What to do before starting motor?

[Mark_88]

You can always throw some of that gasket restore stuff into the engine too...never had a problem with gaskets or seals, but, then again, if the 3.0 is known for having wonky rear seals then it might be a good idea...

When I had my 2.3 out I decided to change the oil pan from the old metal type and had to do the gasket on that...but that was a choice I'd made at the time...probably should have changed the oil pump too but since it was working I decided against that...

 

[swamprat]

at a minimum make sure you have oil pressure. Pull the fuel pump relay and crank it over till the oil flows. I do that to my BII after it sits for a few months. That way the lifters are pumped and dont clack

 

[woodyedmiston]

Listen to Wicked Sludge and Shady - unless there is a Dirt Dauber nest deep inside one of the intakes or exhausts leave the engine together and plug it in. Don't waste $ on cleaning the tops of the pistons. If your truck does not have a real oil pressure and water temp guage this is the time to intall them. "Real" means guages the actually have thermisters attached that are sitting in the water/oil stream.

We get wrapped up in the idea that we need to fix so many things that just take time and money. The tops of the pistons don't need to be shiny aluminum to run properly. All the cylinders don't have to have the highest rated compression to operate smoothly. It's impossible to put a motor together and all the parts stay shiny and new. Keep focused on the idea is to drive your Ranger and have fun, do something neat, positive, or positively wicked.

 

[superdave1984]

I don't see how it is a waste to be sure things are in good working order before installing the engine. If it wasn't sealed off from moisture then it CAN go bad by sitting. The rings can rust to the cylinders and cause deep scarring. Better safe than sorry. Spend $100 now instead of $1000 later.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

except he already told us the engine turns over smoothly....which means the rings ARENT rusted to the cylinder walls.

its a brand new engine with 45,000 miles...unless it was pulled because it was making knocking noises, his oil pressure is going to be fine and the factory dummy-light will be sufficient.

ive started engines that have been sitting underwater with less prep work.

 

[shadetree]

the metal is still good but the rubber and cork gets brittle without oil splashing it over the years. if the engine is out of the donor truck you might as well change all of the seals and gaskets now while it is easy instead of 6 months from now, when they fail.

Baloney. Heat and cool cycles dries out cork, and solidifies seals, as any working mechanic will tell you. The edges of cork gaskets that are constantly oiled are the first to harden. The chemicals in motor oils is some nasty stuff, and will damage seals and gaskets over time.

I live in one of the highest humidity states around. I built a 383 chevy to replace a Buick V6 I had put in a 82 chevy diesel pickup. The truck caught on fire and burned, so I let the engine sit for about 8 years. Brother-in-law bought it, dropped in his pick-up several years age, and the thing is still running fine.

Being this engine was run for a while, I might inspect the pan gaskets and valve cover gaskets, then again I might not if it is as clean as the op says it is. I would leave everything else alone.shady

 

[jeepxj2007]

alright...so things keep looking better and better I took both valve covers off, everything looked brand new and shiny!, and everything had a coating of oil on it, with 0 surface rust, I removed the lower plenum...exact same thing! a lot more oil...I don't understand how after that many years it just stayed there...but who cares, it probably saved this motor...I took the advice and sprayed wd-40 in it...now all new gaskets tomorrow, new dist. sinc...and what about my crankshaft position sensor, can I pop the harmonic balancer and the sensor thing off my old motor and put it on here? and what about the sync...does it have any particlular position like a distributor or no?