.
06-20-12, 06:25 PM
#6
I would put some oil down the spark plug holes just a cap full is more than enough.
drain the gas would be smart. turn the motor over by hand i suppose if theres no way to cut the fuel from firing. let it rotate some and then filler back up and start it up.
my 99 sat for a few years and i just put a battery in it and fired it up got some fresh gas and drove it 6hrs on the same oil. But im crazy.
drain the gas would be smart. turn the motor over by hand i suppose if theres no way to cut the fuel from firing. let it rotate some and then filler back up and start it up.
my 99 sat for a few years and i just put a battery in it and fired it up got some fresh gas and drove it 6hrs on the same oil. But im crazy.
06-20-12, 06:37 PM
#7
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I'd undo the coil, crank it for about 10 secs, plug the coil back in and fire it up, then put fresh fuel and an oil change asap.
BTW, I'm not a newbie to cars just here, I'm an ASE certifed auto tech with 15+yrs exp.
BTW, I'm not a newbie to cars just here, I'm an ASE certifed auto tech with 15+yrs exp.
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06-21-12, 10:38 AM
#9
hahaha... that is a good one python... it seems like we all agree to turning it over by hand if possible then firing it up. the gas additive is a good idea too (if you cant drain it) with some hard shaking to stir it up. and you should drop the tranny pan and do what you can....
06-22-12, 08:05 PM
#11
Instructor
Thread Starter
Thanks for the replies all. I just spent 20+ mins typing a reply and lost it when I accidentally hit the back button on my keyboard... 
I may have misunderstood the advice I was given or am repeating it poorly. He has been building transmissions for 30 years and owns an extremely successful transmission shop that has a big time reputation in his area. I'm not transmission expert by any means but I do understand that there is a friction plate in the converter for the lock up that may have some sort of material on it.
Here is a quick run-down of the trans issues with the car. The car as 230k miles. Roughly about 10k miles ago the strainer clogged up. This was found after the converter started locking and unlocking at cruise speeds with minor throttle position adjustments. It then started starving for fluid and sounded like a power steering pump low on fluid. I dropped the pan, replaced the strainer, refilled with Type-IV and thought it was good to go because this is the first clogged strainer it ever had with 220k miles or so. Not a long time later my mother, the primary driver, called me saying the car will not go into gear. I found that the first symptoms passed by her attention and the end result of another clogged strainer was not enough fluid flow to engage a gear. When the strainer is clean, the transmission operates and shifts like new. The converted lockup works like it should. The strainer is getting clogged by something. The car has been sitting since the strainer clogged last as I try to figure out the next course of action. The money was tight and there was another car to drive so it's been a few years. I didn't totally flush the fluid after the first clog, maybe I should have...
I was thinking about reinstalling the cleaned strainer and flushing with new fluid and see how long it goes. I didn't examine the material in the previous 2 clogged strainers, I should have. I would look more closely next time for sure. I just want to figure out what is wrong with the thing without throwing parts at it without solving the issue. I've got a great track record with the car in only replacing what the actual issue was, like with my ECM issue that I had.
Transmissions are between $500-700. IF the advice was correct and the torque converter could be the issue, it would be a good option to attempt a fix as I could alway's use a new converter if I had to replace the entire transmission. But I'm all ear's in what you guy's would do in my shoes.
Thanks!
I may have misunderstood the advice I was given or am repeating it poorly. He has been building transmissions for 30 years and owns an extremely successful transmission shop that has a big time reputation in his area. I'm not transmission expert by any means but I do understand that there is a friction plate in the converter for the lock up that may have some sort of material on it.
Here is a quick run-down of the trans issues with the car. The car as 230k miles. Roughly about 10k miles ago the strainer clogged up. This was found after the converter started locking and unlocking at cruise speeds with minor throttle position adjustments. It then started starving for fluid and sounded like a power steering pump low on fluid. I dropped the pan, replaced the strainer, refilled with Type-IV and thought it was good to go because this is the first clogged strainer it ever had with 220k miles or so. Not a long time later my mother, the primary driver, called me saying the car will not go into gear. I found that the first symptoms passed by her attention and the end result of another clogged strainer was not enough fluid flow to engage a gear. When the strainer is clean, the transmission operates and shifts like new. The converted lockup works like it should. The strainer is getting clogged by something. The car has been sitting since the strainer clogged last as I try to figure out the next course of action. The money was tight and there was another car to drive so it's been a few years. I didn't totally flush the fluid after the first clog, maybe I should have...
I was thinking about reinstalling the cleaned strainer and flushing with new fluid and see how long it goes. I didn't examine the material in the previous 2 clogged strainers, I should have. I would look more closely next time for sure. I just want to figure out what is wrong with the thing without throwing parts at it without solving the issue. I've got a great track record with the car in only replacing what the actual issue was, like with my ECM issue that I had.
Transmissions are between $500-700. IF the advice was correct and the torque converter could be the issue, it would be a good option to attempt a fix as I could alway's use a new converter if I had to replace the entire transmission. But I'm all ear's in what you guy's would do in my shoes.
Thanks!
06-23-12, 02:16 PM
#12
Did you flush any more than just dropping the pan and refilling with the 2 quarts? I would repeat the drain and refill until it comes out crystal clear. Might take a few hours and 30 quarts.
05-05-15, 08:01 PM
#13
Instructor
Thread Starter
After sitting 6 or so years it's running again. I pulled a tranny from a '95 in the junkyard for $175 w/ the core charge. I never took my original core back. I'd rather keep the spare parts. The fluid was brown in this trans but the pan and screen was very clean. I replaced the front pump seal before installing it into the car.
I replaced the timing belt and water pump and associated components via the Aisin kit from RockAuto. VERY nice kit. The last replacement was in '02 or so and 100k miles ago. I also replaced the front crank seal. I poured an ounce or two of marvel mystery oil into each cylinder and let it sit for a few weeks while I tinkered on it. I also tried to suck the remaining oil out with a syringe but most of it slowly leaked past the rings into the crankcase. FWIW the engine wasn't frozen, I just did the marvel mystery as a preventative thing and to wet the cylinder walls before start. I replaced the MAF sensor and right cam position sensor connectors as the lock tabs were broken. There was just a tad over 1/4 tank of old fuel after connecting a 24F battery to it. I poured in 5 fresh gallons of premium. I replaced the oil filter with an OEM Toyota filter that I alway's used and poured in 5.5 qt's of Mobil 1 5W30 (the price is super low for 5 qt jug at Wal-Mart right now, like $23!)
I lowered the car back on to it's wheels for the first time in over a month and poured in 3 qt's of Toyota T-IV to the trans to get it started. The car cranked for maybe 5 seconds before lighting off. It had a slight knock until the oil pressure kit and it quieted right down. It smoked like crazy with the marvel mystery oil that made it's way everywhere. After topping the coolant and trans fluid off until it leveled off I wanted to get to the meat and potatoes and test the reason the car was parked in the first place, the transmission. The car drove through the gears perfectly and I never even got a check engine light for anything after so much of the car was taken apart. Once it was warmed up I did some hard stops to knock the rust off the brakes and some hard accelerations to get the magical Toyota V8 breathing again and get some heat into that sucker. The AC even worked after all that time! The only issue I'm noticing is the climate control LCD is all jacked up after all that sitting, I supposed I'll wait to come across another LS in the junkyard before dropping any cash to replace it. I with the LCD was replaceable like the UCD10. It's been so long that I can't quite remember what the exhaust tone should sound like but it seems to have a throaty sound as it there's a slight leak somewhere. I did not replace the seals on the front of the cat's or the one at the connector before it goes into the mufflers as I didn't even know if this tranny would work. So, that may be causing what I'm hearing.
I was told by many (not so much on this forum, more in person) that the car has been sitting too long and the motor is going to be shot and who knows if it will ever run again. I'm happy to say nanny nanny boo boo and the old girl has 220k miles but is back on the road for many more to come.
I replaced the timing belt and water pump and associated components via the Aisin kit from RockAuto. VERY nice kit. The last replacement was in '02 or so and 100k miles ago. I also replaced the front crank seal. I poured an ounce or two of marvel mystery oil into each cylinder and let it sit for a few weeks while I tinkered on it. I also tried to suck the remaining oil out with a syringe but most of it slowly leaked past the rings into the crankcase. FWIW the engine wasn't frozen, I just did the marvel mystery as a preventative thing and to wet the cylinder walls before start. I replaced the MAF sensor and right cam position sensor connectors as the lock tabs were broken. There was just a tad over 1/4 tank of old fuel after connecting a 24F battery to it. I poured in 5 fresh gallons of premium. I replaced the oil filter with an OEM Toyota filter that I alway's used and poured in 5.5 qt's of Mobil 1 5W30 (the price is super low for 5 qt jug at Wal-Mart right now, like $23!)
I lowered the car back on to it's wheels for the first time in over a month and poured in 3 qt's of Toyota T-IV to the trans to get it started. The car cranked for maybe 5 seconds before lighting off. It had a slight knock until the oil pressure kit and it quieted right down. It smoked like crazy with the marvel mystery oil that made it's way everywhere. After topping the coolant and trans fluid off until it leveled off I wanted to get to the meat and potatoes and test the reason the car was parked in the first place, the transmission. The car drove through the gears perfectly and I never even got a check engine light for anything after so much of the car was taken apart. Once it was warmed up I did some hard stops to knock the rust off the brakes and some hard accelerations to get the magical Toyota V8 breathing again and get some heat into that sucker. The AC even worked after all that time! The only issue I'm noticing is the climate control LCD is all jacked up after all that sitting, I supposed I'll wait to come across another LS in the junkyard before dropping any cash to replace it. I with the LCD was replaceable like the UCD10. It's been so long that I can't quite remember what the exhaust tone should sound like but it seems to have a throaty sound as it there's a slight leak somewhere. I did not replace the seals on the front of the cat's or the one at the connector before it goes into the mufflers as I didn't even know if this tranny would work. So, that may be causing what I'm hearing.
I was told by many (not so much on this forum, more in person) that the car has been sitting too long and the motor is going to be shot and who knows if it will ever run again. I'm happy to say nanny nanny boo boo and the old girl has 220k miles but is back on the road for many more to come.
