Helping starting old truck

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19kilo76

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Baton Rouge, Louisiana
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Nathan
Truck Year
1976
Truck Model
scottsdale
Engine Size
350
I have a 76 K10 with a 350 auto. It has sat up since aprox 99. Was running fine when it was parked (uncle said it was a tourque converter he thinks). Question is, could someone walk me through the proper steps to make sure I don't damage the engine trying to start it.

Thanks,
Nathan
 

firebane

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Curtis
Truck Year
1974
Truck Model
K10
Engine Size
350
Put some wd40 down the spark plug holes. Hand turn by crank the engine over a few times. Replace all fluids. Check wiring.

Put gas in and start it up
 

chengny

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1986
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K3500
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350/5.7
In addition to Curtis' suggestions, it might be a good idea to pull the valve covers and check that all the valves are free to stroke fully up and down. This can be done at the same time as you manually jack the engine over.

As you roll the crankshaft (with the valve covers off) watch as the rockers push down on each valve stem and the valve opens. Then, as the associated pushrods drop away, make sure that the valve stem rises and pushes the rocker back up.

If you find any sticky valves, you can generally free them up by spraying Pblaster on the stems and bouncing the stems/springs up and down repeatedly.



One other thing to check - and this is not a joke - is that your exhaust system has not been infested by mice. This is a very real problem with vehicles that have sat for long periods of time. Mice, for some reason, seem to consider exhaust systems to be prime real estate.

They crawl up into the tail pipes and make their nests in the muffler. As the years go by, the stuff they use to make the nests gets tightly packed in the internal passages. In some cases it can completely block off the flow of exhaust gases.

Depending on the degree of blockage, this reduced flow will cause the engine to run poorly or prevent it from running at all.
 

Georgeb

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K10 Burb Z71
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It may be a good idea to disconnect the fuel line from the carborator and pump some gas into a container to purge out any old rotten stinky gas from the line. If you use a clean dry clear container you can check for water in the gas at the same time. I used to use a gas tank for an outboard boat motor as my fuel tank untill I could clean up the fuel system. It was nice with the primer bulb too I could push gas to the carb without cranking it over and wasting battery power. I just set it on the floor of the truck and ran the hose to the fuel pump.
 

mistaake

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Crown Vic
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4.6
Put some wd40 down the spark plug holes. Hand turn by crank the engine over a few times. Replace all fluids. Check wiring.

Put gas in and start it up

This is what I did and my sbc 350 that was parked since 2000 came out just fine. Doesn't leak, drip, or burn oil.

Just expect to have to do a carb rebuild and tons of brake work :)
 

MadOgre

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I would also pull the distributor and prime the oiling system if it were me!
 

19kilo76

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Nathan
Truck Year
1976
Truck Model
scottsdale
Engine Size
350
Was on my way with a bucket full of oil and a trailer to haul the truck to the house and my fuel filter on my 03 GMC step side started acting up. Ended up on the side of the road. Managed to limp it home, pick up a new one, however, it started pouring as soon as I got home. So it appears it will be a long day tomorrow, two baseball games (son) fuel filter replacement, and a trip back to get the truck and get it home.
 

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