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Old 09-29-2017, 10:43 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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How long can an engine sit?

Howdy folks:

I was wondering how long an engine ( in this case a DTA360 ) can sit unused before
one has to worry about the gaskets drying out and what other issues might arise due
to lack of use?

Thanks

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Old 09-30-2017, 12:09 AM   #2
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Not sure about the DTA360, but a friend had an IH 9.0L which sat unused for some time. A couple fresh batteries, check of the fluids, and bump of the switch and it fired right up. (OK, maybe a couple spins of the starter). It was rather promptly driven over 100 miles with no trouble at all. It was owned by a church and well maintained up to the point the program was ended, so the brakes, belts, and pretty much everything else was kept up.
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Old 09-30-2017, 07:50 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NorthernExposure View Post
Howdy folks:

I was wondering how long an engine ( in this case a DTA360 ) can sit unused before
one has to worry about the gaskets drying out and what other issues might arise due
to lack of use?

Thanks
It can sit years without major problems, but vehicles that sit develop issues. Sensors fail, hoses and belts dry-out, wiring gets brittle/corroded and rodents.

How long are you talking? Proper precautions can help.
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Old 09-30-2017, 08:23 AM   #4
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My engine mechanic (and every vids on youtube) basically say you should "stretch the bus' wheels at least once every two to four weeks. Take if for a spin and get it up to operating temperatures and keep it there for a good 10min. The movement will also keep the rear end, axles, driveshaft, etc. lubricated.

If you can't get it out (i.e. in the middle of your build), at least hi-idle the engine for the same amount of time on the same schedule. You won't get the benefit of keeping the other mechanical parts lube'd (which could be a problem later on), but at least the engine got up to operating temperatures.

At least, that's what my mechanic told me to do....

You "old timers" have anything to add, change, or delete???
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Old 09-30-2017, 08:26 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rusty View Post
It can sit years without major problems, but vehicles that sit develop issues. Sensors fail, hoses and belts dry-out, wiring gets brittle/corroded and rodents.

How long are you talking? Proper precautions can help.
We're talking probably 2+ years, maybe as many as 4 years. I've been looking around
some of the Diesel Websites and gaskets drying up doesn't seem to be a concern, but
as you mentioned, the belts and hoses getting a little brittle could be a problem. Also, this
bus has been sitting in a farmers yard all the while, so mice and other rodent chewing on
things they shouldn't is a distinct possibility.

I'm very curious to see how well it runs after all that time - I hope it runs well with no
major issues. I wouldn't consider replacing belts and hoses a major issue, I think it
would be a routine procedure after such a lengthy period of time. The rodents, on the other
hand, might be the biggest issue.
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Old 09-30-2017, 08:39 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NorthernExposure View Post
We're talking probably 2+ years, maybe as many as 4 years. I've been looking around
some of the Diesel Websites and gaskets drying up doesn't seem to be a concern, but
as you mentioned, the belts and hoses getting a little brittle could be a problem. Also, this
bus has been sitting in a farmers yard all the while, so mice and other rodent chewing on
things they shouldn't is a distinct possibility.

I'm very curious to see how well it runs after all that time - I hope it runs well with no
major issues. I wouldn't consider replacing belts and hoses a major issue, I think it
would be a routine procedure after such a lengthy period of time. The rodents, on the other
hand, might be the biggest issue.
I'll bet with fresh fuel and a fresh battery or two it'll fire right up.
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Old 09-30-2017, 08:40 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkyDee View Post
My engine mechanic (and every vids on youtube) basically say you should "stretch the bus' wheels at least once every two to four weeks. Take if for a spin and get it up to operating temperatures and keep it there for a good 10min. The movement will also keep the rear end, axles, driveshaft, etc. lubricated.

If you can't get it out (i.e. in the middle of your build), at least hi-idle the engine for the same amount of time on the same schedule. You won't get the benefit of keeping the other mechanical parts lube'd (which could be a problem later on), but at least the engine got up to operating temperatures.

At least, that's what my mechanic told me to do....

You "old timers" have anything to add, change, or delete???
My big concern was the engine, but you bring up a good point about the lubrication of
the rear-end and other moving parts... Thanks
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Old 09-30-2017, 08:49 AM   #8
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Neither of mine will get even close to operating temp unless actually driven around.
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Old 09-30-2017, 08:49 AM   #9
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A buddy picked up a huge CAT rubber tired loader at an auction for scrap price. Engine locked up from sitting. He poured CROCUS OIL in on top of pistons. He could move it for maybe a 1/16 to and 1/8th inch either way with a huge bar.
I thought that this will never work. I was wrong. After tweaking it at least 3 times a week for about 2-3 months; it finally broke loose! Runs just fine.

Depends on the conditions of sitting also.
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Old 09-30-2017, 08:50 AM   #10
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
I'll bet with fresh fuel and a fresh battery or two it'll fire right up.
That would be an ideal outcome that I can only hope for.
A real concern of mine are issues that are not readily detectable during an initial,
cursory inspection and start becoming major problems later on ( further down the road,
so to speak ).
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Old 09-30-2017, 09:19 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad_SwiftFur View Post
Not sure about the DTA360, but a friend had an IH 9.0L which sat unused for some time. A couple fresh batteries, check of the fluids, and bump of the switch and it fired right up. (OK, maybe a couple spins of the starter). It was rather promptly driven over 100 miles with no trouble at all. It was owned by a church and well maintained up to the point the program was ended, so the brakes, belts, and pretty much everything else was kept up.
Pretty much all the replies have been fairly positive like yours.
Come to think of it, I used to have an old Case 930 tractor that just sat on my
property for quite a few years, when someone finally came by looking to buy it we had
to mess around for a while getting the air out of the fuel system, then it fired up and they
drove it away.
Maybe I just worry too much.
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Old 09-30-2017, 09:21 AM   #12
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I used to be into old cars a few things I noticed about vehicles sitting to long.

Usually a year or two vehicles are fine. Longer internal stuff starts to rust. When engines and gears are turning they are coating themselves with oil when it stops for too long the top of the engine and gears will start to rust. If all the belts and hoses are rotted * You should wonder about seals and stuff you cannot see.

A lot depend on climate snow, ice, salt are bad for stuff that is made of rubber, belts, hoses, seals. I used to get old cars from Salt Lake City they would rot much quicker because they would be coated with salt all winter and still always have salt in the nooks and crannies of everything. Same with vehicles by the ocean. Salt is the worst. It will also dry gears out faster.

* Vehicles will sit for decades and the owners will always say “It just needs ____ “ . Wrong.. stuff rots and rusts once you start driving it you will be at the parts store after every drive.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Versatile View Post
A buddy picked up a huge CAT rubber tired loader at an auction for scrap price. Engine locked up from sitting. He poured CROCUS OIL in on top of pistons. He could move it for maybe a 1/16 to and 1/8th inch either way with a huge bar.
I thought that this will never work. I was wrong. After tweaking it at least 3 times a week for about 2-3 months; it finally broke loose! Runs just fine.

Depends on the conditions of sitting also.
I knew an old biker that used take locked up engines he would take the heads off pour oil/oil type stuff over the pistons and let them hang in gear for a few months until they would break free.
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Old 09-30-2017, 09:38 AM   #13
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Versatile View Post
A buddy picked up a huge CAT rubber tired loader at an auction for scrap price. Engine locked up from sitting. He poured CROCUS OIL in on top of pistons. He could move it for maybe a 1/16 to and 1/8th inch either way with a huge bar.
I thought that this will never work. I was wrong. After tweaking it at least 3 times a week for about 2-3 months; it finally broke loose! Runs just fine.

Depends on the conditions of sitting also.
Your buddy has the patience of a saint... I would have probably given up after 2-3 days,
but your friend obviously knows more about diesel mechanics then I ever will. I have
heard putting oil on the pistons before, but tweaking it for 2-3 months is not something
I would have considered. Are you sure he used CROCUS OIL?
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Old 10-02-2017, 05:48 PM   #14
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What the heck is crocus oil? Google says it's saffron oil, and expensive.
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Old 10-02-2017, 06:18 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dan-fox View Post
What the heck is crocus oil? Google says it's saffron oil, and expensive.
Reminds me of marvel mystery oil. I think it is an oil made from snakes.
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Old 10-02-2017, 07:41 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NorthernExposure View Post
Your buddy has the patience of a saint... I would have probably given up after 2-3 days,
but your friend obviously knows more about diesel mechanics then I ever will. I have
heard putting oil on the pistons before, but tweaking it for 2-3 months is not something
I would have considered. Are you sure he used CROCUS OIL?
Yes definite on that oil. He definitely has patience. I sure was not joining his crowbar army.
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Old 10-02-2017, 07:41 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ACamper View Post
Reminds me of marvel mystery oil. I think it is an oil made from snakes.
That is good stuff as well.
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Old 10-02-2017, 07:44 PM   #18
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I READ ABOUT 1-2 OLD MILITARY CARGO PLANES IN CANADA THAT SAT FOR YEARS AND LOCKED UP. darn caps sorry. They put a rope around a prop blade somewhere and pulled them through with a truck. They flew 1 home.
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Old 10-02-2017, 10:52 PM   #19
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It mostly depends on conditions. Dampness will take a toll. Too much heat can caramelize oil. How was it shut down?

A friend found a 1938 Buick in Missouri (yes...in a barn). Was put away with no special treatment in 1940 under a canvas tarp surrounded by hay bales. In 1989 they pulled it out, yanked the plugs and sprayed in a little WD-40 (the only thing available), drained the tank and put in fresh fuel and oil. A new battery kicked it right off and that big straight 8 ran like new.

Go figger.
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