I have returned - Hopefully so can my IIa

[GreasedMonkey]

Hi all,

I was a member here some years ago, not massively active, but involved. Due to a series of health battles I have been ignoring the world as a whole and just concentrating on my own fight. It seems in the meantime, my registration here did expire (thankfully I did not). Thank you Mr Wittsend Sir for allowing me back in to the fold, I had been happily waiting for the email telling so for a few days, but it was hiding in my junk folder.

I will over the next few months begin trying to recommission the old girl, so I expect to be here asking about cloggy carbs, seized this that and I am sure many other things, but to start things off, If anybody here has any general advise regarding bringing a vehicle out of storage after a few years, I am all ears. It has been parked up in a dry garage so I am hoping that will have helped.

Thanks all.

[Seanlandy]

Welcome back to the  fold and  fingers crossed for the recommissioning.

[Tom]

Welcome back!

I see your in the Worcestershire area, so if you're anywhere near Evesham, feel free to give me a shout if you need any help with the recommissioning. There is also a monthly pub meet in Evesham, next one is  week today, Tuesday 25th June from 7pm. Fish and Anchor Inn, Offenham, WR118QT.

There is also one held just outside of Tewkesbury by the Severn Valley clan at the start of the month.

Best of luck with it all!

[GreasedMonkey]

Thanks for the warm welcomes.

Tom, I seem to remember going to Evesham a few years ago to buy a diff from someone on here after I snapped a half shaft and it chewed my rear diff pretty bad, that wasn't you was it?

Pub meet sounds interesting for the future, but I have to walk before I can run. I have only just returned to work at 3 hours per day. Something to aim for though.

[Adam1958]

There's a few folks in Worcester that come along to the evesham meet, I bet one would be good enough to let you cadge a lift over if it was something you fancied. The beer at the fish has excellent medicinal qualities.

There's a few of us that are not miles away, so if you need help with any heavy lifting or headscratching then just shout.

As to your question though, all the usual stuff; if it's a petrol, drain the fuel and refill. Check all the fuel lines as they go crusty. (Maybe just replace them with modern ethanol safe ones anyway) turn the motor over by hand to make sure nothing is knackered. I'd change the plugs, points and condenser, fluid checks etc. Check the voltage on battery, then crank the old girl over for a bit with the coil lead disconnected to pump a bit of oil around. Then spark it up.
If you have an oil pressure gauge keep an eye on it for a bit, if not, i probably have an auxiliary one that you can screw into the block temporarily. Oh, take the intake apart (upstream of the carb) and have a peep to make sure nothing has made a home in there. My father in law found a veritable insect zoo in his diesel intake a few weeks ago. 🥴


Get well soon and good luck with the wagon.

[GreasedMonkey]

I have made slow start and already find myself with a question.

I have so far only managed to drain the fuel and remove the carb in readiness for a good cleaning.

I have no issues with cleaning the carb, I have an ultrasonic cleaning bath, but what does one do with old stale fuel these days?
Will the local refuse place take it? I know they have (or at least used to have) a thing for used oil, but I don't recall anywhere for old fuel.

[cswagon]

Put it in a container and keep it for cleaning oily, greasy parts.

[Adam1958]

Shamefully i put it in the lawnmower 50/50 with fresh fuel. It doesn't seem bothered.
However...
one day I came out to the garden to hear the mover sounding phenomenal, the good lady was revving the goolies off it. It turned out she had filled it with some 118 octane Sunoco race gas I use for the bike. The garden smelt bloody lovely. Probably the most expensive lawn cut ever. 

[GreasedMonkey]

A little progress. The carb is now shiny and clean and waiting a gasket for refit. (I did say progress would be slow and steady as I cannot do much in one go these days).

I found much green goo inside the carb, but no evidence of this in the fuel tank. Next I plan to remove the pump bowl and filter and see if there is green goo in there. Is this green goo a normal thing for vehicles left idle for a period of time? Where does it come from?

I have also removed the spark plugs, dribbled a little oil into each hole and managed to wind the engine over by hand. Nothing is seized there.

[Wittsend]

Green suggests contamination from dissolving copper/brass fittings/pipes in the fuel system and would not be that unusual. Often the goo is a reddish/brown like jelly. Ethanol in today's "petrol" doesn't help[ and can speed up the corrosion.
The mesh filter in the fuel pump is made from brass.
Unlikely to have come from the tank, but worth seeing if there is any sludge in the tank bottom. You could drain the tank and see what comes out.

A fuel preservative additive will help prevent the fuel from crudding up.

[GreasedMonkey]

Thanks Wittsend. I guess a good clean of the whole fuel system is in order then. I know there is not all that much if it, I have the under seat fuel tank so no great long pipe runs to clear out.

I have never bothered with fuel additives in the past as I have generally burned it all within a couple of weeks. My forced 'holiday' had other ideas though.

[Wittsend]

It's certainly worth considering adding a fuel additive to combat the effects of ethanol.



I prefer the Briggs & Stratton offering, but have used both.

You can buy from ebay  or from your local garden centre.