Bad Engine?

[TimboSHO]

I recently bought a 3.0 from a 90 SHO with 78K miles on it from my neighbor real cheap. He was moving and needed to get rid of it. He told me it ran at the time it was taken out of his SHO, but it sat for a couple of years. I took out the sparkplugs (as instructed) and tried to turn the crank, but it wouldn't turn. Should it turn fairly easily, am i missing something or is the engine siezed and i'm screwed? If so, would parting it out get me my money back? I have a buyer as of now if it runs, because i am moving, and have no garage room in my new place for parts (only 1 stall). Thank you for any help on the subject, it is much appreciated.

 

[AutoSHO]

SHOmama:
I recently bought a 3.0 from a 90 SHO with 78K miles on it from my neighbor real cheap. He was moving and needed to get rid of it. He told me it ran at the time it was taken out of his SHO, but it sat for a couple of years. I took out the sparkplugs (as instructed) and tried to turn the crank, but it wouldn't turn. Should it turn fairly easily, am i missing something or is the engine siezed and i'm screwed? If so, would parting it out get me my money back? I have a buyer as of now if it runs, because i am moving, and have no garage room in my new place for parts (only 1 stall). Thank you for any help on the subject, it is much appreciated.

After an engine sits for a while it is typically very hard to turn them over. I'm not sure what you could do to make it easier.

 

[Denny]

Does it mean it's bad though? Can the engine just seize up from not being used?
I'm the interested buyer, with this, goes all hope of an SHO in my near future, oh well, maybe an SRT-4 will lift my spirits

 

[Off Road SHO]

Check for oil in the plug wells. If none remove the plugs and squirt a little oil in each cylinder. With the plugs still out, put a big a$$ ratchet on the crank bolt and turn the engine over a few times. It's going to be hard even after the oil is spread around because you are depressing two valve springs almost all the time.

Tom

<small>[ April 08, 2003, 12:40 AM: Message edited by: ThomasDooley ]</small>

 

[TimboSHO]

ThomasDooley:
Check for oil in the plug wells. If none remove the plugs and squirt a little oil in each cylinder. With the plugs still out, put a big a$$ ratchet on the crank bolt and turn the engine over a few times. It's going to be hard even after the oil is spread around because you are depressing two valve springs almost all the time.

Tom

As i said before, i removed the spark plugs to try and turn the crank (yes, there was oil in them, and i cleaned it out). I had a big ratchet on there and everything. Wouldn't it harm the engine to squirt oil into the cylinder? Or would that actually help mine since it's in such a poor state?

 

[oh_SHO]

No, oil in the cylinder won't harm the engine. Whem storing an engine for a long time it is recommended that clean oil is put in the top of the cylinders to prevent corrision and seizure. The smarter people can correct me if I am wrong on this.

The reason for cleaning oil of out the plug wells is the dirt in the oil not the oil itself.

 

[jasonty]

Denny:
Does it mean it's bad though? Can the engine just seize up from not being used?
I'm the interested buyer, with this, goes all hope of an SHO in my near future, oh well, maybe an SRT-4 will lift my spirits

SRT-4? You traitor!! Just kidding, those are some nice cars, even if they do need a turbo to compete with our SHO's. About your post, set the engine nice and stable so it won't move when you torque on it, throw on a socket, a long breaker bar, and find a deepwell socket that will fit over the handle of the breaker bar. Then shove a long extension on the deepwell that's fitted over the breaker bar handle, and crank with all your might. It might take a bit more force then normal for the crank to rotate because the metal in the crank and rods has been accustomed to sitting in the bearing surface. Bearings use a softer metal then the crank or rods, so it might just feel happy where it is. Make it unhappy! lol, good luck...

<small>[ April 08, 2003, 08:33 PM: Message edited by: jasonty ]</small>

 

[bigpappy]

If the engine is not turning over,(seized) I highly recommend Marvel Mystery Oil. As the engine (from what I understood from your post) is no longer in the chassis, it should be pretty simple to pour marvel mystery oil inside. This stuff won't work right away, but give it a few days, or a week, and it should loosen everything up.

I'm certainly not an expert, but I had a 350 chevy engine that had seized and sat inside of a boat for a couple of years without running. Marvel mystery oil got her running again, with a little help from a hammer.

 

[JoeHoe_SHO]

I would not say a SHO "competes" with a SRT 4, a SHO gets killed by a SRT 4, by about 2 solid seconds. Even worse w/ mods

 

[Denny]

So the question still remains...will this engine work? frown

 

[AREA 91]

The Marvels is a good way to go. Let is sit a few days, then give it a shot. If that dosen't work, you may want to pull the pan and see if there is a REAL problem.

 

[Denny]

Well this isn't looking good. I asked about it at work. A co-worker said "the worst thing you can do to an engine is let it sit" and that the engine has most likely seized up due to condensation... frown

 

[Mr Anonymous]

If you have the intention of installing this motor and not just parting it out, I would recommend tearing it down completely and doing a partial 'rebuild'.

I suspect the problem is probably limited to the piston rings rusting to the bore. Opening up the engine is ultimately going to be the only way to tell for sure.

If the bore is in good enough condition to just need a rehoning and not boring, a High-Tech brand premium re-ring kit from AutoZone (P/N FO3.0MY01) is $230.99 and includes (from their web site): CONNECTING ROD BEARINGS, MAIN BEARINGS, THRUST WASHERS, COMPLETE GASKET SET, PREMIUM RINGS. A little time and effort and you'd have an near-new block under there. Of course you'll also have to take a good look at the heads and address any issues with those as well.

Unfortunately, the motor as-is probably isn't worth more than $100-$200 complete in it's current condition. Even if you could get it to turn, I imagine you'd be honest enough to disclose the problems you had getting it to turn to any potential buyer. If you were to part it out, the most valuable parts will be the heads. The intake and some other parts will also bring in a little, but you'd also be looking at a fair amount of labor to pull everything apart. The short block itself probably wouldn't be worth much alone unless the crank and rods are perfect and someone was looking for a block to have bored out to 3.2L.

Just my $.02...

 

[TimboSHO]

Looks like i'll try some marvel mystery oil. Seems like the only thing to do. That stuff does work wonders too (at least in our Olds Custom Cruiser Wagon with a 455)!

 

[TimboSHO]

*Bump*

I put Marvel Mystery Oil in the cylinders, let it sit overnight, and tryed cranking it the next morning, but to no avail. Anymore ideas? Other than completely tearing it down (i'm not that handy... and i don't have that much time right now), i guess parting it out would be the thing to do. Any suggestions, ideas?

 

[shojuan]

Have you ever heard the story 'bout my 'lil red truck? It sat for 2 years with the cylinder head removed, nothing but a garbage bag over the top (which rotted away) and milkshake oil sitting in the oil pan. Serious milkshake oil. Was probably half water in there! The engine wasn't seized after I put the new head on. It had been seized when a coolant hose split, the engine overheated and the head croaked. But I unseized it the next day. Then let it sat for a little over 2 years. Still haven't changed the bearings. They're a bit worn, you know from getting rusty in there. I'll get around to that in the next month or two. But anyhoo, in the 8,000 miles I've put on the truck since I replaced the head it's been getting the best gas mileage it's ever gotten. Between 21-22 mpg. It's a 4X4 Mazda B2600 and before the head incident it used to just get 16 mpg.

Before you give up on your SHO remember the truck. :voice fading: remember the truck

 

[Devin]

have you tried the breaker bar idea yet? Like he said, make it unhappy. If it's giving you this much grief, let it know who's boss. What are you losing?

 

[Bizzy]

give it ****. Bust out a breaker bar, or make a nice 4 foot one from home depot. Like was said before, what have you got to lose.

 

[Off Road SHO]

Like was said before, use a BIG breaker bar. If the engine is out, put it up against a wall with the firewall bank of cylinders touching the wall. Now chain the engine to the wall. Use the exhaust bolts on the head.

If the rusted up piston is near the top of its' stroke, you have a lot less leverage from the crank. Use the breaker bar. When you use the Marvel Mystery oil, put a cup in each cylinder. Some will take it some wont. Let it sit overnight. ATF fluid does the same thing. Make sure you don't put the spark plugs back in!

Tom

 

[Denny]

Crossing fingers