Ok.. My '87 N/A has blown coolant seals. I'm planning to send the motor to RotaryResurrection for a rebuild. But, it will be a while until I have the money. On his site, he mentions there is a way to preserve the motor with oil to prevent it from rusting. How exactly do I do that? The motor hasn't been sitting that long for more than 1 week.

 

first drain the cooling system completely, both at the radiatior and at the block drain at the driver's side engine mount, there is a 14MM plug with the 3 engine mount bracket bolts, remove the plug to drain the block then reinstall it once done.

remove the EGI fuse and crank the engine for about 15 seconds then remove the lower leading spark plugs. add half a dozen drops of engine oil to each hole with a funnel and hose and reinstall the plugs, crank the engine for about 5 seconds and reinstall the plugs, you should do this every couple of weeks and do not try to start the car or it will wash away the oil which is preserving the housings.

 

Would it help to drain the coolant out of the car as well? If there's no coolant in the engine, there's no way it can leak into the combustion chamber.

-=Russ=-

 

i always have that problem, i always forget the most important thing after i hit the reply button then i edit it to correct myself. as you see i already modified it to add in that important feature.

 

Any type of oil.. obviously not used oil, but motor oil/tranny oil? will it make a difference?

 

a heavier wieght engine oil, clean, like 20w50 preferably.

 

awesome.. thanks!!

 

one more question.. when you're pulling the EGI fuse.. do you just have to pull the first one or do you have to pull them both out?

 

there's only one EGI fuse, the one closest to the engine.

 

ok.. someone told me there were two.. the one closest to the motor and the one next to it. i looked in the FC FAQ and it's labeled EGI INJ. or something like that. The one closest is EGI COMP.

 

pull the one nearest the engine, it will disable your injectors and spark.

 

ok..thanks!

 

np, GL.

 

Fogging oil is best for this. Comes in a spray can with a tube. You can stick the tube in the ports/plug holes and thoroughly coat the inside of the engine. There are probably also dessicant sprays that you can use, but I have not looked into them.

 

So, with the fogging oil.. just pull the spark plugs out, spray the oil, then crank the motor a few times? Can that be picked up at PepBoys or any of those type of places?

 

is it necessary to do this preserving thing?

i didnt start my car for almost 3 months... what will happen to it? cant start it because all the wiring is out but there is still engine oil in the engine....

pls let me know if there is anything that i should do prior to startiing it back up again , i wouldnt want to blow the engine

 

if you are sure you have a blown coolant seal you should do it ASAP to prevent further damage if there is any coolant in the engine and to prevent coolant from getting into the engine.

necessity is all how you look at it, if you want usable parts for your rebuild i would consider it a necessity. if you have a spare motor you plan to swap in, no it isn't necessary.

but keep in mind with parts for our cars becoming rarer every season it is a good idea to not scrap what is salvageable.

 

and when you put the oil in, cranking it will spread across all three chambers of each rotor?

 

so if there is now blown seals then its ok without taking the preserving steps right? *phew*

 

IT doesnt matter WHAT type of oil you use. IT could me MMO, motor oil, atf, wd-40, doesnt make a damn. You need to use this LIBERALLY. You want to coat everything internally, even areas that you wouldnt normally wish to. THe rust from the water seals gets on everything and ruins it quickly. You can't use too much, or the wrong thing. The engine is getting disassembled anyway, this is just to keep it from being ruined in the meantime. Turning it ever so often by hand or quick cranks is a good idea as well.

IF you're just storing a running engine for a period of time then this procedure also works, but you'd be a little more picky about what you used to lube, as well as how much. Basically the lube serves dual purposes of combating rust and corrosion forming, and works into the small grooves between seals to keep them from sticking.

 

well a thicker oil will take longer to run off of the parts, MMO you would have to do this procedure daily whereas a thick engine oil such as 20W50 you could let sit for a week or so.

i just thought i would clarify so they wouldn't get the wrong impression and think it would be ok to use MMO and let it sit for months.