sean1978 Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Alright guys. I'd like to bring this thing back to life. Any suggestions? Shopping list? Quote Link to comment
510er Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 pull the air cleaner and fill the whole thing with stove oil through the carb, take the oil fill cap of and fill the whole engine up... let it sit for a week or so then drain it all out put in new plugs and fresh fuel. Quote Link to comment
sean1978 Posted February 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Stove oil? is there another word/brand name for that? were can I get it? Also, should I attempt to overhaul the carb? I have some mechanical experience, just not with old stuff like this. Quote Link to comment
510er Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 stove oil/heating oil... its cheap and can be purchased locally... http://lmgtfy.com/?q=charlotte%20nc%20heating%20oil the second one down bucks seemed a for sure choice and prob has a few competitors... i wouldnt bother with the carb quite yet Quote Link to comment
fisch Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 My l-16 had sat for 10 years w/o starting before I bought it. It needed a new fuel pump which I put on. Gave it an oil change and ran fresh gas from a can just before the fuel filter. It started as soon as the gas hit the carb! Quote Link to comment
LenRobertson Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Is the engine stuck? I assume after 10 years in NC humidity it must be, but maybe not. Try turning the front pulley nut with a 1/2" drive flex handle or ratchet with pipe on it. Or put the car in gear and rock the car forward and back. I've never tried 510ers stove oil trick, but if the rings are rusted to the cylinders (stuck engine) you need to get some sort of penetrating oil down the cylinders to free them up. My one experience with freeing a stuck engine (back in Philly, high humidity) - it smoked like a chimney when I did get it running (PO said it wasn't an oil burner. No reason for him to lie; he gave me the car and wasn't making any money). But why not get it running and see how it sounds and if it burns oil. You might get lucky. Any clue why the car was parked 10 years ago? Might give you an idea what you will need to fix. The three dead Datsuns I've brought back to life all had fuel problems (and none sat as long as 10 years). If there is any gas left in the tank, siphon it out or drain it through the plug on the bottom of the tank. Trying to mix in fresh gas with old stale isn't worth the trouble. One of my cars (510; sat 5-6 years) had sludge in the metal fuel line from the tank to the engine that blocked the line. I took the rubber lines off at the tank and fuel pump, sprayed carb cleaner in both ends of the line, and blew through with compressed air. Did this several times and cleaned out the line. You will probably need to rebuild the carb. It's hard to imagine there isn't varnish from evaporated gas clogging up the works. The fuel pump may not work after sitting that long. Once you know the line to the tank is clear and the engine turns over, take the line from the pump to the carb off and be sure the pump is pumping. All this may sound like a lot off work and trouble, but it sure beats watching TV, and it's a great feeling when the thing finally roars to life. Keep us updated on your progress, so we can keep helping. Len Quote Link to comment
fisch Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 I should add that while my engine started after 10 years, it didn't run very well! A weber 32/36 made a huge difference! My gas tank had a tiny leak in it, which worked out because there was no old gas in it to turn into sludge. I had the tank welded at a local shop. Before I hooked the the gas tank back up I took a little can of compressed air (don't have a compressor) and blew the metal line out w/ my wife at the other end to feel if air was coming out. Quote Link to comment
sean1978 Posted February 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 All this may sound like a lot off work and trouble, but it sure beats watching TV, and it's a great feeling when the thing finally roars to life. Oh yeah, I love doing stuff like this, and like I said I do have a bit of mechanical experience so I'm not going in completley blind. The old man told me he had rebuilt and bored the engine to use a "truck piston" before he parked it. I think someone drove this thing to high school for a few years (back in the early 90's) and it was parked after that. Quote Link to comment
510er Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 yea the stove oil will free everything up... it will smoke like a sonofa for a while util it burns out but i have used this on cars that have sat for 20 years and it works everytime... well nearly, sometimes there are other fixes you gotta do Quote Link to comment
LenRobertson Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 After I got my 510 running, I drove it all one summer with it sucking more and more coolant into the engine. It got so I topped it up every couple of days. I didn't want to quit driving it until I absolutely had to (too fun to drive!). Finally, coming home from work one evening, the temp gauge started climbing pretty fast, so I knew the failing head gasket had finally given up. So when you get yours running, keep a real close eye on the coolant level (like check it every day, until you are sure it isn't leaking/using). L-series engines are known for needing the head gasket replaced now and then. And you don't want to run the aluminum head hot and chance warping it. But I hope you are lucky and the gasket is fine. If you get the engine turning over, you can try starting it by filling the carb float bowl with gas. I use a couple of inches of vacuum hose and a Coleman lantern funnel to pour gas into one of the float bowl vent tubes you see when you look down the carb throat. If it has the original Hitachi carb, there is a sight glass on the side of the float bowl to view the gas in the bowl. You might get it to start and run for several seconds without having to mess with the gas tank, lines, and pump. Of course you will have to fix any problems there later, but getting it running from gas in the carb will inspire you to keep going. You should get any old gas out of the tank first. If the engine starts, you don't want to suck any old stale gas into the engine. Also, if you get way too much gas into the engine (stuck choke or stuck float or stale gas), it is possible to foul a brand new set of spark plugs so they won't fire. If that happens, you may be able to burn them off with a propane torch and get them to work. My local mechanic claims Autolites are worse than NGKs as far as gas fouling. From my experience, I tend to believe him, although I don't know why one brand would be different from another. Len Quote Link to comment
sean1978 Posted February 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 Pulled the valvecover off and the head was still oily. Checked the oil level and it was full. I put a bit of the "marvel mystery oil" into each cylinder and added about 6 additional quarts of oil to the engine. Gave the cam a turn with my wrench and it moved easily. I don't think the engine was seized at all. Sprayed some carb cleaner down into the carb and sprayed the external linkages with PB blaster. I might try hooking a battery up and giving her a crank tomorrow! Quote Link to comment
ppeters914 Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 If nothing else, you need to drain/refill the gas tank (flushing would be better) and flush the gas lines, otherwise you will be fighting shitty old gas issues for a long time. You also need to flush the brake and clutch hydraulics before you take it for a spin and discover no brakes. :eek: Quote Link to comment
sean1978 Posted February 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 I don't intend on driving the car anywhere for a long time, there's a laundry list of issues to address after the engine's condition is assessed. I'd be running the engine from a small bottle of gasoline through a new fuel line rather than the gas tank BTW. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 Checked the oil level and it was full. I put a bit of the "marvel mystery oil" into each cylinder and added about 6 additional quarts of oil to the engine. Do not try to run or even start it with 6 quarts added! Drain the old oil and refill only to the full line. Be sure to use a new filter and fill it with clean oil. When filling the motor pour the new oil over the valve train and down the front over the timing chain. Quote Link to comment
Cuts metal like mad Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 my first 510 had sat in a barn for 11 years... I checked the oil, black as hell, but full... added some "engine restorer" (I was 15), swapped in a good used weber with the fuel line in a gas can. Turned the key, and vrrvrrvrr... vrrvrrvrr... vrrvrrvroooom! Lots of smoke for a few minutes, but she ran... changed the oil and added more engine restorer, new gas tank, new fuel lines... and drove it for a long time and the motor even ended up in another car. Quote Link to comment
Madness Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 A long time a go I watched a show on this. Make sure the motor turns. If not try to spray a little pb blaster in there and let it soak. Replace spark plugs, wires, cap, rotar, coil. Re build the carb. Check/replace all the fuel lines. Replace fuel filter. Check/replace fuel pump. Drain all the old fuel. Replace the battery and go through all the wiring. You never know if there were a few mice that made that harness a home. Change oil. Thats all I can remember. Quote Link to comment
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