I'm working on a 1986 245 that was in a field for >=12 years. Getting it running:
o Old oil was thick and tarry
o Wouldn't turn over - solenoid wire broken
o Fuses had minimal corrosion
o Fuel pump bad; fuel filter rusted to bracket. Drained fuel tank
o Mouse nest in air-cleaner box
o Cleaned and re-seated connectors on the computer (near washer tank), MAS, IAC
o Some wires cut open at firewall main harness, pass-side - I spliced
o 2 wires visibly frayed under the crank pulley - I left alone
o No spark.
- Brickboard comments indicated Hall sensor/connector.
- That was it: wires frayed inside connector.
- Replaced distributor (Thanks Brickboard)
After turning it over with battery 100+ revs w/ fresh drain oil, poured gas into intake and got it to run. After 3-4 of those, it would start on it's own, but not idle ie. it would drop to ~1000 RPMs and quit. It restarted on 2nd/3rd try.
o Fuel leaking at top of tank - return line clogged solid inside tank
o Replaced MAS, FPR, fuel-pump relay. Intake bellows good; TPS clicked.
o At high idle, ran quart of kerosene through engine via intake-manifold port
o Fuel line between tank & main pump developed a hole - rodent teeth?
o Engine smoothed out after a bit: no noise, no smoke
o Drove it ~1/2 mile yesterday, up & down our long driveway
o It takes 3-4 tries to get it to start, cold or hot
Notes:
o No instrument cluster so alternator isn't charging battery
- It idled - doesn't stall - without an external charger
- With a charger hooked up, the idle dropped and it stalled
- (This may no longer be true now that's it's been run for a few hours)
o Things I didn't expect
- Injectors work - usually they're clogged w/ varnish
- No mouse nests in exhaust, heater, in dash, seats, ...
- Gas wasn't bad: slight varnish smell but clear, not yellow
- Fan belts not rusted to pulleys
- Timing belt didn't immediately break
- One brake works; others aren't frozen to rotors
- Carrier bearing isn't frozen
- Engine main seals, AT seals, pinion seal not leaking
- Water pump not frozen; no radiator leaks
- Trans cooler lines rusty but not leaking
o I don't know why it was parked. Based on the cut-open harness at firewall, maybe someone thought there was a computer-signal problem? Maybe the fuel-pump relay and/or the main pump failed?
o I've worked on other 240s that wouldn't start until you manually squirted gas into the intake. As if you need to tell the computer that the car will run. I know, it doesn't make sense.
o So this isn't Canadian News: It's a parts car; I just wanted to know if the powertrain was good.
o Overall it was more like a car that sat for ~1/2 that time. I've reclaimed several 240s from long storage. Also some trucks that had been sitting 25+ years - and a 1947 snowplow truck that had been parked for ~50 years.
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240 drivers / parts cars - JH, Ohio
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