max340
Well-Known Member
Hey guys. I haven't started my 440 in two years since an accident took it off the road. What's a good start up procedure? Good to go now or should I pull the distributor and pre oil? Thanks
Start engine after two years?
- Thread starter max340
- Start date
Officer Higgins
Well-Known Member
Id just pull coil wire and crank it over slowly with the starter till oil pressure builds up. Probably good idea to do that after changing oil though.
Not a bad idea to pre-lube. Use a fresh filter and oil. Also not a bad idea to pull the plugs and give each cylinder a squirt of atf or oil and turn it over a few times by hand.
max340
Well-Known Member
I think I'll just pull the plugs and shoot some oil in each and pull the coil wire. Thanks!! giddyup!
- Local time
- 7:27 PM
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2018
- Messages
- 19,372
- Reaction score
- 63,261
- Location
- Midland Ontario, Canada
As long as it wasn't a freshly rebuilt engine and has lived some life and is nicely full of "varnish", pull the plug wire and crank for oil pressure. Wire back on and if it doesn't fire on it's own a few squirts of gas (I use a water bottle with a small hole in the cap) in the carb and go. I can guarantee it's caused no engine damage. My engine was rebuilt in 1979. Car stored from '82 to '88 and started this way. Car stored 2004 to 2014 and started this way. Engine opened up for current restoration and I changed all the valve seals and the timing chain. Everything else looked fine and it runs great. Started again this year the same way.
66Satellite47
Well-Known Member
I'm a believer in pre 0iling. Take the valve covers off, Use a priming shaft & drill motor to prime the oil pump turning the crank by hand. Watch for oil on both sides of the heads rocker arms. Then you have oiled the whole motor. Then you know you are good.
dodge1972
Well-Known Member
I agree, change the oil, prime the oil filter with oil, remove distributor. Using a oil pump drive tool, rotate CCW for big block, CW for small block. Removing plug and inject a small amount of oil. Removing the value converters to lube the the value train is a good idea, but maybe skip considering its been two years. Don't forget your carb may need a good internal cleaning to remove old gas and replace gas filters. Finally, your fuel maybe to old to run your engine. Pump out the old gas and install fresh fuel. Sometime the fuel pump will fail to pump fuel. Good luck
Garys1969RR
Well-Known Member
I bought a 440 RR that had sat for 12 years. Changed oil, filter, and primed the oil pump by spinning the pump for a minute or 2. Set timing, squirt of oil and gas in the carb, and it fired right up with a belch of blue smoke! Carb leaked gas all over, as the gaskets were dried up. That 440 ran great! The more I drove it, the better it ran!
6PKRTSE
Well-Known Member
I once bought a 68' Charger that sat for 11 years. The guy was leaving that day & said if I wanted it I had to take it now. A buddy & I messed with it, charged the battery, we pored fuel down the carb, fired it up & drove it home with no issues expect for losing one of the mufflers as soon as we pulled it off of the lawn & into the street & losing the other muffler by the time I pulled it in to my driveway. Drove it for several years after replacing the exhaust.
Similar threads
