How To Fire Up Engine When It Is Out Of The Car?

[LeftCoast]

Hi,

I need to check if a replacement motor is worth installing in my 96 Camry, so I need to start it prior to putting in seals, timing belt, gaskets, etc. How would you go about getting this thing started? Do I need to hook-up a fuel pump for the injectors, or is a gravity-fed gas line enough?

Also, it looks like the main seal is leaking...what seals should I replace while the engine is out? It might be a good time to do a timing belt. Again though, I want to make sure the motor is worth using. I think it's got @ 170K.

Thanks in advance.

[Stillrunning]

Originally Posted by LeftCoast

How would you go about getting this thing started?

Engine dyno. You can then test it's HP/Torque compared to new.

Do I need to hook-up a fuel pump for the injectors,

Yes + starter, electrical including ECU and engine sensors, exhaust, and cooling. It's no small undertaking.

what seals should I replace while the engine is out?

As many as you can access, including timing belt. If there's used oil in the crankcase I would send it out for oil analysis to see if any bearing particles are in it. Have you thought about remanufactured engine with warranty?

[bill buttermore]

If your engine and tranny are already out of your car, split the trans from the old engine, and attach the trans to the new one. Attach the starter and battery. Put the battery on a charger. Use heavy jumper cables for the electrical connections. You will need a transmission, or at least the bell housing from one, (junkyard?) to mount the starter. Make sure there is oil in the crankcase. Pull all the spark plugs. Spin the engine with the starter and check the compression on all the cylinders. Add a tablespoon of motor oil to each cylinder and with the pistons in a vertical position, check compression again. This gives you wet and dry values, and tells you a lot about the condition of the rings and valves. Realize that these compression readings will not be made at operating temperature and may be lower than what you might expect from a normal compression test. Excellent cold compression readings would be 178psi, but on an engine with 170K, you will not likely see those. Values in the range of 130- 140psi would be more likely for those miles. The highest compression value should vary by no more than 15% from the lowest.

Attach a mechanical oil pressure gauge to the plug on the side of the block or remove the pressure sender and tap in there. Watch the gauge as you spin the engine for the compression test. After several spins in the compression check with cold oil, you should see oil pressure with 10w-30 around 30- 40 psi.

If the seller of the engine will agree to the above tests - (many claim the compression was tested to be 140 or 160 psi, etc.), that should tell you enough to make a decision on whether to buy the engine.

If you have the capability, drain the oil and coolant, put the engine on a stand and remove the pan. You can then check the pan for metal sparklies or fragments, wiggle the rods to see if there is any vertical play (bad news), or carefully remove the rod and main bearing caps to measure bearing and journal wear using plastigage.

It is important that you know what you are doing when you open the pan and start messing around the crankshaft. If you are not experienced, you might consider paying a mechanic to do the check for you. Otherwise, you could do more harm than good. I cannot imagine any seller allowing you to open the pan before you have bought the engine. But you could ask if you find the crank or bearings to be damaged, would they take the engine back? A reputable seller should agree to that.

If you have good compression values and good oil pressure, chances are good you are gonna have a good engine.

Unless you know that they have been recently changed, you should change the front and rear crankshaft seals, valve cover gasket, timing belt, and perhaps the water pump before you install the engine. It is also a good time to check valve clearance.