I've got a 944 engine mounted on an engine stand sitting in my garage. It's covered in plastic wrap. The water was drained when I removed the engine, about 5 years ago. I just drained the oil (turned the engine over by hand a few times before draining) to move.

Question: Should I refill the crankcase with oil, or leave it dry? Also, the engine is pretty much in "normal" position (the crankcase is at the 6:00 o'clock position). Should I rotate it to a different position?

My thoughts: Leaving it dry (well, a thin film of oil remains, I'm sure) will not apply any pressure to the gaskets and seals, and will allow moisture (from the air) to enter. So I should put something in the crankcase. I would think just about any brand or weight of oil should work.

On the other hand, the water in the oil could cause worse corrosion(?), the oil could thicken and gum up the works, the engine could leak, seals may fail, and the motor is harder to move when it has oil in it.

If I leave oil in the engine, I figure to keep it in "normal" position and rotate the crankshaft/pistons etc by hand every once in a while.

Agree? Disagree?

. . . Steve

 

what are you doing with the engine, that it has been out for 5 years?

 

Think I'd put some sythetic oil in. My guess is that it is less likely to gum up just sitting in the engine.

Probably best to put the engine in a car. Otherwise its just an expensive door stop.

 

I bought an '85 that had been rolled by a 14-year-old in OK. A hammer, crowbar, and some duct tape got it driveable for a 5000 mile trip to WA. I then stripped it and sent the body to a salvage yard.

I now store all the parts I took off (LOTS of doorstops ...) in a rented storage place, except the engine. The engine is on a stand and in the picture. It's great to compare to my '83, and I can use the parts when necessary.

I know I really should sell this stuff, but I know I'll need any part I sell. Figured the parts might help sell the car, but I just can't bring myself to do that.

Will dinosaur oil gum up faster than synthetic? What if I put my drained Mobil 1 oil in the engine (I'd run it thru a filter first)? Na, on 2nd thought - it would probably be missing additives to keep it from corroding.

Thanks for the idea ...

. . . Steve

 

Oil is just going to sit in the pan and not do much good. Go to a boatyard and get some fogging oil (preferably in a spray can), Put some in each cylinder (via the spark plug hole) and spin the engine a couple turns. Repeat this several times and then spray some in each intake and exhaust port. Seal up the ports and anyplace else where air can get in or out of the block and then wrap the whole thin in plastic. You'll be set for anywhere from 5 to 50 years. Fogging oil is thick nasty stuff that clings to surfaces, marinas yse it to winterize engines (pour it into the carb of a running engine slowly until the exhaust is pumping out black smoke, then dump it fast to make the engine stall, store forever)

 

What's the come out of storage process?

 

Clean off the plugs and start it up, sometimes it takes a little extra cranking. Expect to blow a LOT of smoke for ~5 minutes. BTW, Boats are stored with clean oil in the crankcase (oil changed right before fogging the engine), and the fuel tank should be topped off and have a nice dose of fuel stabilizer (run for a few minutes to make sure it works it's way through the system). Batteries are disconnected for the winter, trickle charger is optional, just reconnect in the spring.

 

Like Dave said,just fog the cylinders since any oil in the pan will only sit at the bottom and not do any good anyway.