I got a real good deal on a Dmax motor recently. It hasn't run in almost 6 months and I was wondering what I could do to keep it in good shape. It will be kept in a garage so there's no worry about the elements. Is there a way I could turn the crank by hand to keep everything lubed from time to time? I want to keep this thing in good shape in case anything happens to my Dmax in the future. Thanks.

Turnig the crank slow with a ratched will not pump much oil, if any, but will change which cylinders have vales open to moisture. Your best bet is to make sure any holes to the outside world are plugged off. (fuel, turbo inlet, cooling, oil cooler lines, etc.)

If it's going to sit for a long time, maybe some oil in the glow plug holes would not hurt.
Just don't put too much in, and clear the cylinders with the glow plugs out, before
you fire it up.

I was thing of parking my d max in the winter, what is the best way to store it and how ofen should I fire it up.

Thanks. I'll put a ratchet to the motor and see if I can turn it over a little. I really want to keep this thing in good shape just in case. You never know when you'll need a Dmax motor.

Have it shrink wrapped at a marine shop, they do it with the boats and I'm sure they would do it with you motor. You might look into WD-40 everything to displace and moisture and to keep everything lubed, then have it shrink wrapped.

Just my .02

My neighbor has a vintage vette. He has a spare 327 engine long block and heads (no carb or water pump) that he keeps completely submerged in a tank of 30 weight oil. Don't know if that's feasible for the Dmax, and may be "overkill" but he's happy with it.

Hi,

If you shoot WD40 in to chase out moisture, you better put somekind of lube in after, or else the WD40 will cause it to rust up!!

Take care

Will

WD-40 will cause rust? Really? I thought it did the opposite? I learn something new everyday.

Oh yeah! WD 40 will really get you because so many people think it's an oil. It's a light petroleum spirit that is great for penetrating and displacing water, but it evaporates nearly entirely off and leaves bare metal that will rust bigtime. I've used it a lot on firearms to penetrate nooks and crannys and flush out debris and other lubricants, but ALWAYS follow it with a good long term lubricanting oil!

Hmm. What if I put some 10-30 motor oil in a pressurized spray bottle and spray the engine inside and out?

I'd overfill the heck outa the crankcase too with oil. Anyway to get it into your basement? One bad thing is a garage that gets heated and cooled constantly. Lotsa temp swings aint good(like you fire up a heater when you are working and then let it get cold again. Seal everyththing up good. Duno how feasable it is but I wonder if you could get it into a fairly air tight container and get a few of those mosture packets in there? The kinds gun owners like that you throw in the oven every so often to recharge em. If I were going to let it sit for a loooong time I would also yank the pushrods.

I would sell the motor and make some quick money. Invest it all, and when you finally need the motor in 8 years, you will have enough to buy a new motor that you know is in good shape.

Do not SHRINK WRAP IT!!!!!!
IT NEEDS TO BREATHE.
When you shrink wrap air(humidity) moisture will still move in and out.
Temperature will change durring the storage time (night/day, and seasonal.
The metal will act like a dehumidifier, We see this all the time with storing boats. Vent the shrink all you want, plastic traps moisture and voila mold.

Fog the motor, put it on jack stands and use a moisture absorber in the cabin. Store full of fuel. Might want to use an additive to prevent critters from growing in fuel system.

Change the oil before storage and if you are anal before you start it.
You might want to change the fuel filter after the first tank of fuel.
Disconnect both negative battery terminals.
jim

Thank God I read that last post. I was going to have the motor shrink wrapped.

My $.02 on WD40. I sell overhead cranes, and sold electric motors for 12 years. Many people spray WD40 into motor bearings on furnaces. It washes out the oil and causes bearing failure. Good for me, bad for them.....

I took the shrink wrap meaning the whole truck.
Tight plastic is bad so is sheep skin ):h

The whole truck???! Wow, talk about living in a bubble):h