I parked my Formula in storage in the summer of 2004. I performed a total rebuild on the engine in 2002 and it currently has around 35K miles. The engine has not been started since being put in storage. I did not fog the cylinders, I just didn't have the time.

Fast-forward to this past weekend, my first attempt at starting the engine. The engine is very stiff. The starter is unable to move the rotating assembly. With all 6 plugs removed it is able to rotate but only at very slow speed. I put a wrench on the crank bolt and confirmed that the engine is very stiff. I dropped some oil in the rear 3 cylinders and this did not do much to to allow the engine to rotate any faster with the plugs removed.

Anyone have any remedies on freeing this thing up. My next option will be taking the car out and push starting it.

Fogging the engine and letting it sit for a day or so will still help. It will help lube the rings which are probably the sticking point. That's what I did with an engine I had sitting around and before I turned it over with a breaker bar, I pulled all the plugs. I just kind of gently rocked it back and forth a 1/4 turn a few times before I went all the way around with it.

I hear that Marvel Mystery oil is great for this too but I've never tried it.

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Project Silver Bullet has commenced. Project Silver Bullet

I agree. Before you start breaking rings using the starter.

Try some Marvel Mystery oil in each cylinder and let it sit for a day. Then try to rotate (by hand). If it's moving slow, you'll just need to "de-glaze" the cylinders a bit. Go by hand until it rotates nice and easy , as it should with no plugs and then try starting it.. Make sure you have enough oil in the cylinders. (blowing blue smoke is fine). Try not to run it too long or too dry at first.

[This message has been edited by 3084me (edited 04-25-2006).]

The top end needs oil too, though I simply don't know the V6 well enough to make any specific suggestions.
Marvel mystery oil is quite good stuff, I've used it on several things myself. Plus it smells nice.

quote Originally posted by Jax184: The top end needs oil too, though I simply don't know the V6 well enough to make any specific suggestions. Marvel mystery oil is quite good stuff, I've used it on several things myself. Plus it smells nice.

If theres oil in the pan you can pull the distributor and spin up the oil pump from there, Most people use an old distributor shaft to do it with a drill attatched to it.

Thanks Jax, I almost forgot about that.

[This message has been edited by paulcal (edited 04-25-2006).]

What Paulcal & Jax184 said, I took a turkey baster , then attached a long tube to the end of it, opened the oil filler on the trunk side vavle cover --then took crankcase breather groument out of the firewall side, and squirted oil in the best I could. Not sure if it was the proper way to oil upper end, but it freed it up along with all the suggestions above. I think it was the letting it sit & soak --that helped the most.

Strange that you guys are have a problem with a frozen engine. The v6 in my friends fiero was pulled out of a junkyard or sorts, where it sat for 10+ years with no spark plug in one hole. We did put a small amount of oil in each cyl, but it still fired up the second we hit the key.

That is strange. I bought a 56 chevy truck that sat for 12 years before I bought it. It had been rebuilt, drove for about 500 miles than sat in a carport til I bought it. Since I was going to restore it I pulled the motor and tore it down just for safety sake, wouldn't want to fix it up only to find out I had to pull it , well it looked like new and I had no problem turning it over by hand but still had to use a bar on the crank. The dist shaft on the drill trick is the best way to circulate the oil before turning it over. Also if the motor has been rebuilt, it could take a good 3-4000 miles to break it in. They'll be tight...

I'll let the oil sit until I get back to the car in a couple of weeks, and take another stab. I didn't mention that the alternator is seized. It was running fine when parked and was replaced when I built the engine.