Starting A Minor After A Decade

[Sparticate]

Hi Guys

A friend of mine owns a early 50's Minor which has been in his family since new.

It had a full restoration in the early 2000's but since then it has sat in a garage slowly rusting away. Generally it isn't bad apart from a shot boot lid and what appears to be localized rust on the edges of the rear sills.

I would like to fire it up to try and get him interested in it again and to save it from the slow death it's currently experiencing

Can you all give me some pointers on firing up a moggie that has been asleep for a decade?

Thanks

Rylan

[liammonty]

I just got mine going that had not been started since 1990, and it was surprisingly easy. I'd change the oil and filter first. It wouldn't hurt to then turn the engine over a bit before attempting to start it, just to circulate some oil. Mine needed the old petrol draining from the tank, as it had gone off. The fuel pump came back to life with the aid of a hammer , and then I went through the ignition system just to make sure there was a spark. The only other bother I had was that the piston / damper was sticking in the carb and needed freeing off. I also had to replace the (rotted out) radiator, and along with it, some of the hoses. The only issue with the engine now is a noisy water pump, which I'll change in due course.

There are numerous other things that you'll need to check before driving anywhere, ,for example the braking system (which I've replaced on my car), but getting the engine going should be fairly straightforward. If you've got oil and water in it before you get it going, I don't think you'll do too much harm tbh. Good luck!

[bmcecosse]

You MUST put oil down the bores before even gently testing to see if the engine will turn over. If it will - spin it up on the starter (all plugs out) until the oil pressure light goes out - and then keep going for another 20 seconds. Don't worry about changing oil etc until later - after the engine has been run for a while. Let the old oil gather up all the crap! The clutch plate will almost certainly be rusted onto the flywheel - and the brakes will be seized on........

[simmitc]

Make sure that you use fresh petrol - anything over ten years old will be in a very poor state.

[beero]

BMC's advise is good, don't change the oil till you know it runs. Also take the rocker cover off and check all the valves move. Mine had been sat for 20 odd years and one of the exhaust valves was stuck in the down position.