storing a engine ? + draining auto trans oil

[beandip]

I am pulling a pirfectly sound good 240 engine and installing a 280zx . I want to store the old engine and want to do it as right as I can . I plan to run the engine untill at normal temp and introduce mystery oil into the intakes to coat everything while the engine is running and shut it down and drain the oil , that is clean,and remove the filter. When I pull the intake and exhost manifolds spray oil into the ports and close with oil dampined rags. Question No.2 This Z has an auto trans. which I am going to be reusing, should I drain the fluid so as not spilling oil all over when I tilt the engine and trans to remove from the car . Also will there be alot of oil spilled when the trans is pulled from the converter. I have pulled many engines and trans. in the past but not automatics , and the engines I havent saved . This is a good one and I am keeping it at least for while , and want to save it. I am doing the swap at my Son's house and want to limit the mess.

[Ben]

Keep the oil in the trans, else the planetary gears will rust over & you may have to rebuilt the whole thing later on...

As long as you plug the output shaft & the oil lines, you shouldn't lose much fluid at all.

I have had gearboxes in storage for a few years with fluid & all they got before use was a general service.

[peterc]

"I plan to run the engine untill at normal temp and introduce mystery oil into the intakes to coat everything while the engine is running and shut it down and drain the oil , that is clean,and remove the filter."

Am I misreading something or do you intend to store the engine without oil, or are you just replacing the oil and fiter? I have a friend who preps his cars for winter/long term storage by replacing the oil and filter, then keeps adding oil until it completely fills the engine including the head. This keeps the cam and rockers etc. well-oiled and minimizes the chances of rust forming. A little oil sprayed into the clinders through the spark plug holes (and subsequently replace the plugs), and he's all set.

I must say it's a little startling the first time you unscrew the oil cap and see a head completely submerged in oil, but he's never had any problems with engines that have been prepped this way.

Also, will introducing the mystery oil while the engine is running give you the same protection as spraying it in after the engine is shut down?

[Walter Moore]

Well, I just started to rebuild and engine that was stored for more than 10 years by someone who just shut if off and stuck it in the garage.

I don't know what to do to prevent it, but if you store it long term you need some way to keep the rings from getting stuck and so fourth. They tell me this engine ran "fine" when they shut if off, but it had no compression in 4 of the 6 cylinders when I cranked it over.

Of course considering the state of the intake valve seats... running fine may have be an optimistic assessment...

But the rings were stuck. When I took the end cap off of the no 5 piston with the block turned upside down the piston slid out onto the floor.

[2ManyZs]

I think it would be a good idea to pull the plugs and pour a bit of regular motor oil in each cylinder and then turn the engine over by hand to coat the cylinder walls. Mystery oil is too thin to stay on the cylinder walls for very long, it will just run down the walls and pool on the pistons and not protect the cylinder walls like a thicker viscosity oil would.

[carguyinok]

http://www.240z.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3221&highlight=motor+storage