62 LeSabre - What to do before trying to start it? I recently bought a 62 LeSabre 401 with 51k miles which had been sitting idle in an unheated garage for about 25 years. The battery had frozen and exploded, the coolant was down to a few quarts, the engine oil was overfilled by 4 quarts, and the trans fluid is way over full also. So far I've changed the oil and filter, pulled the plugs and gave each cylinder a good shot of WD40, and will flush the cooling system. I have a new battery, plugs, wires, points, cap, rotor, fuel and air filters, heater hoses and belts ready to go. I plan to redirect the fuel pump supply to a 1-gal can of fresh fuel for an initial start. Any suggestions on other things to do before I twist the key? Is there a technique for breaking the engine loose via the balancer or something before I make the starter try and spin her?
Pull the distributor and spin the oilpump to build oilpressure first. I would recommend trying with a breakerbar and socket to see if the engine can rotate, if not it could strip the teeth of the starter. Nice find :TU: BTW: check the oil for coolant after the first run, the block may have frostbite
Thanks for the suggestions Peter. The coolant which was in her tested pretty strong so I'm hoping it did the job. Anyway, aren't the freeze plugs supposed to pop before the block cracks, or has history proven different than the concept? Any suggestions on an adapter shaft to spin the oil pump, or is that fabricated from whatever I can find? (I assume I'll use a power drill in a clockwise fashion, same as the rotor direction.)
That's a common misconception. Those freeze out plugs are also called core plugs. When the block was cast, they used sand molds. The core holes is how they got the sand out. Sometimes they pop out if the coolant freezes, but Murphy's law says the block will crack first. If the motor wasn't full with water, chances are you'll be OK. The water has somewhere to expand, and shouldn't cause any damage. You can make a priming tool out of an old distributor shaft. Try rotating the motor with a breaker bar first. It's a Buick though!, I bet it cranks right over and purrs:Brow:
I'd also put some carb cleaner in the fuel tank and then add a little Marvel Mystery Oil in the oil to help loosen up the gum and varnish that has accumulated over the years. Wouldn't hurt to put a little Marvel Mystery Oil in the gas tank as well to help lubricate the upper part of the cylinders.Good Luck!
Thanks Carl. Not knowing the exact chemistry and lifespan of motor fuels I was assuming that the 1/2 tank of gas the car has in it was about worthless. Were you referring to adding the Marvel to a new tank of gas or do you think that what the car currently has in it is useable (after an initial start-up on some fresh gas)?
I would also pull the gas tank and flush it good and maybe even send it out to be coated inside with sealer. You will save yourself lots of problems down the road with plugged fuel filters from rust flakes coming from the tank. Brian
Progress Just wanted to check the progress of your LeSabre, wonderd if you had gotten it running yet or not. Can you show us some pics of the beast? Thanks Birge :Brow:
Progress? She is sloooow Thanks for your interest Birge, but we're not running yet. One thing leads to another and another... I have new heater hoses waiting to go in but since I am going to flush the system, I wanted to install the flush kit tee into the old one. So I removed it to clean up the connections and install the tee outside of the car. I figured I might as well remove the other hose to clean its connections in prep for the new one since it had a conspicuous bulge in it just before the clamp. When I did I found that the input nipple on the water pump was 3/4 blocked with a mixture of clumps of pink-green granules and hard white crud. Reamed that out with a drill bit while using the shop vac to suck it out. ou: Had to fabricate a driver for the oil pump shaft since I could not locate an old distributor to bastardize for this purpose. As I said, it's slow going. Hopefully I can include a pic of the "Black Hole of Time".
COOL Thats one heck of a boat, you might consider getting your Barge pilots liscense before driving that baby. I like it definately a tank. So did you mange to break the engine free? I assume your already past this point as you wouldn't be conitinuing on ou: if not I have had good luck with ATF fluid pourd in the cylinders and sitting overnight or for a few days. Granted I was doing this to free the cylinders from the walls, (in this case Jugs on a VW Motor) and then re ring and hone the clyinder walls and slap her back together. Anyway like I said I bet your past that point. Whats the story behind this car... sat for 25 years... in the family...or how did you run across such a beast. Good Pics By the way good Luck Keep us posted Birge :gt:
