QuestionDick, you are the man! I spoke to you about a 78 Mercedes 450SLC. I had more questions regarding lubing engine/auto that has been sitting for 7 years without being cranked. I just finished getting gas tank de-vanished from a radiator shop. I cleaned all fuel lines and replaced fuel hoses including fuel filter and pump. I am not a mechanic by trade; but, I have tools and can do damage. I heard several times that is not good to start an engine dry especially if has not moved in 7 years. What all should I do before I attempt to start engine. Also, I have taken the distributor apart and have installed new parts including the round copper/plastic part inside the distributor attached to the vacuum advance. Should I spray something down the distributor shaft before installing it back? Following book instructions, Manually I moved the crank shaft to number one piston in order to remove distributor. I hope, I did not damage the pistons already. And should I remove all spark plugs and spray WD-40 and/or squirt oil before manually move pistons using cranck pulley and starting engine for the first time. Once I do all these things then, I can change the oil and spark plugs for a nice tune up? What else should I consider? I do appreciate your feedback and thank you for your words of wisdom.
AnswerI think your next step should be to remove all the spark plugs and then (before you've rotated the engine, and after you've reinstalled the distributor), put a small amount, perhaps 1 teaspoon, of oil in each spark plug hole, but do NOT reinstall the spark plugs yet. Next, spin the engine with the starter, so as to exercise the oil pump and get some lubrication to the bearings, timing chain and valve gear. Then you can put new plugs in it and try to start it. When it starts, it will smoke heavily from the exhaust until the oil is burned off, but the initial ring scraping on the cylinder walls will do less damage if you do it this way.
When you reinstall the distributor, it can't hurt anything to squirt some oil in there first, but don't oil anything inside the distributor.
I am not familiar with this car's engine at all, so I can't give you much advice on tune-ups or setting up the distributor, and I don't recall whether this car has fuel injection or carburetor, but if the latter, after cranking for a while, you can try putting some liquid gas down the carburetor if it doesn't start for you. Don't use "starting fluid" - that is very hard on the bearings. If everything is right it should start without using starting fluid.
If you are going to be keeping this car, I advise you to get a shop manual for it - it will pay for itself many times over.
Good luck with it!
Dick
