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MG TD TF 1500 - Starting Engine After Fifteen Years Storage

Can we help my friend with his 68 Triumph. He bought it new, but it’s been sitting untouched in his garage for about fifteen years. He’s finally decided it is time to get it back out (after hearing endless stories of my adventures in my TD), but is worried about damaging the engine if he tries to start it. What advice can we give him, besides the obvious of trading it for an MG, to help him get it on the road again.

Steve Markman
50 TD
Steve Markman

Remove spark plugs... liberal amounts of penetrating oil (Thrust is good) into cylinders... many applications. Rings can break if part is stuck and other parts are not. Do this for a week or so.
Try to turn it over with a crank (?) or belt... carefully before using the starter.
gordon.b.lawson '53TD

Here's my two cents worth.
1. Head to the bank and get a large loan.
2. Stop at your local parts house on the way home and get a new battery, plugs , points, condenser, cap, rotor, oil filter, oil, tube of grease, and a can of WD-40 (tell them you'll see them again soon) .
3. Stop at the gas station, fill your five gallon can and head for home.
4. Order parts cataloges, Moss, Roadster Factory, Rimmer Brothers, Etc.
5.Roll the car out doors away from any combustibles, drain the old gas out and replace with new.
6. Swap out the battery, rotor, condenser, points, and remove the plugs.
7. Squirt liberal amounts WD-40 into the plug openinigs.
8. Remove the radiator cap and top up if nessasary.
9. Check your handbrake to see if its in good working order.
10. Pump the brake pedal to see if the brakes are still funtional.
11. Jack the car up and crawl under and have a look around. Any gas leaks? Brake fluid running down the tires? Water running any place?
12. Change oil and filter and grease while your there.
13. Get your garden hose or fire extingusher handy.
14. Turn the ignition switch on if it has an electric pump, listen for the clicking and check for leaks.
15. If mechanical pump, remove the coil wire and crank the motor for about 20 seconds. repeat a couple of times and observe the oil pressure gauge.
16. Check for fuel leaks(and others)
17. Install new plugs and coil wire.
18. Keep hose ready, cross you fingers and crank her over. If she fires, watch the oil gauge and water temp carefully. I she doesn't, pull the top off the float bowls and look for fuel.
19. If running, check for fluid leaks again.
20. Head back to the bank for another loan and start making a parts list. Hoses, wheel cylinders, brake cylinders, calipers, slave.
21. Get parts cataloges in mail. Drool, realize you need to go to the bank for another loan.
22. repeat as nessasary.
23. good luck.
LED DOWNEY

Steve
Will you keep us up to date on your friend's progress please?
John
John James

Steve, this link was written for an MGB but is very good --
http://www.theautoist.com/awakening_a_sleeping_b.htm

Regards,
Dennis
D F Sexton

Steve,

Sorry but I can't go along with Lee. Gord Lawson hs made a significant point. Don't try to start the engine without first ensuring that you have lubricated the rings, making several good applications of a good penetrating oil. Then with the coil main wire removed, first, hand crank the engine for several rotations to make sure everything is free, then crank it on the battery, at all times with the plugs OUT. Crank it 'till you see and maintain oil pressure using only the starter - no ignition.

Then and only then, put in new plugs and it should fire up on the first crank. But watch the oil pressure at all times and be prepared to shut down if the oil pressure doesn't stay up.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
Gordon A. Clark

Gord, I think you missed it, but I have used WD-40 with good results on engines I couldn't turn with a 4' breaker bar. Notice in the steps that I would fill the cylinders first and then go about crawling under the car looking for matinences issues. Time spent checking out the rest of the car should allow the WD-40 to do its job. Certainly other penetrating oils will do just as well. I made some assumptions that one would not attempt to fire the engine unless the gauge was showing some signs of decent pressure. I also assume that were just talking about getting the engine to fire up. After getting some fire and if no Troubles presented themselves(unlikely for something that sat this long), I would then plan on replaceing the coolant and all hoses, all rubber and fluid connected with the hydraulic systems, tires, and most likely all lines associated with the fuel system as well before taking it out on the road. Would also replace oil in the tranny and rear as well. I would not flush out and replace the radiator coolant until I was sure there were no leaks first as I would not want to waste the anti-freeze or have to try and recapture it for future use. I brought a basket case TF project last year that had been sitting in a barn ( I'm not kidding) since 1978. Pushed it on my trailer and got it home and rolled if off. Put a battery in it out of my tractor, checked the oil, filled the radiator with water, and gave it a crank. It turned over but no fire. Pump was clicking but no fuel to the carbs( gas smelled like bad varnish- most of us know that smell) so I filled the float bowls and gave it another crank. Still no fire. Popped the distributor cap and saw that the points were closed so I opened them up a bit and gave her another spin. Viola... she fired right up, oil pressure at idle 50 lbs, no smoke , smooth as silk. Ran the bowls dry several times trying to check out the drive train. Rear springs were a mess, clutch was either off or on, no brakes, steering was only safe at a crawl. This is gonna be fun. Filled it up one more time just to pull it into my work shop and have proceded to tear it completely apart. Haven't disasembled the engine and tranny yet, but will give it a full rebuild so I can have something I will trust. Did the same thing about 8 years ago with my 69 B. I got tired of just fixing everything as it broke. Never owned one new and was always fixing PO,s messes. Haven't had one problem since the rebuild except for one flat.
Safety Fast
LaVerne
LED DOWNEY

Thanks for all your suggestions. I passed them on to my Triumph friend, but haven't heard if he's tried to start the car, or even started the prep work before trying.

Steve Markman
50 TD
Steve Markman

One thing I had to do on my ROver 3500S after setting about 13yrs was to clearout the fuel lines. The rover does not stop pumping when carb bowl gets full, there is a return pipe that keeps a continuos flow of the fuel back to the tank. They way I tackled this is I bought a 20' length of speedo cable (the innards only) put it into my torque driver got the WD40 can ready and proceeded to cleanout the pipes. Just like using a toilet (plumbing) snake, really worked great!
GReg & Grimm
52TD/65BSA650
G.J. Cenzer

This thread was discussed between 26/09/2004 and 11/10/2004

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