OK, I have a wierd one. I bought on Ebay an old 1961 vintage 190D engine that has been in storage for 20 years for the paltry sum of $69.95. I won't receive the engine untill June when the seller is coming out my way as they have family in my area, and are willing to bring it with them if I'm willing to wait. To save the $300 - $400 shipping costs, I'm willing.

Anyway, before I even attempt to hand turn this engine, I want to somehow run oil under pressure through the engine. Any ideas on how to tackle this? TIA.

No answer to the oil question. But if you and the seller are close to Forward Air depots, you should be able to ship it for a LOT cheaper. I shipped a sailboat engine of about the same size from Florida to NY for less than $150 with Forward Air.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Cranking the engine with the starter will force oil thru the engine without the high forces caused by combustioin and at a much slower speed. If you release the compression, the forces will be even less.

As far as cranking by hand,it would take a lot of revolutions to get the oil to circulate.

P E H

70 bucks?! Lucky dog!

First thing I'd do is pull the glow plugs and pour an ounce or two of WD-40 in each cylinder. Then drain the injector pump and secondary fuel filter if it's there. Then fill the pump and filter with ATF and hand pump until the injector return lines are ATF. Then wait a week. Then change the oil filter and install a temporary oil pressure gauge. Then crank the engine (without glow plugs installed). Cranking blows out the WD-40 and (hopefully) charges the oil circuits. Put it all together and start it up. I'd like to see the smile on your face when you watch your $70 engine purr away.

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daBenz - 1970 220D

Thanx for the tip, but I'm gonna be a cheapskate on this one as I won't be able to mess with this untill I'm done with the remodeling on the house. It'll easily be into June before I'd have the time to mess with it.

Then I'm gonna get serious with these cars. My goal is to have all three of the Mercedes' at least running, registered, and driveable if not pretty.

Was the engine oil changed on the engine before storage? 20 years is awhile for a "RUNNING" engine to be stored. I would be concerned about the main and rod bearings due to the acids ect. left behind in the oil from when it ran last. It would be a good time to ck them before you install it into a car.

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My Truck.. 2007 DODGE, 5.9 Cummins, 6spd stick, 4X4. My car..1977 240D, OTHER WHEELS...1955 VW Oval window bug, European Delivery (Holland) with a 1700cc, 2 barrel, Porsche drum brakes. 1939 WILLYS Pick-up. 1967 Triumph 200cc Tiger Cub. 1976 Honda 550F 4cyl Motor Cycle.

You should probably pull the valve cover off and assess the condition of the crankshaft. Hopefully it is still damp with oil and has no rust spots. If that's the case, just "pre-lube" the valve train by pouring fresh oil over it.

Another area of concern is the cylinder walls. If you can get lubricant into the cylinders via the glow plugs (as already mentioned) that should take care of that provided there's no rust. Your inspection under the valve cover will help you determine the chances of rust elsewhere.

Then you might be ready to see if you can turn the engine over by hand. If that seems to be OK, then you are probably ready to crank it over for awhile with the starter to feed oil through the system.

However, beware of my advice, because I've never worked with an engine that has sat for 20 years!

Ken300D

Being it is a freestanding motor. If it was me I would pull the pan and valve cover look at what I might be dealing with. based on what I saw I might pull the head and a rod cap.

20 years is a very very long time for an engine to just sit, even if it was prepared properly. If the motor has a remote oil filter or oilines for a cooler, you could hook up and electric pump and push the oil. I saw this on a Ferrari about 10 years a go. The fellow added an electric oil pump to make sure everything was lubed before he cranked it.

Good luck

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1980 300TD-T (82 Turbo and Trans) 159,000 Miles "Jackie-O"
1983 300SD 272,000 Miles "Aristotle"
1987 Jeep Wagoneer Limited - keeps the MB's off the ice and out of the snow
1994 BMW 530it

This is coming from a "Wanta be, good DIYer" so I gota ask this.... couldn't you look into each cylinder with one of those fiber optic scopes or am I thinking of some James Bond flick?

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1985 Euro 240D 5 spd 140K
1979 240D 5 spd, 40K on engine rebuild
1994 Dodge/Cummins, 5 spd, 121K
1964 Allice Chalmers D15 tractor
2014 Kubota L3800 tractor
1964 VW bug

"Lifes too short to drive a boring car"

Cool thought. They're called borescopes. Not that expensive at Harbor Freight.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

I have heard of valve springs breaking shortly after starting up a motor which has been sitting a very long time...might be safer to replace the springs before revving it up....