BEC start procedure
chrisf - 3/8/05 at 02:15 AM
Gentlemen:
My motor has been sitting for 2 years or so. What is the recommended procedure for starting a BEC—specifically a ‘Blade—for the first time? My
understanding is that it goes like so:
1.) Pull the plugs
2.) Disconnect the ECU
3.) Bump the starter until oil pressure is seen
4.) Reconnect the ECU
5.) Insert new spark plugs
6.) Connect fuel
7.) Start the engine
Does this sound right? I’m a little anxious because it seem like the first start will put tremendous wear on the bearings. Any advice is
appreciated.
I’m getting so close that I feel like a child on Christmas eve!!
--Thanks, Chris
chrisf - 3/8/05 at 02:24 AM
I forgot to also mention that the previous owner poured a bit of oil onto the pistons. WTF would he do something like that for? And how do I get it
out? I don't want oil all over my shiney new (expensive!!) spark plugs do I??
--Chris
nanosleep - 3/8/05 at 04:29 AM
quote:
Originally posted by chrisf
I forgot to also mention that the previous owner poured a bit of oil onto the pistons. WTF would he do something like that for? And how do I get it
out? I don't want oil all over my shiney new (expensive!!) spark plugs do I??
--Chris
This is good practice for storing an engine for an extended amount of time. The idea is to prevent the rings from sticking to the cylinder walls.
I've had no trouble storing engines without putting oil in the cylinders. I do however turn the engine over by hand (big wrench on the crank
snout) once every two months or so. How much oil is in the cylinders? If it's only a few spoonfuls, then you can just crank and run the engine as
is. A few spoonfuls of oil shouldn't be enough to foul the plugs. Don't worry if you get a little smoke out of the exhaust. Do worry if the
smoke lasts for more than a few minutes. If there are large amounts you will need to worry about hydro-locking the engine. Meaning when the piston
comes up, there is only enough room for the oil (no air). Oil is not compressible and the cylinder pressure gets very large very quickly. This usually
results in a bent rod. Turn the engine over by hand before applying the starter. If you have trouble by hand you'll need to remove the oil. An
easy and quite messy approach is to remove all the plugs and hit the starter for 20 seconds or so. The better approach is to use a turkey
baster/syringe and a piece of small tubing to suck out the oil. Failing that, you could drain the oil sump, pull the plugs, and turn the engine upside
down. Drain the carb bowls if this isn't an injected engine.
For V8 engines you would usually remove the distributor, insert a special tool which drops in where the distributor should go and connects with the
drive shaft for the oil pump. You then use an electric drill to spin the tool. This will turn the oil pump and pre-lube the entire engine. This would
be the best method if you can find an equivalent way to do this on your bike engine.
Be aware some bike engines have an external pipe from the oil pump back to the engine block. This would be an excellent place to force some oil using
an external pump.
HTH
-Andy
Peteff - 3/8/05 at 08:42 AM
Start it up on the old set of plugs ? Then swap them once it's run.