Need help with 84 SVO stored for 10 years without cranking

[svo2run]

I just purchased a 1984 SVO with 51,500 miles on it that hasn't been run in over 10 years and had it towed to my house. It spent 1992 outside and 1993-2002 in a dry garage. I've gotten a lot of advice (from everyone it seems) on how to proceed. Here it is at a glance:

Replace all belts (including timing) and hoses
Empty gas tank and replace with fresh fuel
Remove spark plugs and oil each cylinder
Remove valve cover and pour oil on everything
Hand crank engine a couple of times
Replace spark plugs/wires/valve cover
Check oil level and add as needed
Remove coil wire and crank engine until oil pressure is up
Replace coil wire and start engine
Run at idle speed for ~10 minutes
Change oil
Restart and run again for about ~10 more minutes

What do you think? No one has any advice on the turbo unit. Does that need any prep before starting the engine?

Thanks for the help!
Mark

[pegasus.v.o]

2run,

You should change timing belt. I would say, hoses are optional unless you see some cracked vacuum lines,those should be replaced.You should drain tank and replace w/fresh fuel. Drain old oil and replace with fresh, remove coil wire and crank engine by hand a couple of times to make sure it is not seized. If motor turns by hand , then crank ignition for several seconds. You are now ready to start engine and run for about 10 minutes, shut off and change oil again letting it drain very well.
All that other jazz seems like overkill to me but hey thats my opinion.

[SVOPaul]

Inspect the air cleaner, VAM and hose to turbo to make sure no critters made a nest or left anything that could enter the turbo. I would recommend changing out the hoses if they look old just for good measure. I would also highly recommend changing the brake fluid. The Turbo unit is oil fed and should be OK....you could remove the feed line from the turbo while cranking without spark and see if oil feeds out of the line...if yes, all should be well. Hopefully the car had good maintenance prior to it's storage. Other than that it looks like you have it all covered. If you have any questions or need anything, I am just outside B'ham.

[pegasus.v.o]

Good call Paul, forgot about the "critter factor."

[cobra0478]

When I found my car, it had been stored for 7 years,the brakes had to be rebuilt completly,also the fuel tank had rusted inside so badly I had to replace it as well as both fuel pumps. The list goes on & on,all the little things you find will become agrivating to say the least.Once you get it up & going is when all the problems will really be seen,don't give up on it ,just go one step at a time.
When you find a problem, fix it , don't patch it,you'll be glad later.
Don

[svo2run]

Sorry to sound ignorant - but I am!

How do I know if there is rust in the gas tank or if the brakes operate safely (kinda want to know that before I drive it).

Mark

[cobra0478]

To me stopping safely is more important than going at all. I have always owned a mustang,most of them bought,after being abused and,or,sit up,(65-66) mostly.I have came to asume that if it has sat for a while the brakes need attention.What happens here after a while of use the old fluid becomes dirty,even gritty,it also will collect moisture(condinsation),when the car is sat up the parts begain to rust inside, and will freeze up, if they do work it will only be for a little while,not worth the chance.
The fuel system has basicly the same problems,condensation this problem is worse here.When a car is stored changes in temperature causes moisture to form in the fuel tank,if the tank level is low or empty the problem is worse,the moisture causes the inside of the tank to rust,the rust flakes off,when you start the car the rust then will clog filters,even pass filters and damage pumps.
The best way to be shure is to drop the fuel tank & look inside,put a litttle fuel back in it ,rinse it around and empty it into a glass jar,if there is rust there you will see it.
For the brakes,go ahead and rebuild the calipers&master cylinder,replace the rubber break line hoses,replace the pads.
For god's sake ignore the ahshucks attitude you will hear from some people about the brakes,do them right. Your life depends
on it.
Don

[SVOPaul]

Inspect your brake lines for dry rotting(cracks in rubber), bleed the brakes and make sure to get all the old fluid out...I can guarantee the fluid is moisture soaked.....The most likely problem you will find is that the front calipers(one or both) will stick when you go to drive it(especially with the warmer weather upon us)...you can replace the calipers with rebuilt units to avoid this problem. Brakes are important, make sure you give the appropriate attention to them.

How much fuel is in the tank?? if it is not full then you most likely have had condensation occur....it would be best to drop and drain the tank to be sure....

Feel free to call me during the day at 205-629-3126 if you have any questions pertaining to this....

[svo2run]

Thanks to all - you saved me a LOT of time, money and aggravation.

So far I've changed the oil, replaced the upper/lower hoses and hand-cranked the motor. It turned very smoothly with no binding whatsoever. And yes, I dropped the fuel tank. The thick reddish brown liquid that greeted me was far from gasoline anymore. It didn't even smell like gasoline. And the inside was covered with rust (there was even a half-inch pile of dried rust at the bottom of the filler pipe!)

I will definately follow your advice and completely service the brakes before driving. (Feel free to advise on anything else you can think of!)

By the way - where's a good place here in beautiful Alabama to buy a fuel tank/pump/filter/float???

Mark

P.S. Let me know if you're interested in the progress - or just tell me to shut up!

[cobra0478]

I bought my fuel tank from Hi Lo auto supply,It cost a little over a hundred bucks as I recall, make shure the parts person understands that it is for an SVO. it makes a difference,the tank is listed in their book,if you have problems let me know,I will get you the supplier name&the part #.The tank I bought was like the original in every way,direct swap,no problems.
Keep us posted.
Don

[svo2run]

Here's the latest . . .

Replaced the fuel tank after blowing out the lines. Cold-cranked without coil wire for three rounds of ten seconds each then reconnected the coil wire. It caught briefly then stalled. This happened three more times. Finally added enough accelerator to keep it going but it was really, really running rough. After about a minute I cut it off to see if a vacuum line was disconnected but couldn't find anything. Restarted again but still ran rough. I let it run for about 5 minutes and cut it off again. Finally (third times the charm) restarted and suddenly it just settled down and idled perfectly. I let it idle for about 10 minutes before pushing it slowly to 2500 rpm. That's when I heard the turbo spin up for the first time. The temp gauge slowly moved into the middle range but the fan never cut on. So far so good . . .

Then wisps of smoke appeared from under the intercooler. I shut off the motor and removed the intercooler but by then the smoking had stopped. I restarted and let it run for another 10 minutes, watching the temp gauge. It rose slightly above half. More constant smoke appeared from under the intercooler. I never pinpointed where it was coming from. I'm hoping it was just oil runoff from filling it.

I hope to have a mechanic come over and look at it tomorrow. Then it's on to the brakes!

More later,
Mark

[SVOPaul]

The fan usually won't come on until much higher on the gauge...this is a problem area for the SVO since the TRW made relay box is notorious for burning up....so make sure to keep an eye on things and that the Fan does in fact come on. Once you get it running, if you want to come by the shop, I can pull out the relay and check it to make sure it is not cooked. The fan should also come on if you switch the A/C on.

The smoke you are seeing should be from residual dirt/oil...it has been sitting but make sure that your turbo oil feed line to the turbo is not leaking and see if there is anything leaking onto the exhaust manifold to be sure...but it should clear up for you.

[svo2run]

Well, I finally took her out for a spin. But since the tires are filled with dry rot and the steering linkage is messed up it was a short trip around the block!

Don't have any low-end power - in fact, it acts like it wants to stall when you give it any gas. Ideas???

Many thanks to Paul for the time he has spent helping me. Drove over to see him today for some advice and parts. Is there anything he doesn't know about the SVO!!! My real first trip with my baby will be to his shop for a once-over and to start the wish list! Thanks again, Paul.

Mark

[92copcar]

Birmingham SVO

Glad to hear of another fine automobile in the area.

I live between Hoover & Bessemer and have an '84, '86, and two 5.0s I drove the '86 from 1992 until 2000, doing maintenance/tuning myself...
If there's anything I can help with, don't hesitate to contact me. Paul, Ty, and Ryan are great resources locally too.

Let me know where you're at. I'd love to have a look.

Matt Rocksvold <mustangfanatic@hotmail.com>