VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 1942 fletline 216

Ive been soaking cylinders with marvel mystery oil before trying anything car has sat inside since 1968 .I turned engine over with no problem today but wondering what are the next steps in finding out over all condition of engine

Do a compression test with all the plugs out. If all have good compression, you are probably good to put in some new gas and try starting it. If some are low, squirt some oil into the cylinder and try again. If they are still low, you probably have a valve problem. Pull the valve cover and crank the engine to make sure all the valves are working properly. If not, soak with some MMO and try to get them moving. If they are all moving well, you probably need to grind them.

thank you for response what is considered a good compression

The compression reading will depend more on the cranking speed and accuracy of the gauge. You should get a reading from any where from 90 to 120 pounds per cylinder. It is more important that the readings are within a few pounds of each other. Taking a compression reading on an engine that has not been run for that length of time will prove little. Would be better to get it running and then take the reading. Valves may be sticking as well as the rings.

thanks again will be trying this weekend