3 year lay up she's tight

[Bad Man]

1983 260 mercruiser sat three cold central NY winters in a row.2000 season was the last time the boat was run. Ran top notch, was winterized before lay up.Due to really depressing circumstances boat and I were strangers.When I went to the marina and tried to start the motor(I was trying to be optomistic)she would not turn over (no kidding).At this point I had her blocked up in my driveway and checked all the usual everything looks ok.I pulled the spark plugs and tried to turn her over with the starter (good battery)to no avail.I then sprayed some WD40 in the spark plug holes and let her sit over night.When I got home from work today I tried her again, nothing .I put a socket on a breaker bar and could not budge it.I did'nt want to break the balancer bolt and have that to fix too so I did'nt really put the wood to her, if you have ever left a half of a bolt in a crank you no what I mean. I then used a piece of tubing and poured Marvel Mystery Oil in each cyl.How long do you estimate it wll take to free this thing up?How can I put some more ass to the rotating assem. to turn it? Is it junk?

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: 3 year lay up she's tight

It sounds like your rings are rusted to the cylinder bores, even it it eventually frees up its not good. Give it a couple of weeks and cross your fingers but I think it might be time for a rebuild. Good luck.

 

[MrBill]

Re: 3 year lay up she's tight

This worked for me once...albeit on a small two cylinder engine.<br /><br />1 - Remove plugs and pour a fair amount of Marvel Mystery Oil in each cylinder, enough to cover each ring or piston circumference (estimate slant of piston travel, use plenty of Mystery Oil).<br />2 - Don't replace plugs.<br />3 - Loosen rocker arms, even removal might be best<br />4 - Wait a few days, yes a few days...then try to hand crank the way you did before with the breaker bar. DON'T REPLACE PLUGS YET, you don't want to apply hydraulic pressure Maybe a shot with the starter might be needed if the socket doesn't provide enough leverage.<br />5 - The key is to lube and free as many points of contact as possible with the least amount of dismantlement.<br />6 - When (if) engine begins to turn, continue so that lube continues to coat as much as possible.<br />7 - Extract oil from cyclinders with suction, bringing each piston to TDC (or close as possible). Reassemble and begin start procedure.<br /><br />An additional tip..although cumbersome to possibly get/make part required. When I used to rebuild high compression engines for drag racing, before first start attempt, I used to engage the oil pump with a shaft (made from an old distributor shaft) attached to an electric drill inserted where the distributor usually sits. This allowed oil to be "pumped" through the engine without moving (wearing) any parts. I'm not sure if this is feasible or worthwhile in your case, but it can't hurt.<br /><br />I hope you can salvage your engine, $20 worth of lubes and 3 days of waiting and a few hours work beats the alternative. Be patient let the Marvel Mystery Oil do its job.