car has been dormant for some time.....
 

and i like to start it but before i do that i think it would be wise to get the oil pressure up.how can i 'prime' the engine before cranking?

How long has the car been sitting?

long enough that i'd want to prime it first.if you can't help.......

Charge the battery and remove the spark plugs. Crank it for no more than 15 seconds at a stretch and see if the oil pressure comes up.

Same thing here, my car has been sitting for a long time too. When I get ready to start it again, I am putting in fresh oil. Then I am going to unplug the coil and let it crank for a little bit getting the oil circulating in the engineand get the pressure up. Because if there is any engine damage to be done, I'm sure it is much less at the minimal RPM of the starter as opposed to a cold idle RPM. Only makes sense. Then after that, I am going to plug the coil back in and fire 'er up. Then...I'll let it warm up and then'll I'll "blow out the cobwebs"! :D

Now I am not saying that <this is the way> to do this, but that's what I was thinking.

Alright...looks like I got beat to the punch! ;)

This is the way I was taught ....

If you can, remove the spark plugs and pull the coil wire. Compression puts a load on the dry cylinder walls.

Run the starter for no more than about 15 sec at a time. Once you see oil pressure ... do it again. The put the plugs in, (no coil) do it again and listen for any bad noises.

If the oil pressure is good, connect the coil and see what you get.

Haasman

What is a long time? What is wrong with specifics?

Good luck,

One of my cars, the 71 Cutlass, sits idle for long periods (months). I don't fuss much with it, just start it up normally when I get around to it.

Last year I rebuilt the engine because of serious oil pan leakage. Upon inspection, I found the bearings never suffered from these startups after sitting idle. They were barely worn through the original tin coating.

My poor Benz will have been sitting for close to 2 years when I finally start 'er again. I've started it a few times after it first went into hibernation and let it warm up, and I drove it a few times up and down the road, but it has been completely shut off now for over a year. There isn't anything I should do on top of this is there?

I think you have a good plan. I hope your car has been in a garage all this time. Being outdoors is tough on a car that's idle. The best thing for an engine that's been sitting for a while is to run it! As long as it starts up and goes, the next items to check out are transmission function, cooling system, and brakes.

Storage is tougher on brakes than on the engine.

I would suggest removing the plugs and squirting some motor oil into the cylinders, perhaps 1/2 oz per cylinder.

If you have a carb, squirt some WD40 down the throat.
It would be best to use fresh fuel as well.

Then, turn the motor with the starter until it builds oil pressure.
Some oil may splash out, but that's ok.

Put the plugs back in, and start it up.

That is probably the bulk of the wear you can easily prevent.


It would be better to take preventive measures at storage.
1) Change the oil. Used oil is acidic, and will slowly (and unevenly)corrode the emmersed moving parts.
2) Add a fuel stabilizer, or drain the fuel.
3) Fog the motor with a fogging oil
-or
At least put 1/2 oz of motor oil in each cylinder, and turn motor with starter for 5 seconds.

Motors hate to sit. Exhaust systems, brakes, various bearings and batteries hate to sit too. Tires can 'flat spot'.
For maximum longevity, drive a car once per week until it reaches operating temp if possible.

Marvel Mystery Oil to the Rescue!
 

When I was a lad, we resurrected and unbent a wrecked MG and the next year, a wrecked Jag. Upon the advice of Charlie O'Dell, Master Mechanic at the Hudson dealer, we squirted Marvel Mystery Oil in each cylinder, after sticking the fuel line in a bucket of fresh "Ethyl" gasoline.

The MG started right up, but the Jag needed a squirt of ether in the carb.

I do not know what is mysterious or marvelous about this stuff, but it is still in the stores and comes in a red and black can.
The Stdebaker mechanic said we could also use Bardahl or even Wynn's Friction-Proofer.

Re: Marvel Mystery Oil to the Rescue!
 

MMO is just a thin mineral oil with some solvents and detergents added.
Wynn's is reportedly 83% kerosene.

Not so magical, but the results would likely be about the same, and I suppose we are all a bit too cynical these days...

Sure do miss my old MG on those warm summer nights...
Those memories are magical.

Marvel Mystery Oil
 

Apparently this stuff is a detergent and is used for aircraft piston engines.

http://mmd.foxtail.com/Archives/Digests/199808/1998.08.18.20.html

If Bardahl is 83% kerosene, the 17% would be the wonder-working ingredients. After all, beer is 95% water. Moet Champagne is 88% water.

The MG we restored was a 1948 TC. Some of the frame was wood, as I recall, but luckily not the broken part. We worked on it for two months and had it painted British Racing Green. We sold it for $1900. The farmer who had imported it with his wife sold it to us for $150. Gee, I wish I had it today. I saw a TD at the Autoi Show, on sale for a mere $40K.

The electrical parts were cursed by John Lucas, aka the "Prince of Darkness"

I am afraid we replaced the light switch with one from an old Nash Airflyte. A great improvement, considering as how the lights no longer tended to extinguish themselves most uncooperatively while driving down twisty Missouri Highway 10 at 60 mph (which felt like 90 mph in Buick mph's).