Depending on your engine and how such things like crankcase =
breathing...and your distributor...are set up, there's a good chance you =
may end up getting some oil in a few unwanted places. Remove the =
distributor cap before filling the block with oil. If some oil does seep =
into your distributor, you will need to clean out this excess oil before =
starting the engine. Some oil may also make its way into the manifolds, =
so expect some smoking when you first start the engine. If you get oil =
in the intake manifold, you might want to wick most of it out before =
starting the engine.
You might also consider letting the full block soak for a shorter period =
of time to reduce the amount of oil that makes its way into the =
distributor (or other places).
I'm SURE I'll get some e-mail about how this approach is unnecessary, =
but again, I think this is the only method that will coat ALL internal =
surfaces with oil prior to starting the engine, even though it can be =
messy. I'd rather clean up some excess oil than damage the engine. After =
you're done, just spray some 'Gunk' on the engine and hose it off.
Remember, the engine in this discussion has been sitting for YEARS. All =
of the interior surfaces will be EXTREMELY dry. Metal-to-metal contact =
can not only score surfaces, but can even melt low-temperature alloys, =
such as bearing material. Even if you only score the metal, it may run =
fine for a while, but those score marks are the nuclei for future =
failures.
I have one anecdote that I think supports my approach. A friend's =
aircraft...a Piper Cherokee with a Lycoming O-320...had been in storage =
for several years. He was advised by an aircraft mechanic to squirt some =
oil in each cylinder to free up any possibly stuck rings. He also hand =
cranked the engine over several times to make sure it was clear...so =
far, so good. Then he cranked over the engine with the starter with no =
spark plugs in place, until the oil pressure finally came up. However, =
with the dry gears in the oil pump and the relatively slow cranking =
speed, it took quite some time for the pressure to come up. Meanwhile, =
he was cranking the engine with VERY dry main and con-rod bearings. =
Anyway, after replacing the plugs and starting the engine, it ran for =
about half an hour before it started making nasty clanking noises. Turns =
out that TWO con rod bearings were wiped out, and ALL of the bearings =
showed serious scuffing. If he had filled the crankcase with oil...even =
for a few minutes...it may have saved a premature and expensive =
overhaul. At 6,000 dollars plus for a four-cylinder aircraft engine =
overhaul, who wants to take chances? So you may have to clean out a bit =
of oil here and there...so what?
That said, y'all do what you want with your own engines.
Alan Bowes
(Salt Lake City, Utah)
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