I started working on getting the carburated Pontiac V8 engine that's in a 1979 Catalina ready to start again after sitting for at least 5 years. I want it to be as gentle as possible on the engine, as it's sat outside the whole time.
I'm going to take the plugs out of each cylinder and add either a small amount of motor oil to them, or spray PB Blaster in there so the piston rings and cylinder walls will have some lubricant after sitting for so long. Which would be better to use?
Also planning on siphoning old fuel out of the tank, and removing it from the carburetor's fuel bowl if this has one. What do you do with bad gasoline once it's out of a vehicle?
Along with the tank and carb float bowls...you want to clear the fuel lines from the car to the tank. Catch what comes out and examine for any rust and any other debris/sediment that might be in there getting into the carb and eventually in the engine. If there's crud in the lines, you might want to run new lines too.
The carburetor was rebuilt shortly before he blew up the battery... lol, I checked the air filter this morning, it looked brand new. How do you actually access and empty the bowl in the carb? I grew up messing with fuel injected cars, never messed with a carburetor, though I understand how they work, lol.
I prefer WD40 sprayed in cylinders myself. Also even after you flush the tank I would insert an additional fuel filter in the line before the fuel pump for first couple thousand miles. Turn it over by hand a few times before you actually start turning it over.
I'll use WD40 then, thanks for the advice! This is my first time messing with a motor that's not fuel injected and computerized in every possible way.
What to do with old gas? I usually use it in my lawnmower, it will run on most anything. I believe my local recycling center (used to be called the dump) where I take my used motor oil, antifreeze, etc. will take it, too.
I figured it wasn't flammable enough to run anything, after all of the volatiles evaporate. I figured it would be more like kerosene and harder to ignite than fresh gasoline is.
My girlfriend's dad overcharged the battery when it was parked last. It hasn't moved since. It blew the cover off the battery, and somehow the engine bay still looks decent after having 30% sulfuric acid erupt on the driver's side. Will an auto parts store take a battery that's in this state as a core/ just to dispose of it? The sulfuric electrolyte in the batter itself is long gone- I pulled it out today without gloves with no ill effects.
Yeah, most stores should take it - they just want to recycle the lead into new batteries. There's no value/recycling of the acid or case.
I put WD40 in 6 of the 8 cylinders. Two of the wires were stuck on their plugs, so I didn't pull them off. I wanted to avoid breaking the wire and having to buy 8 new ones if the motor wouldn't run. We tried to start the sleepy 4.9L V8 this Sunday, and after a few hits with starter fluid, it ran great for 10 minutes! We put it in gear, and it wouldn't move. The rear end hunched down like my Ranger does if you put it in gear with the parking brake on, so the tranny seems to be good. I assume the brakes are seized or stuck? The parking brake isn't needed, as the car sits on a flat, gravel driveway.