Starting after 6 months.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 681
Likes: 14
From: Beverly Hills Michigan
St. Jude Donor '12-'13
Starting after 6 months.
My 05 coupe has been in storage since October, and I'm concerned about the top end lubrication after all that time. Did I see a post about if you try to start at WOT that the engine will turn over but not start? If true sounds like what we used to do back in the day by pulling the coil lead off the distributor cap. I know may just be a noob question, hope not to stupid.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 20,352
Likes: 568
From: Ventura County, Calif
Yea, that's what they say and many here have reported doing it. It's nerve racking to think about it if the system doesn't do what it's supposed to do though. 
Personally, I decided to pull the fuel pump fuse in the engine compartment fuse block. Then crank it a few times until the oil pressure comes up. Replace the fuse and it starts right up. Probably a little more involved than necessary but I just feel safer doing that.
Personally, I decided to pull the fuel pump fuse in the engine compartment fuse block. Then crank it a few times until the oil pressure comes up. Replace the fuse and it starts right up. Probably a little more involved than necessary but I just feel safer doing that.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,058
Likes: 9,820
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
Opening the throttle all the way and then hitting the starter will put all GM electronic fuel injection engine systems into Clear Flood mode and the fuel will be cutoff while the throttle is open. Probably does that on all other makes as well. Been that way for right around 30 years now. So if the OP wants to do that it will spin the engine without starting it but I sort of doubt it would do much good since engine speed is very slow when cranking like that. IMO it would be best to let it start and idle for a couple of minutes and then drive around easily. Even though the engine has been sitting around for 6 months an oil film is still covering all of the moving parts.
Bill
Bill
Racer
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 418
Likes: 0
From: South Central Kansas
If it were mine and it had been sitting 6 months.....I would just start it normally. My area of concern would be the cylinder walls and piston rings and they are mostly splash lubricated anyway and just spinning the starter would put less oil on the cylinders than starting the engine. I would NOT rev it and would let it run for a few minutes before driving it. Just my opinion and your mileage may vary.
Bob
Bob
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 772
Likes: 4
From: Ottawa ON
Cranking up the engine and not letting it start will not put oil anywhere any better than just starting her up and let her idle for a few minutes. A dry crank is a dry crank, but it's not really dry anyway. It'll take 1/2 a second to pump oil with idle and then will keep pumping.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 967
Likes: 0
Advanced
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 66
Likes: 1
External electronic oil pump that is used for oil circulation and heating prior to startup. Basically its a modified oilpan, or uses the stock oil drainplug location to pump oil from the oil pan--through a pressure line---through a small electronic external oil pump an heater and---then pumps it into the heads via a Tapped location or stock location already located on the heads.
I had this on my 1,000hp Evo. worked really well. Only used it for pre start if it had sat for awhile.
I had this on my 1,000hp Evo. worked really well. Only used it for pre start if it had sat for awhile.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 940
Likes: 1
From: Long Island NY
All this "let it idle for a few minutes" to "idle 15 minutes" is all unnecessary. As soon as you have oil pressure, oil has reached the top of the engine. It take seconds, not minutes. You actually do more harm letting the engine warm up at idle compared to driving gently (more time spent at low temps). Just start it and drive it. Don't beat on it until fully warmed up.
Racer
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 418
Likes: 0
From: South Central Kansas
All this "let it idle for a few minutes" to "idle 15 minutes" is all unnecessary. As soon as you have oil pressure, oil has reached the top of the engine. It take seconds, not minutes. You actually do more harm letting the engine warm up at idle compared to driving gently (more time spent at low temps). Just start it and drive it. Don't beat on it until fully warmed up.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 940
Likes: 1
From: Long Island NY
I would have to disagree, there is more to it than oil pressure. Could be coolant leak or fuel problems. If you just drive away...you could be afoot if a problem develops. I would let it idle until it is up to operating temp. before driving after it sat unstarted for 6 months. Then I would do a quick pretrip...tire pressure, check for leaks, listen for odd engine sounds closely monitor gauges and then drive it. The odds would be against a failure.
