Procedures for starting up Esprit after 1 year of storage
Discussion
Spread out a blanket on the ground facing east (Hethel). Say five "hail Chapmans" and then try the key.
Seriously. Hopefully you have used a fuel stabilizer. If not, maybe top it off with some fresh stuff first. Also, I would let it tick over at idle for a few minutes and not race the engine. Other than that, pray for no flat spots on your tires (tyres)
ErnestM
Seriously. Hopefully you have used a fuel stabilizer. If not, maybe top it off with some fresh stuff first. Also, I would let it tick over at idle for a few minutes and not race the engine. Other than that, pray for no flat spots on your tires (tyres)
ErnestM
GKP said:
I'd be tempted to whip the plugs out and crank it for a bit just to get the oil circulating before firing it up.
I'd also be thinking about a cam belt change soonish.
I'd also be thinking about a cam belt change soonish.
Before hitting the key, I'd be underneath with a socket on the crank to make sure it WOULD turn over. Belts often break on first shock-loading.
I know of a Lotus engine that broke after it had been stood for almost two years: close inspection revealed that the piston rings were rusty; it's entirely feasible that the rings stuck in the piston grooves and that's what caused two pistons to break up.
YES... put a bit of oil down the spark plug holes and let it sit a bit (not motor oil - a light wt spray like Shell Starter Oil. This sprays in a very fine mist and is very flamable). Then... Put a spanner on the crank and spin it a couple times by hand... very serious here. If anything is frozen up, you will know it. Also, it is better to move slow before pushing the starter force through the parts. Visual inspection of the cam belt will prob reveal nothing, but do it anyway. New fuel is def. in order...
Drive topless!!!
Please let us know how it goes off!
Cameron
Drive topless!!!
Please let us know how it goes off!
Cameron
Edited by Autocross7 on Saturday 2nd September 16:00
the engine is inclined and so putting oil in the cylinder will at best get the top of the piston and maybe 25 percent of the cylinder wall a little wet.. if the cylinders are rusty.. then I dont really feel it will make much of a difference....
What the oil will do is foul the plugs... and harm the catalytic converter.. beware of this.
Id just put the car in 5th gear and push it a bit forward and see that the motor turns. There is not much you can do to undo any internal damage, if there was corrosion on the cylinder walls.
as far as storage problems, the secret is prevention during the storage. Not a special start up.
I have kept several cars stored for 20 years of winters and never had a problem. sometimes I add fuel stabiliser but for sure I dont drive the car hard until there is fresh fuel in it.
Keep the car in the coldest dryest place you can find. I find the warmer the storage, the more problems I get. Corrosion is temp and moisture dependant. make sure the batter is as far away from the car as you can carry it heheehe.. it is the biggest enemy to storage.
Bruce..
What the oil will do is foul the plugs... and harm the catalytic converter.. beware of this.
Id just put the car in 5th gear and push it a bit forward and see that the motor turns. There is not much you can do to undo any internal damage, if there was corrosion on the cylinder walls.
as far as storage problems, the secret is prevention during the storage. Not a special start up.
I have kept several cars stored for 20 years of winters and never had a problem. sometimes I add fuel stabiliser but for sure I dont drive the car hard until there is fresh fuel in it.
Keep the car in the coldest dryest place you can find. I find the warmer the storage, the more problems I get. Corrosion is temp and moisture dependant. make sure the batter is as far away from the car as you can carry it heheehe.. it is the biggest enemy to storage.
Bruce..
micha said:
what a waste of time to think about such an issue after "only" 1 year storage. the car i bought was stored 13 years, perfectly mantained, i turned around the key, drove it home 800 miles and used it as a car should be used...and it never let me down!!!
As you said... perfectly maintained. Most (well OK, many) cars are not.
cliffq said:
OK, thanks, I appreciate all the advice on this... although I am still torn between dribbling some oil into it or not.
My vote would be no. I suggest the following sequence if you're nervous, 1. Fresh battery and fuel.
2. Turn engine over once by hand to ensure everything goes round.
3. Remove plug leads (or plugs).
4. Crank engine on the starter until you see some oil pressure.
5. Re-connect everything.
6. Start car.
You will need to make sure the engine doesn't get flooded with fuel. Two problems here, (i) a flooded Esprit can be a pig to start, and (ii) all that fuel slopping about in the cylinders will wash away any remaining oil. So best to disconnect the fuel lines first.
If it was my car I would go with steps 1 and 6!
GKP said:
I'd also be thinking about a cam belt change soonish.
Cambelts are rubber with core reinforcement, just like a tire. Also just like a tyre, if you leave them standing in the same position for a year, they develop 'flat spots'. I wouldn't trust one at 7,000rpm when the consequences of it failing can be a written-off engine, or worse. Other than that, 5 USA's steps would just about cover it for me.
Edited by Sam_68 on Saturday 9th September 08:41
[quote=Sam_68 Cambelts are rubber with core reinforcement, just like a tire. Also just like a tyre, if you leave them standing in the same position for a year, they develop 'flat spots'. I wouldn't trust one at 7,000rpm when the consequences of it failing can be a written-off engine, or worse.
I would suspect that the cambelt is stored in a box all folded up for years before it is sold .. I think that the cambelt is not a worry. this is getting quite far fetched.
Bruce
Edited by Sam_68 on Saturday 9th September 08:41
[/quote] I would suspect that the cambelt is stored in a box all folded up for years before it is sold .. I think that the cambelt is not a worry. this is getting quite far fetched.
Bruce
I just started my S4S up after it sat in the garage for the last year and a half with the rear end up on jacks. I checked all of the fluids and topped off as needed (strangely enough, the brake fluid was low too). I had the same concerns, so I pulled the plugs and the relays for the fuel pump, ignition and injectors, and cranked it (with a full charge) for 10 seconds at a time with a 3-5 minute break before I repeated this 5 times. This way I knew that the engine wasn't rusted (not very likely since I live in the desert), and it gets all of the fluids to begin circulating again. I don't have the EBP valve connected, nor the throttle jacking capsule, so I didn't have to worry about the engine revving high when I did start it (after reassembling everything). The fuel was low and old, so I put in 10 gallons, a can of octane boost (Outlaw I think?), and a can of injector cleaner. She would have fired right up had I not had the darn thing in gear! Once I put her in neutral, she started right up and sounded like she always did. I let her warm up, and then drove her around the block for about 20 minutes, taking it very easy and minimizing boost to less than 1/4 bar for the last 10 minutes (break her in gently). Parked in the garage, let her cool off, check the fluids again, then go for another run...slowly working my way up the boost. Checked the fluids again, and keep doing so after every drive until you feel confident she's running fine again.
I have noticed that the transaxle seals are leaking, probably from sitting so long. They don't appear to be resealing, so guess what's on my to-do list (besides finally getting it through emissions). The last mechanic that worked on it for the emissions issue mucked a few things up. I spotted the cracked spark plug insulator a year and a half ago, and that took care of the low RPM problem. I just happened to take another look a couple of weeks ago, and saw that he plumbed the wastegate solenoid wrong...he totally bypassed it. No wonder the boost was bouncing all over the place.
She still pops between gears, so it looks as though she's still running rich.
Other than that, she runs like an Esprit should (that is, she did until the hose between the turbo and the chargecooler blew last night!).
The joys of Lotus ownership....
I have noticed that the transaxle seals are leaking, probably from sitting so long. They don't appear to be resealing, so guess what's on my to-do list (besides finally getting it through emissions). The last mechanic that worked on it for the emissions issue mucked a few things up. I spotted the cracked spark plug insulator a year and a half ago, and that took care of the low RPM problem. I just happened to take another look a couple of weeks ago, and saw that he plumbed the wastegate solenoid wrong...he totally bypassed it. No wonder the boost was bouncing all over the place.
She still pops between gears, so it looks as though she's still running rich.
Other than that, she runs like an Esprit should (that is, she did until the hose between the turbo and the chargecooler blew last night!).
The joys of Lotus ownership....
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