Morris Minor Owners Club

I've completed my 1098 engine rebuild and had the idea of running the engine out of the car thus searching for oil leaks etc.
I didn't want to connect a water supply at this stage.

Is this a good idea?

If so how long would you say would be safe without damaging the newly built engine?

Colin

I don't think you could run it safely for long enough without water to do a proper check for oil leaks, no more than a few seconds. Why not connect a garden hose to it to be safe or simply connect the radiator.

BAD move.
A test run of the engine out of the car should only be carried out when it is mounted in a secure and stable frame and connected to a moving water supply.
If the engine is not mounted securely it could fall over with disastrous results to you and the engine.
As above - more than a few seconds running with out cooling will do the engine NO good and negate all your hard work.

I agree it NEEDS to have a water supply - but it would be safe enough if it was securely roped/strapped to a good solid bench - something like that... But I don't really see what you will gain from the exercise - other than deafness from the open exhaust....... If you decide to proceed - be sure to monitor the oil pressure before firing up the ignition circuit.

If you have faith in your ability to rebuild an engine then you should not need to dry run it. Provided that you check all the joint and oil seals then you should be ok.
Dry running the engine will create hot spots which could distort the head/block
I don't think that you neighbours would be impressed with you running an unsilenced engine