Ckforker

I'm gonna rebuild pretty much everything except the engine over the next 2 months.

Question is can I leave it not starting for up to 2 months? I'm putting in freeze plugs in the intake and removing the fuel tank so no starting.

I've never left longer than 10 days or so. I guess I could hand crank if need be.
Thanks

GSLSEforme

Don't see it being a problem if engine was in good shape when last run. If you're the worrying type,i would put a couple tablespoons of engine oil/pre mix down primary venturis with throttle opened. Squirt bottle with pre mix in leading plug holes,put plugs back in and turn engine by hand 5-6 times should give good rotor/housing coverage. Maybe turn it thru once a month.

My Se for various reasons has sat unstarted for a year,couple times longer. All i did was uncover it,disconnect battery tender and start it up. I would let it idle til fully warm before i drove off with it,i do that all the time anyway. Never suffered any ill effects, has 140K on it.

Ckforker

Thanks, the engine is in great shape, only 60k on the clock and religious oil changes. Sounds like a little prep and I'll be fine.

LongDuck

With recent electrical problems, my 84SE with 239k miles has sat for 4 months just pulling the positive battery terminal and keeping the battery on a tender. As long as the oil was pretty clean when you parked it, and there's very little humidity (*and no coolant leaks into the chambers), you should be fine. Gasoline will be fine after that duration of time, too. Gas is probably good for about a year just sitting in a container, likely a lot longer with less burn efficiency.

On that first startup after sitting a long while, I'm always very careful to be sure the car has everything it needs for a quick road trip of 20-30 miles without shutting it off. This will ensure the oil and coolant gets circulated fully and warmed up enough to boil off any condensation or water vapor, and also will prevent cold, hard carbon chunks or flakes from sticking in your hard seal gaps (aka carbon lock). Done in this fashion, the car will be returned to duty just as well as the day you parked it, but would benefit from an oil change, most likely.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

i think current record is the one i have right now, parked from 2005-2018. it needed a battery, and fresh gas and then it fired right up. previous record was an 87 GXL which sat about 8 years, also fired right up

2 weeks is nothing to worry about

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

Up north I used to not start mine for up to about 5 months sometimes. Just make sure to run it dry of gas in the carb by disabling t he fuel pump and put some stabil in the tank to keep the gas fresh. A little oil in the plugs holes never hurt either.

GSLSEforme

Tim,where i live that's the case. Lots of years Thanksgiving is about last time car sees the road. If there are no snowstorms,i would run it later in the year. Last 5 or so years,we've had snow/ice storms as early as end of October and SHA loves to put down the salt,even when not really needed. Turns asphalt roads white,that's how much they put down.. I believe these guys make big$$$ on overtime,so they keep driving around dumping salt to rack up hours. If we get a week's worth of heavy rain that washes salt from the roads,it's possible to get out a couple more times but that's not the norm. Usually 5-6 month hibernation. Works out if i have long term plans of something i want to do on the car,3' of snow outside doesn't matter then.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

my friend used to let his (50,000 mile GSL-SE), sit so long the top of the ring gear would rust, so the first block it was a little noisy "wa wa wa wa wa" and this is stored inside in CA...

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

i've stored cars for years at a time and i have done both extremes from oiling the chambers and turning by hand periodically, to just parking it and "i see ya' when i see ya'."

sometimes i've pulled engines apart that sat for years in my possession (no telling how long before i got them) and i can't think of a time things inside were totally dry. even if it looked dry, when a i spray the degreaser on to start cleaning, it's like you see the oil coming out of the surface. so 2 months will be nothing even if you just parked the car in the garage and left it alone. no real reason to worry unless the car is left out in the elements, and even then, only if the hood is left open.

that said, putting oil in the chambers certainly would not hurt, and keeping all openings covered is a good idea as well.