Restart after 9 months

[Andy Gold]

My 0-360 RV6 has been idle for about 9 months. No preservation techniques were used for the engine, however it has been hangared in a fairly dry environment. Any recommendations on might be done to prep or pre-lube the engine prior to starting it back up?

[hydroguy2]

Mine just sat 100+ days. Today, I pulled it through by hand for a couple turns. Then with the mags and fuel off, I cranked it over for a minute to pump some oil up. Then I gave it a touch of fuel and cranked again. Finally I added the sparks and off she went. Belched a little black smoke and stumbled/spit for a bit before smoothing out nicely. I taxied out to the far end to ensure all was plenty warm and smooth. Mag check good and off we went...Smoooth as silk. Townsend, Montana is dry dry. Never a worry. She ran great after 30 minutes.....I even ran her WOT, 188kts at 4300'msl. Life is good!

[Mel]

I recommend NOT pulling it through. Doing this just wipes off the oil that is on the cylinder walls. Cranking without starting also wears the cam as it is only lubricated by "splash" while running.

Best to just use normal start procedure and run at low RPM for the first few seconds then increase RPMs to about 800 for warm up.

[hydroguy2]

Originally Posted by Mel

I recommend NOT pulling it through. Doing this just wipes off the oil that is on the cylinder walls. Cranking without starting also wears the cam as it is only lubricated by "splash" while running.

Best to just use normal start procedure and run at low RPM for the first few seconds then increase RPMs to about 800 for warm up.

Yes....but

Having it fire and jump to 1500rpm isn't good either. Raise your hand only if you've never had an engine Rev up on start.

There is almost always residual oil in the cylinders that has pooled. Pulling it though helps spread this to coat the walls before it revs up.
The risk and load on the cam is minimal at 1rpm.
The pull through, followed by cranking for a minute to re-prime the oil system helps.
The engines I've been around go well past TBO, even with sitting for months. different strokes for different folks. Shows how tough those Lycomings really are.

[az_gila]

You could do the inverse of a "Tim Allen" and follow the Lycoming Service Instruction....

http://www.lycoming.com/Portals/0/te...al%20Start.pdf

TIME OF COMPLIANCE: Prior to initial start after engine change, overhaul, oil cooler replacement or draining or any prolonged period of inactivity.

[Jesse]

What Gil said is almost exactly what I do. I pull a set of plugs to remove compression. Then I spin by hand and listen carefully for any scraping/grinding. Then I spin by hand as fast as I can for about 20-50 revolutions and to see if I get oil pressure. Either way, I then crank with the starter (still with no compression) to get good oil pressure. Then I put the plugs back in and fire it up.

[Snowflake]

Originally Posted by Mel

I recommend NOT pulling it through. Doing this just wipes off the oil that is on the cylinder walls.

I wish people would stop propagating this old wives' tale... If the oil wasn't wiped off the last time the cylinder moved around in there, it won't wipe it off this time either. Pulling it through does let you know if you have anything that's become "stuck" during the time of inactivity... Best to find that when pulling carefully by hand, rather than by forcing it around with horsepower...

Cranking without starting also wears the cam as it is only lubricated by "splash" while running.

Very true. It's also making your starter work hard for no reason.

[StoneAge]

Ensure your battery is in good shape and charged. In case of induction fire it would be a bummer for your battery to suddenly be out of juice.