startup old engine

N

nifty fifty

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Have a 50 ford flathead that hasn't been started in at least four years. New oil, filter,plugs,coolant, points. Any suggestions what else to do before I fire it up? looked in all cylinders they looked OK, turned it over by hand also.
 
Make sure fuel pump is pumping gas and oil pump is primed.
I am assuming engine is in car and oil pressure gauge is working.
 
Take plugs out run the starter and check for oilpressure...if it refuses to prime...take off pressure line on oilfilter use an oilcan and pump oil into line to fill oilpump....
 
AND for one that has been sitting that long once all the plugs are out and BEFORE I proceed to spin the motor and check for oil pressure.....I spray some sort of "Lubricant" in all the cylinders JUST to give the dry piston and rings some relief!!!! OR cylinder walls....either or both
 
In my advancing age I've come to realize 4 years just ain't all that long. I just bypass the gas tank at first, fuel hose to a can. Crank some to circulate the oil then fire her up.

Dump any old gas that is presently in the tank.
 
Along with what others have said,

Oil
Ensure you are either using a conventional ZDDP break-in oil or a conventional oil with a ZDDP additive if it's a flat-tappet cam.

As rockfla suggests, shoot a little oil into each cylinder with an oil can--not so much that you foul a plug, but enough to coat the wall. Then turn the engine over by hand a couple rotations. This way the rings will have some protection until the crank sprays the walls with oil.

I'd pressurize the system through the oil sender gallery rather than turning the engine with the starter to prime. There won't be much lubricant between the journals/bearings and lifters/lobes, so I'd avoid spinning the engine mechanically until I had oil pressurized. The previous oil and possibly debris from oil sitting in the galleries might also come loose, and pressurizing before rotating will help them flush out into the pan before higher rpms. I'd then turn the engine by hand a couple rotations while pressurizing and stop with the pointer/mark aligned (almost TDC).

Spark
With the timing marks aligned, adjust the distributor until you get spark. That should be 2 degrees initial and within range to run. You can dial in timing once the engine's warmed up.

Fuel
I assume the system is blown out clean with a new filter? Fill the carburetor bowls. If possible, take the fuel line loose at the carb and pressurize the fuel system to send fuel through the lines, pump, and filter. Depending on the tank setup, you can plug the filler neck and pressurize the vent tube with 1 - 3 psi. Or you can pressurize the filler neck using a plug with a hole cut into it for the air nozzle on tanks without vents. Catch the exiting fuel with a 1 gallon metal thinner can or the like. Make sure to dial down the psi unless you want fuel everywhere.

Coolant
Ensure you've bled the block and hoses of air as best you can. Ensure there isn't an air pocket around the thermostat that will keep them from properly opening.

Gauges
Test your oil pressure and temp gauges to ensure they are functioning. I use a thermal gun also when starting engines to have a backup in the event the thermostat doesn't open due to an air pocket.

Fire it up.
 
Last edited:
Annixter said:
Along with what others have said,

Oil
Ensure you are either using a conventional ZDDP break-in oil or a conventional oil with a ZDDP additive if it's a flat-tappet cam.

As rockfla suggests, shoot a little oil into each cylinder with an oil can--not so much that you foul a plug, but enough to coat the wall. Then turn the engine over by hand a couple rotations. This way the rings will have some protection until the crank sprays the walls with oil.

I'd pressurize the system through the oil sender gallery rather than turning the engine with the starter to prime. There won't be much lubricant between the journals/bearings and lifters/lobes, so I'd avoid spinning the engine mechanically until I had oil pressurized. The previous oil and possibly debris from oil sitting in the galleries might also come loose, and pressurizing before rotating will help them flush out into the pan before higher rpms. I'd then turn the engine by hand a couple rotations while pressurizing and stop with the pointer/mark aligned (almost TDC).

Spark
With the timing marks aligned, adjust the distributor until you get spark. That should be 2 degrees initial and within range to run. You can dial in timing once the engine's warmed up.

Fuel
I assume the system is blown out clean with a new filter? Fill the carburetor bowls. If possible, take the fuel line loose at the carb and pressurize the fuel system to send fuel through the lines, pump, and filter. Depending on the tank setup, you can plug the filler neck and pressurize the vent tube with 1 - 3 psi. Or you can pressurize the filler neck using a plug with a hole cut into it for the air nozzle on tanks without vents. Catch the exiting fuel with a 1 gallon metal thinner can or the like. Make sure to dial down the psi unless you want fuel everywhere.

Coolant
Ensure you've bled the block and hoses of air as best you can. Ensure there isn't an air pocket around the thermostat that will keep them from properly opening.

Gauges
Test your oil pressure and temp gauges to ensure they are functioning. I use a thermal gun also when starting engines to have a backup in the event the thermostat doesn't open due to an air pocket.

Fire it up.
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Good ideas except for messing with the timing. Since the engine ran 4 years ago the timing is OK (unless some Joe Squid was secretly messing with it). Just set the points at the proper spec, and the timing will be OK. When an engine that has been sitting won't start, so many guys blame the timing right away. Why??
 
40 Deluxe said:
Good ideas except for messing with the timing. Since the engine ran 4 years ago the timing is OK (unless some Joe Squid was secretly messing with it). Just set the points at the proper spec, and the timing will be OK. When an engine that has been sitting won't start, so many guys blame the timing right away. Why??
Click to expand...


Checking static timing is never a bad idea and will not do any harm if done properly. If the OP can't check timing properly, he shouldn't be fooling with trying to start the engine and hire a mechanic. Second, the OP said nothing about the history of the engine. I have no idea if it is a car that's been sitting for years or if the engine has been under a bench with the distributor off.
 
I agree with the over thinking. I started my 8ba flathead after sitting for 4 years. Put mmo in the cylinders and hooked up a gas line from a separate gas can and it started up. ALL ENGINES WANT TO RUN.
 
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