Head gaskets on stored engines.

[RustyNuts]

Alright mateys,

 

i got a spare lump and autobox in storage for the renault that has a buggered HG and probably head. i was going to do the old swaperoo and then either bin or repair the original engine depending on my mood lol.

 

but heres the snag.. a friend of mine has recently said that unless the spare was stored with coolant inside its probably going to go the same way as the first engine. he didn't really go into detail but i understood he meant the head gasket. 

 

so.. whats that about then please? - i had no idea a engine should be stored with its coolant and obviously just drained that bad boy of everything lol. it's an alloy block and head if that helps.

 

am i going to be wasting my time putting in a lump that has been sat around for the last two years?

 

thanks

 

rusty

[matty879]

i think its a case of try it and see,if its only sat 2 years I would certainly give it a whirl,i once picked up a lancia montecarlo that a mate had bought,it had sat for many years with no coolant in,filled it up and it ran like a goodun,but yes the alloy could corrode without coolant

[cobblers]

I've run loads of engines that have been stood years and never had a problem.

[hauserplenty]

I've never heard that. There might be some truth to it, but you could always fill it with water first and run it to N.O.T. for a while, then flush it and add the proper coolant. Maybe do a few laps around the block with only water in it, but not much more. The water will likely carry away any contaminants, and if it does go pop in your driveway, it's not hazmat suit time as it's only gonna be rusty water all over. Of course this is the old-school iron block method, but if the engine is no good, you'll want to find out right away...

[Bfg]

Possibly too late to answer this but hey..

 

Personally I reckon your friend is talking out of his arse..  There's no reason why having no coolant in the engine, when stored, would cause problems with the head gasket or most any other parts of the engine.    Draining the engine of coolant is usual with engines that have been put aside / on the shelf for a while.

 

However, with any multi-cylinder engine there is always at least one valve open, in at least one cylinder. And that in damp storage conditions will allow atmospheric humidity into that / those combustion chamber(s).  In really shite damp conditions that humidity will cause rust on the valves and in the bores.  If the engine has been stored in dry conditions then most likely you'll get away with a couple of years.  If the engine turns over by hand freely with no spark plugs in.., then it should be OK.    

 

Btw.. I'd Recommend you drain the oil and drop the sump off and clean that out - before running the engine (to clean out sediment that will have settled and you wont want stirred up again)  but otherwise I'd go for it..  

 

In future when laying up an engine - its best to : change the engine oil & filter first (because used oil has acidic contaminates in it).  Then drain the coolant down and bung the holes (to keep insects or mice from nesting in the pipes).  Remove the spark plugs and add a tablespoon of clean engine oil to each cylinder. Replace the spark plugs with coppaslip on their threads.  Stuff plastic bags tight inside the inlet ports and exhaust manifold pipe to keep the atmospheric moisture out.  For carburettored engines put a couple of plastic bacgs over the carb mouth and tie these in place.  Put the engine on a wooden pallet to raise it off the ground for ventilation(cut a pallet in half if it's too big).  Spray with the engine / gearbox with wd40 or even better : paint the whole thing over with clean thinned engine oil.  And put a cloth dust cover over the whole lot so that (on the pallet and under a cloth cover) it remains ventilated..   Obviously, park it somewhere that it's dry, cool, secure, and away from getting bumped into or knocked over.  Scatter rat / mice killing pellets around the pallet.  If the engine is likely to be laid up for a long while ; do the same but also release all the tension on every tappet adjuster. (..and add a note that this has been done.) 

 

Hope that helps.  

[Guest Hooli]

So all those recon engines you buy off the shelf are no good cause they have no water in then?

[Faker]

Bollox! !

[Bren]

Head gaskets fail through use - not lack of.

 

Except K series that simply fail because it's all they know.

[colnerov]

Hi, Although you're worried about the engine, the autobox is at more risk after a year. If the seals inside the 'box are not covered in oil they dry out and won't seal, then you can get all sorts of trouble. They should then be considered candidates for rebuild. They could be alright but it's a lottery.

 

 Colin

[garbaldy]

I can see why you have doubts,

 

I had a very good spare 1400cc suitcase samba motor sitting under the bench as a spare on my rally car,

I decided to swap out the motor as I was going to give the existing one a refresh, the spare motor leaked like a sieve when filled with coolant as the block had gone porous, it had only sat unused for a year and a half too.

[Faker]

I can see why you have doubts,

I had a very good spare 1400cc suitcase samba motor sitting under the bench as a spare on my rally car,

I decided to swap out the motor as I was going to give the existing one a refresh, the spare motor leaked like a sieve when filled with coolant as the block had gone porous, it had only sat unused for a year and a half too.

Any bits knocking about?!