Restarting my OM617
 

So... My beloved 82 300cd has been sitting since around September of 2012. No a garage, charger on battery, car is pristine, but started working on rear quarter window operation (both work but not well, fixed one to 100%)... Then life caught up with me (kids).

As we own between 6-8 cars, including another pristine 240D, this car has sat. But I want to get it running.

I have an Ez car lift. I need to do a front end rebuild (for good measure - car wears outer fronts in typical w123 manner, but I have refinished 15" bundts and new tires, doesn't it right). Also want to do rear brake lines and a few other things.

So, car has sat that long. What's my best bet for minimal damage when restarting? Should I turn the engine over by hand a few times first? Anything else?

I drove the car cross country when I bought it. I trusted the car implicitly when I parked it. Now I need to regain the trust. What's the best way to get it going again so I an use it on ~400mi road trips?

Thanks!!

You can used the starter to see if oil pressure builds up. Check the oil, filters, and air cleaner filter---critters like to build nests!!

Keep the "STOP" lever engaged when cranking to keep fuel from getting to the injectors. When oil pressure builds up, see if she will fire!

Make sure the oil level is up in the crankcase (read dipstick), make sure you have fuel, usually old fuel is OK, but you can get a fungus growing in it which will mess up the filters, make sure it has a charged battery and crank it up. What else needs to be done man, get on it and crank it up! I started one in a junkyard a couple of years ago, and on a hot day it fired up with out using the glow plugs. I don't know how long it sat, but I bought it and set it in the garage for 5 years and now have it installed and it cranked right up. That is all it needs, fuel, lube, battery and air, (like the kind you breath).

The holding of the stop lever while cranking is a great idea. Should I turn it over by hand before doing it with the starter?

The battery has been on a float charger since I parked it, and the fuel has some stabilizing additive in it. I have no doubt it will crank and fire. Just want to minimize damage to moving parts, etc.

I would most certainly crank from the front crankshaft pulley by hand.

Things might feel a little stiff - don't let this worry you too too much.

If you wanted to go mega anal - super safe - then the way I make sure an engine is OK after rebuilding is as follows =>

1) Make sure there isn't any compression in the cylinders - so in your case remove the glow plugs

2) Stop fuel delivery - in your case clamp stop lever shut

3) Remove valve cover

4) Turn the crank by hand for a bit to make sure everything is working as it should

5) Jump lead from battery to starter solenoid to crank the engine over

6) Look for oil coming out of the spray bar on the top of the head etc


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If you want the super super mega mega anal option drain the old engine oil before disturbing anything. Whilst you won't get it all out because it is cold there's a chance that sedimentary layers of gunk in the oil has settled in the bottom of the oil. Draining immediately after years of sitting might shift some of the heavy muck.

Replace with fresh OK quality engine oil and a new filter - follow routine above so the fresh oil is flowing through the system before you start the engine for proper.

Run the engine for a few hundred miles or so and then change the oil and filter for your usual top quality stuff and go back to your regular oil change intervals with regular use of the vehicle.

Basically I like to get everything lubricated inside the engine before letting it really start and be under internal loading. After long inactive periods. Cranking it with the shut off held by someone is enough. When you see oil pressure well established just ask the person to remove his fingers from the shut off. .

Although you may have to stop the cranking and do the glow plug activation first on some engines.

Feel free to object if you know something I don't, but when I helped a friend get a Dodge Power Wagon (340ci I believe) based RV going a while back, we added a bit of oil to the cylinders to help make sure the rings were free before hand-cranking and eventually starting it. I think it was an upper-cylinder lubricant, or we may have used motorcycle oil/gear oil of some sort. The RV hadn't run in 3-4 years if I remember right. I can't imagine this causing problem, but if you don't feel comfortable trying that, don't do it :)

It seems to me the quick and easy way to lube the cylinders, pistons and rings is to turn it over with the fuel supply working properly. Cutting the fuel supply will prohibit the natural lube which keeps diesels running for many hundred thousands of miles.

During cold months this wouldn't be an issue for you could remove the glow fuse and turn the engine with the starter.

Being that it's possible it hits and fires right up this time of year I'd kill the compression by removing the glow plugs and let the fuel do it's job. That will ensure the engine does not crank before the oil is well circulated too.

The super safe method is to install an oz or two of Mystic Mystery oil into the cylinder, leave overnight, rotate the engine WITH A HAND wrench.... two revolutions ... then some of these other methods will be super safe... as the chance a ring is stuck the bore has been eliminated...

I recently started an OM617 that sat nearly ten years after it was overheated and scored one piston and cylinder then started tapping heavily.

Got a new battery, fired right up with some maintenance to the fuel system.

Within 100 miles ,I opened up the engine to rebuild it. Everything, other than that one cylinder, was in fantastic condition.

All 4 sets of rings were free to move about. the engine had no history of alt fuels and sat in a covered space in a very wet region

the biggest problem is rust on the walls. - this will injure the rings and the lands once it gets scraped off. Rust is very hard.

starting the engine without taking the head off and cleaning out the cylinders will be the same no matter what you do to prepare beforehand.

this is silly,
Them Diesels are Tough Sumbeetches, and this particular one has 130 PSI pulsing through it,

Just start the damn thing up already:rolleyes:

^^ agreed.

unless you have a specific reason for concern (water in fuel, or crankcase ..ie) it is fine to just start it up and drive.

Betsie is parked about 8 consecutive months out of the year (winter season in Alaska). I park her with the tank full of diesel and winter treated so it won't gel. I pretty much ignore it during that time, and don't touch it.

When summer rolls around, I put the battery back in, check to make sure the small fuel filter is still primed, crank it for a few seconds with the STOP lever pressed in (just to get the oil going a little), and then pre-glow and start.

Starts up fine, builds up pressure quickly and runs as if it was last started yesterday.