Engineers- - - - -
Highly intelligent people
Well educated and articulate
No common sense whatsoever!
From about 1981 to 2008 or so, in addition to my day job of teaching auto mechanics at either the technical trade school or high school level, I ran a series of night classes for the Nashville Metro school system, teaching subjects such as "do it yourself" auto mechanics, auto body work, and basic welding courses. One 10-week session of auto mechanics, my student group included five brand new automotive engineers from the newly-opened GM Saturn manufacturing plant in Spring Hill Tennessee. These kids in their mid-20's were fresh graduates of General Motors Technical Institute, where GM trains the kids and grandkids of upper level management types to build automobiles. Someone up the chain of command had decided maybe they could use some hands-on experience at twisting wrenches. That 10-week session was about the most entertaining time I've ever spent in an auto shop! Those young men (and one lady) knew plenty about how to build a car- - - -and absolutely nothing about fixing one! A couple of them actually enrolled for a second session, saying that they had learned more about auto repair from me than they had in four years of "automotive engineering" in college!
After reading (and re-reading) the
Tech Tips on waking up a sleeping engine, tackle the rehab procedure one step at a time. The ignition system will be one of the last things to work on, after determining whether or not the internal mechanical condition of the engine is OK. Don't get impatient- - - -a few rookie mistakes early on can lead to major damage to an engine that might have been avoided by a little more methodical approach.
Never, EVER try to use the fuel tank of a vehicle that has sat idle for any length of time to try to start an engine that's been idle for a long time. The residue in the gas tank from evaporated gasoline can gum up all the valve stems in a matter of minutes, and the next time you attempt to start the engine, you'll end up with bent or broken pushrods, stuck valves, broken rocker arms, or possibly bent valves and damaged pistons. Always use fresh, clean gas from a container such as an outboard motor fuel tank. The onboard tank must be cleaned, and/or discarded and replaced.
Jerry
