Rebuilt 3TGTE stored for 5 years

[D1zzy]

Hi guys

Long story short. I had my 3TGTE rebuilt 5 years ago. I was working on it with my brother. Unfortunately he passed away and the engine sat in the car for the past 5 years in the garage. It was touch at all. There was no oil in it and it was never turned over. Just wondering whether it will still be ok? I'm worried about rust. Also if it has some rust is it salvageable? What can I do to check if it is ok. I was going to take it to a mechanic to have it looked at but won't bother if there is no point.

Cheers
J

[stidnam]

do you have a boreoscope? pull the spark plugs and put it in and see what the bores look like. You can get cheap cams on ebay that will do the trick.

Was the engine sealed at all? manifolds on or just left uncovered?

[lexsmaz]

Sorry to hear about your Brother ..

If the garage was dry & concrete floor it should be ok, but as stidnam said remove the spark plugs & look inside & look especially on the sides of the cylinder bores & if no rust it will be fine, you would need to prime the oil system very well before you try to start it up as the bearings etc will be bone dry & maybe take off the cam cover & see what the cams are like & poor some oil over them too & give the bores a couple of squirt of oil from a oil can down through the plug holes ..

[73GTV]

If you where confident about your skills, I would after checking the inside with a bore-o-scope, I would service the block with the correct amount of Oil and prime the block.

I would get access to the oil drive block-off plate where the standard T-series distributor mounts, remove the cover and the oil pump drive gear, insert something with a long reach and a drill, that would fit the drive key on the top of the oil pump. I would prime the system to insure oil reaches every part of the system before reassembling the parts removed. Then after rechecking my timing, Remove the spark plugs, I would attempt to turn over the engine by hand first. If everything moves freely, Install the spark plugs and test the ignition system, see if it fires up!

[D1zzy]

Thanks for the advice. The garage was dry and mainifolds fitted. It wasn't cranked or oiled at all. It was mounted in the engine bay however. I'm not that confident in my skills tbh. I'm trying to find someone reputable that will actual take on the job but haven't had much luck so far. For some reason no one wants to take it. Do you think it would be worth tearing it down and reassembling or would that be a waste of time and money? Is there anywhere reputable in Melbourne that will actually take it. I have about 30K budgeted for it.

[lexsmaz]

When you say your not that confident in your skills are you talking about now or when & how it was built too ?? If its only now then don't pull it apart but if you think it went together a bit dodgy ?? then maybe pull it down or get someone to strip it down & recheck it for clearances etc etc ..

With a 30K budget I'm definitely sure you will find someone, but go to someone that has been recommended though so you just don't blow your budget & still have something not right ..

[D1zzy]

Ii'm confident it was built right. It was built by Jason (YellowRolla). I'm not confident to determine if there is anything wrong and how to fix if need be.

[D1zzy]

Some more pics

[lexsmaz]

Looks a nice thing, as far as now goes just look for rust in the bores & maybe take off the cam cover too & have a look for rust, if every thing has a heavy coating of rust then you have some issues, but I would seriously doubt that is the case, time will tell ..

[D1zzy]

Thanks. I'm waiting on Melbourne performance Centre to call me back. Hopefully they will take it on

[dnegative]

Pull the oil filter off, stick the end off a oil drum pump in the center hole with a rag around it and pump in engine oil till you see oil in the head then crank away.

[TA22 GT]

Based on what you have said i think theres a very good chance it is fine. If you have limited skills i would just remove the cam cover and check for rust on the cam lobes. I would also remove a couple of spark plugs and use a small boroscope camera to check the bores for rust. You will see straight away, these cameras are on ebay for about $150.m the camera head is usually around 8mm diameter on a flexible cord that can be easily inserted through the spark plug hole, they have an external panel to view what the cam is seeing. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Class...537?ref=stream
If the cams and bores are clean then i wouldnt go any further. If you were in brisbane id have a look for you.

["Z" UTE]

J, sorry to hear about your loss. It is good to see you willing to have a go at something new. Don't doubt your abilities man, arm yourself with as much knowledge as you can get and you will be fine. The guy that built the first bow and arrow did not have access to a CAD Machine or..........................

You can find a rectal probe, or pinpoint camera that hooks up to a laptop, or even a Tablet these days. Costs way less than $100.00. As the guys have said, remove the spark plugs and have a look around inside with the borescope, check for rust on the cylinder walls. Slight discoloration will be fine, but big mobs means you will have to tear the engine down.


If there is no corrosion problem, fill the engine with engine run in oil. (These oils are straight mineral oils with no friction modifiers and must be used on initial run in.)

Google engine run in procedures to see what has to be done.

Prime the engine with oil. Drivers side of engine at about 9:00 O'clock when viewed from the front, you will sec an ovoid shaped plate held in place by a 12mm headed bolt. Remove the bolt and lift that plate and idler gear assembly out. Grab a long screwdriver, and start turning the slotted thing at the bottom of the hole. That is the oil pump drive. As you turn this pump, you will hear air escaping from around the cam bearings etc, when you can no longer hear this air, you have successfully primed the oil system on the engine, re install that idler gear and cover plate.


This next step is the good bit,

Crank over a number of times without spark plus in, refit them and go for a start. Check that the oil pressure light goes out within 5 seconds of starting, then simply follow the run in procedure.


Go for it J you will not regret it,


cheers Chuck.

[D1zzy]

Thanks mate. I'm going to give it a shot. Normally with my bro around I wouldn't hesitate because he was basically an encyclopaedia on this stuff. I just downloaded a copy of some of the pages from the 3TGTE workshop manual. Will let you know how I go. After I can get it running, fingers crossed, the next thing will be what to do with the 30k. We had hopes of a drifter when we began so I might go down that route.

[73GTV]

If you where confident about your skills, I would after checking the inside with a bore-o-scope, I would service the block with the correct amount of Oil and prime the block.

I would get access to the oil drive block-off plate where the standard T-series distributor mounts, remove the cover and the oil pump drive gear, insert something with a long reach and a drill, that would fit the drive key on the top of the oil pump. I would prime the system to insure oil reaches every part of the system before reassembling the parts removed. Then after rechecking my timing, Remove the spark plugs, I would attempt to turn over the engine by hand first. If everything moves freely, Install the spark plugs and test the ignition system, see if it fires up!

Just in case your information (In Japanese) is a bit short on this car and engine, here is the standard info available:

http://page11.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/j...ion/n131797059
http://page5.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/e151638098
http://page8.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/h191263444
http://page21.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/j...ion/j330313311