[Mike]

I live in the Great White North where temps are well below freezing. My '93 LT1 is in heated storage until April. This is my first year owning this beauty.

My question....before I start the engine for the first time in the Spring, is there any specific precautions I should take other than the obvious, check fluids, frost plugs, evict varmints etc.

I'd like to crank over the engine for several revolutions to get the oil up to the top of the engine before it starts. Any ideas on how to prevent the engine from starting right away?
Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[USPRIDE]

Since I store mine, I'd be interested in any advice on the subject as well. Thanks!!!

 

[BIG LAW MAN]

I dont know what you are exactly worried about. Your motor will not become damaged if it cranks over and fires right away. There will still be oil covering your moving parts no matter how long they sit there. Especially if you are storing the car in a heated area. Yes most of the oil will be in the pan, but it will all be moving within a matter of the first few minutes of start up. The only thing you wouldnt want to do is fire it up and then start over revving/racing the motor. Just let it warm up and take her for a nice drive. You should make sure that the first ride lasts for a little while to burn off all of the condensation and deposits that may have formed during storage. Get the motor nice and hot.

 

[ragvette]

I dont know what you are exactly worried about. Your motor will not become damaged if it cranks over and fires right away. There will still be oil covering your moving parts no matter how long they sit there. Especially if you are storing the car in a heated area. Yes most of the oil will be in the pan, but it will all be moving within a matter of the first few minutes of start up. The only thing you wouldnt want to do is fire it up and then start over revving/racing the motor. Just let it warm up and take her for a nice drive. You should make sure that the first ride lasts for a little while to burn off all of the condensation and deposits that may have formed during storage. Get the motor nice and hot.

That's what I do. Nothing special.

If you really don't want the engine from starting you could pull the fuel pump fuse. It would run a little then stop. You could then crank all you want. I never tried this but it sounds good in theory.

 

[Mike]

I believe that excessive wear occurs at the moment of starting a cold engine and the first few revolutions before oil reaches the heads. The damage may be minimal and probably not noticeable right away. However. I would like to make every reasonable effort to minimize the wear effect of a cold start in the Spring. Craning the engine for a few revolutions before starting can't hurt......can it?

The suggestion to pull the fuse from the fuel pump is a good one and I will look into that. Thanks

Of course we are a long way away from Spring so I hope to hear from others on what they do too.

 

[Onyx Black]

I believe that excessive wear occurs at the moment of starting a cold engine and the first few revolutions before oil reaches the heads. The damage may be minimal and probably not noticeable right away. However. I would like to make every reasonable effort to minimize the wear effect of a cold start in the Spring. Craning the engine for a few revolutions before starting can't hurt......can it?

The suggestion to pull the fuse from the fuel pump is a good one and I will look into that. Thanks

Of course we are a long way away from Spring so I hope to hear from others on what they do too.

If you crank the engine a few times before starting it (without fuel), I doubt it'll move enough oil to the top to then make any difference when starting with fuel.

Hmmm... I'm think along the lines of BIG LAW MAN, all the oil that could possibly drain into the pan will be 99.99% there within 2 days.

I'm not sure there is much difference whether you leave your car sitting for 2 days or 3 months. Both still have oiled parts, both are a "dry start"....

I've heard about cars sitting for 5 years straight start right up after draining the gas and adding fresh gas....

 

[Patrick]

I generally don't think twice about starting the GS even when it has been sitting even a month (like it has).

If tomorrow was a nice day, I'd just jump in and start it, let idle for a minute in the garage, then drive it normally.

I wouldn't "get on it" or get the RPM's high until the oil was at operating temp.

Let us know what you decide to do! (never thought of the fuel pump fuse... look at the big-brain on ragvette!

~Patrick

 

[Mike]

Well, I dunno......hmmmmm, maybe I'm worrying about something that's a non-issue. I just dont want to damage the rocker assemblies and cylinder walls if they are dry. It will have been sitting for 5 months

I have been a power boater for many years and its always been a practice of mine, and other boaters I know to crank the engine over several times before starting in Spring to get the oil up to the heads and into the rings. And this is even when the engine has been fogged with storage oil in the Fall. Maybe its overkill?

Incidently, I thought about fogging the LT1 last fall but decided not to. I was afraid I'd mess up the injectors...or worse. Any thoughts on that?

 

[ALZR1]

HEY Mike,what I do is Pull the plugs out of my car to get
the motor really cranking.The oil preesure gauge registers
20 LBS. ragvette is right pull the fuse to the fuel pump.

 

[BubbleHead]

Pull the fuel pump fuse would work, but you are better off pulling the wire from the opti-spark to the coil off. This way your engine does not start AT ALL! You only need to pull the end off of the coil.

I don't think it hurts just to start the car up, but if you want to take the extra precaution, go for it. It can't hurt.

 

[ragvette]

look at the big-brain on ragvette!

BubbleHeads ideal is much better. Bubblehead is now the big-brain.

 

[Mike]

Pull the fuel pump fuse would work, but you are better off pulling the wire from the opti-spark to the coil off. This way your engine does not start AT ALL! You only need to pull the end off of the coil.

I don't think it hurts just to start the car up, but if you want to take the extra precaution, go for it. It can't hurt.

Thanks BUbblehead. My boat had standard distributer and coil setup and thats what I did with it.

I'm not familiar with the LT1 opti-spark electronic ignition and therefore was not sure if that could be done.

I will do that before start-up. It just makes sense to me whether is does any good or not.......it cant hurt!

 

[Mike]

HEY Mike,what I do is Pull the plugs out of my car to get
the motor really cranking.The oil preesure gauge registers
20 LBS. ragvette is right pull the fuse to the fuel pump.

Ya...I thought about taking out the plugs last fall and squirting oil in the cylinders. (Thats nearly the same effect as fogging) But I couldn't figure out how to get most of the plugs out of the engine. I can't even see most of them!

I'd like to change plugs this year. Do you have any tips on accessing the tough ones?

 

[BubbleHead]

BubbleHeads ideal is much better. Bubblehead is now the big-brain.

LOL, I think that's a first for me.

Now I have an urge to watch Pulp Fiction.

Mike, the opti-spark concept is pretty much the same set-up as a normal distributor, just located in a completely different place and uses optics versus mechanics.

As far as pulling the plugs, you may have an easier time if you pull the plate off, that's just above the upper control arms. It will give you more room for most plugs and helps avoid those crazy angles you have to work with. It also allows you to use longer extensions so you can prevent busting up your knuckles. The rear plugs are still a pain to get to.

 

[Mike]

LOL, I think that's a first for me.

Now I have an urge to watch Pulp Fiction.

Mike, the opti-spark concept is pretty much the same set-up as a normal distributor, just located in a completely different place and uses optics versus mechanics.

As far as pulling the plugs, you may have an easier time if you pull the plate off, that's just above the upper control arms. It will give you more room for most plugs and helps avoid those crazy angles you have to work with. It also allows you to use longer extensions so you can prevent busting up your knuckles. The rear plugs are still a pain to get to.

Thanks for the info! re the opti-spark. Ill check that out. I picked up the Haynes manual so now I can get a better idea of what to look for.

I thought I might need to remove something to get at the plugs. It seems I was right! I just wasn't sure what to remove. Thanks BIG BRAIN!

 

[Punk Boy]

if your that worried about it sitting for that long why not just start it up every few weeks and let it idel to make sure everything stays oiled?

 

[Mike]

if your that worried about it sitting for that long why not just start it up every few weeks and let it idel to make sure everything stays oiled?

I wish I could do that. Unfortunately, its in locked storage with about 500 other vehicles, boats, etc. I can't get to it until I move it out in the Spring.

I looked in the Haynes manual and it does not show the opti-spark or coil. The photos are mainly pre-92 which is a standard distributer type ignition.

I wonder if someone with a digital camera has any photos of the opti-spark ignition that they could post?

 

[BubbleHead]

I would do it for you, but I moved my coil when I started to install my supercharger. I ended up pulling off everything but left the coil where I moved it to.

 

[ragvette]

I wonder if someone with a digital camera has any photos of the opti-spark ignition that they could post?

Mike I would run out to the garage and take a pic but I've got a 91. Sorry.

 

[Terry F]

Spring Start-up

I have an 05 and live in Edmonton. I read on one post to put your accelerator pedal to the floor and the engine will turn over without starting. Has anyone heard of this before?