Long term rotary storage
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
From: Salmon Arm, BC
Long term rotary storage
Hey gang.
I’m pulling a perfectly good 12a from my 85 gsl in favour of a 13B TII..... but I want to keep the 12a in storage just in case I ever decide to, I dunno, go slow again? Who knows, but I don’t have a need to sell it, so for now I’m keeping it.
all that to ask, what should I do to prep it for long term storage.....?
i guess I should also ask what a running 12a is even worth?
I’m pulling a perfectly good 12a from my 85 gsl in favour of a 13B TII..... but I want to keep the 12a in storage just in case I ever decide to, I dunno, go slow again? Who knows, but I don’t have a need to sell it, so for now I’m keeping it.
all that to ask, what should I do to prep it for long term storage.....?
i guess I should also ask what a running 12a is even worth?
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,614
Likes: 31
From: Freeland, MI
a 12a is worth more in pieces than whole, rotor housings are getting hard to find (good ones that is)
as for storage, plug all the holes, dump some oil into the housings and turn the engine over by hand every month or so so the apex seal springs don't flatten out and you should be fine
as for storage, plug all the holes, dump some oil into the housings and turn the engine over by hand every month or so so the apex seal springs don't flatten out and you should be fine
Full Member
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 79
Likes: 5
From: Idaho
84SE-EGI helpy-helperton
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 3,584
Likes: 542
From: Phoenix, AZ
I had a perfectly good, original factory 13b from a GSL-SE that was sold to me with ~120k miles on it that sat on an engine stand in the corner of my garage for 13 years before I installed it into my 84-SE last year. It has another 6k miles on it now and no problems at all after being stored that long. Some tips;
1) Spray about an ounce of engine oil into the intake ports on the center iron and rotate the engine flywheel a few revolutions until the oil is visible at the exhaust ports. Keep as much of the oil inside the engine as possible.
2) Get the Racing Beat Intake Port cover and install it to help keep out dust, grit, and insects. Periodically check the engine for any rodent nests and crap collecting on it.
3) Seal it all up with rags stuffed into the exhaust ports and water pump housing. Rotate the engine on the stand to be sure you got all of the coolant drained out (*there's a block drain on the driver's side, just above the oil pan seam).
4) Every time you find yourself in the garage, go over and spin the flywheel 1 full revolution - do this at least once a month, and more often is better. This will place the rotors 120deg from their starting point and keep the seals moving over time to avoid sticking in place.
If you continue to add oil about every year or so, it will help maintain the internal seals. Keeping it in a dry and climate controlled environment will also prolong the standing life of the engine, and you can imagine that feeling when I put the engine I'd stored for 13yrs into my -SE and it started right up. It made all those days of looking at it in the corner of the garage and spinning the flywheel occasionally worth it.
1) Spray about an ounce of engine oil into the intake ports on the center iron and rotate the engine flywheel a few revolutions until the oil is visible at the exhaust ports. Keep as much of the oil inside the engine as possible.
2) Get the Racing Beat Intake Port cover and install it to help keep out dust, grit, and insects. Periodically check the engine for any rodent nests and crap collecting on it.
3) Seal it all up with rags stuffed into the exhaust ports and water pump housing. Rotate the engine on the stand to be sure you got all of the coolant drained out (*there's a block drain on the driver's side, just above the oil pan seam).
4) Every time you find yourself in the garage, go over and spin the flywheel 1 full revolution - do this at least once a month, and more often is better. This will place the rotors 120deg from their starting point and keep the seals moving over time to avoid sticking in place.
If you continue to add oil about every year or so, it will help maintain the internal seals. Keeping it in a dry and climate controlled environment will also prolong the standing life of the engine, and you can imagine that feeling when I put the engine I'd stored for 13yrs into my -SE and it started right up. It made all those days of looking at it in the corner of the garage and spinning the flywheel occasionally worth it.
