Evening all

Finally got my practice engine all apart and have a few questions about storage.

1) I've got all the parts labelled etc etc with the pistons/conrods/big end bearings all together in trays of old oil - will this be ok ?

2) I've wiped the bore with newspaper soaked in engine oil - again any problems there ?

3) But the thing I'm most worried about is the crank. I've heard it can warp if stored horizontally. Should I be storing it on its end - come to think of it does this apply to the cams as well ? If so which end, the pulley end or flywheel end ?

At the moment the crank is sitting in the upturned block in its main bearings on a coat of oil but I'll need to find somewhere else whilst I clean up the block.

thanks
Paul

Never heard of this, personaly I've stored plenty cranks on their flats with no problems.

Davie

I made some trestles for storing our crankshafts at work but they are over 20' long and weigh over 20 tons........
If a car crank can warp by being left flat, it must be made of cheese.

Rather than store in oil I usually just wipe everything over with CLEAN engine oil and bag them up (labelled of course)

The bore will be fine, remember it will need deglazing before you reassemble anyway (assuming you are fitting new rings) so I dont usually bother unless the engine is going to sit for years.

Dont worry about the crank, it wont warp.

Morning

Thanks chaps - all my questions answered again !!

I think I'll have a bit of a rearrange tonight

cheers
Paul

If you're going to be storing the parts over the winter it might be better to clean everything and then smear the bores and bearing surfaces wth grease - it stays in place better than oil.

You need to ensure that the pistons & rods go back in the same bores. If they have been through the parts washer then remove the piston rings . I had some that seized solid when the pistons were stored for a while and they were a PITA to remove.

cheers robin - haven't removed piston rings yet so that's a job for the weekend.