Need procedure to start engine on a 2 year stored NSX

[fkong777]

I'm about to pickup a NSX in a couple weeks
It belongs to my brother. He stored it for about 2 years without starting it once in a while.

Is there special procedure I should do?
Do I need to pull the plugs and spray some oil inside the combustion camber?

I'll prob pull the fuel pumpe fuse so I can get oil pressure going before I let it fire.

 

[White92]

Well, first step is to kick your brother in the nuts for storing and not driving his NSX for 2 years. The rest, I have no idea.....

 

[Yellow Rose]

A Very Bad Idea

I'll prob pull the fuel pump fuse so I can get oil pressure going before I let it fire.

While the engine is cranking but not firing because of zero fuel pressure, the innards are rubbing metal-to-metal. Why? Because at cranking RPM, the oil pump is not discharging adequate pressure. As long as you are without the fuel pump fuse and cranking the engine, you are hurting the wear surfaces.

If a car is in storage for two years, other than the battery draining, it helps not if you start the engine every month or just to start it one time when it hits the road again. Assuming the injectors did not "gum up" over time and no internal oxidation formed, just start the engine.

I’m sure there are pundits like Honda 606 that will call me an ignorant turd because I don’t know anything about lubricants nor fuels, but if your brother’s car was my car, I would just turn the key and drive.

 

[fkong777]

found some info on www.eHow.com

Home > Automotive Center > Maintenance

How to Remove Your Car From Long-Term Storage
Getting your car back on the road is a little trickier than storing it properly in the first place - but this is still a job that most car owners can deal with.

Steps:
1. Purchase and install a new battery. If the car has been in storage less than a year the battery may be rechargeable.

2. Change the oil and oil filter.

3. Remove the spark plugs and squirt a small amount (a few tablespoons) of motor oil into each cylinder to pre-lubricate the engine.

4. Take the car off the jack stands and add air (probably 32 PSI, but check your owner's manual) to all the tires.

5. Change the fuel filter if the car has been in storage longer than three years.

6. Drain the gas tank and add new fuel only if the car won't run.

7. Replace the spark plug cables if the car has been in storage five or more years or if the cables look cracked and brittle.

Please let me know if I shouldn't do any of the item.. I guess #7 dont apply with NSX.

 

[Soichiro]

I'm with Andy on this. Start it up and drive away. This is no different than starting a car that has not been started for a month or so - after the oil drains down into the sump, that's all that happens. Start the car so the oil pump gets pressure into the system ASAP, then drive it.

 

[hlweyl]

I wouldn't panic if the car doesn't run perfectly at first. Two year old gas has probably gone bad.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[andy l.]

I am in the unfortunate situation that I have to frequently store my cars away for periods of usually 8~9 monthes, sometimes up to one year, and I have nobody to start up or drive them all the time. The longest storage period ever was 16 monthes.
I just start them up and drive to my DIY workshop doing an immediate engine oil+filter change. I do this every time regardless of how many miles the cars have run with the old engine oil before. So far, I don't see that following this procedure did any harm to my car's engines.
In most cases I didn't even need to re-charge the batteries, they just held enough energy since I disconnect them and self-discharge does not seem to drain them too much. Since i bought my '92 NSX over two years ago I had to put it in hibernation for 3 extended periods so far, and it cranks, fires and runs smooth as sillk after the first turn of the ignition key every time. No abnormal noise, no smoke.. everything is fine.

andy l.

 

[goldNSX]

my two cents: I would take the spark plugs out, drop in a little oil (not too much!), put in 5th gear, jackstand the rear wheels and rotate the rear wheels with my hands (don't know how much rotations) to rotate the engine and gears two times to lubricate the cylinders and so on before starting it.

Greetings,
Thomas

 

[prova4re]

Its a HONDA!.....insert key........turn key and start! Add some gas and go have some fun!

If it was a Ferrari I would be scared, very very scared.

 

[MJK]

At the minimum, I'd change the oil, check the tire pressure, and give the belts and hoses a quick visual check before I gave it a shot. It'll take you a half an hour, why take chances? If it started, I would then let warm up and drive to a gas station and fill it up with preium gas to try and dilute the old gas a little.

It wouldn't surprise me if the battery were dead too, but if it cranks then you are golden. Good luck!

 

[goldNSX]

Its a HONDA!.....insert key........turn key and start! Add some gas and go have some fun!

If it was a Ferrari I would be scared, very very scared.

Even it's a Honda I would be very careful. Not driving it for 2 years it bad for every car. Take it for sure that there isn't any oil for the first turnings on most mechanical parts. So I would turn the engine as described above before starting it, then start it and let it warm up.
If it starts right away I would be driving it very carefully for the first 100 km.
If the tires stood 2 years in the same position I would change the tires too.

 

[Jeanie@NA2_NSX-R]

Well, first step is to kick your brother in the nuts for storing and not driving his NSX for 2 years. The rest, I have no idea.....

Totally agree

 

[andy l.]

i don't see any difference for the "there isn't any oil" thing... whether the car was sitting for a week or a year, the oil is just back to the pan. there is wear on any such engine start, the engine is designed for that. Now, using a preluber would eliminate that wear thus most probably making the engine lasting for..(?)00.000 miles longer...
tires might be an issue but not necessarily. i had jacked up my cars for this reason when i had to start storing them away for extended periods; later i just skipped that and increased tire pressure to 3,2 bar instead. so far, i didnt end up with 'square' tires yet.

andy l.

 

[nsx24]

I think the "pull plugs and squirt oil in cylinder" is not all that bad of an idea. You can have that done in under an hour. Just an extra precaution, but then start and drive. Why was you brother not able to drive it for 2 years? How many miles on the car?

 

[andy l.]

I don't think it does much since you might be able to lubricate the cylinder/piston ring surface somewhat (rather little than much) but it does absolutely nothing to any other of the many lubricating points in the engine.
You can not squirt too much oil in there or you might end up with your piston(s) trying to compress the oil... which we all know does not compress... say: liquid stroke..
And leaving the plug holes open will make a nice oily mess in your engine bay...
The engine is designed for 'dry' starts, it takes only a few cranks and the oil will be there.

andy l.

 

[goldNSX]

If the car has been jacked up I would change the tires only if they are older than 8 years. If the car was sitting on the wheels I would definitly change the tires as they will won't be round anymore.

 

[andy l.]

i don't know for two years, but i do know for up to 16 monthes... cars not being jacked up, tire pressure 3,2 bar: tires perfectly round. if they were even a little 'squared' or flattened i would have noticed for sure when doing high speed driving.
now, this might have been luck and must not be the case for his tires, but there is a good chance they are still ok. and some slight deformation can straighten out itself when driving the car a bit. if they are very old already, sure, replacement is the best thing to do.

andy l.

 

[fkong777]

Finally wrote the check and got a new battery.

Started right up. It just ran rich for a while. then I changed the oil to Mobil 1 and drove it home.

I think the tire is flat spotted but I'll change it out anyways.

Lot of work and Lot of fun ahead.

 

[W]

Congrats!

 

[Meeyatch1]

Well, first step is to kick your brother in the nuts for storing and not driving his NSX for 2 years. The rest, I have no idea.....

HAHAHA!! I like it!! Someone who thinks like me.....nice color choice on your NSX by the way.

 

[Meeyatch1]

Why was this poor car sitting for 2 years with no use anyway?? Are there a lot of miles on it??

 

[fkong777]

Actually it was a good thing the car was stored for 2 years. the car would have 60K more miles on it if he kept driving it for 2 year. He bought a cheap car to drive for new job situation.

 

[Bart Geerts]

I've read a couple of times here to do an oil change. I wouldn't do that. Start it, run it a few hundred miles and then do the oil change. These couple of hundred miles will make sure all 'dirt' is in the oil and not anywhere else.