Well, I think I may have severely screwed myself.

Due to rising gas prices I parked my half finished camaro outside and let it sit for a month. It was running when I parked it, but a month later it wouldn’t start. I now think I know why.

When I parked it, I had the flaps removed from my hood, and I had noticed water was gathering on the top of my air cleaner. Because my hood clearance sucked, and I couldn’t afford to replace my cleaner with a shorter on, I flipped the lid over, creating a bowl.

I now believe the water traveled down the air cleaner post into the carb, then through the intake manifold, in the open valves, and into the cylinders. When I wanted to drive the car again, the engine was low on oil, so I added a few quarts, and went to start it up. Wouldn’t turn over. (Dead battery and rusted cylinder walls). Three of my friends start pushing, and I tried to bump start it. The engine wouldn’t turn over, and I left large skid marks. Tried this three times before the engine finally broke loose. Got the car to start, but it was having a lack of power.

Drove it for about 50 miles, gassed up and added some HEAT. Parked it and then a week later I found froth in the oil. My question for ya’ll is what can I do to repair the damage? I assume that my entire engine has rust inside, and I want to know if I can repair the damage without pulling it all apart. Is this something that can be “Blown out the exhaust” in a manner of speaking?

 

in what i've seen it would be safer to rebuild and recondition that motor. if you didnt do to much damage just a cylinder hone should be ok. but if you gouged a cylinder wall your gonna have to bore it if it isnt already. look at the bright side though. this is a goo time to uprgade your rotating assembly and what not while your in there

 

I have seen the exact same scenario cause a bent connecting rod from "hydro-lock." Your engine may be fine, it may not. You said it had a lack of power, so this would indicate may not be fine.

 

Don't be too hasty. The water that got in the cylinder dripped into the oil pan underneath the oil. It also sat on top of the intake valves that were closed. It ran bad because the valve surfaces were rusty.
When the oil circulated it mixed up the water in the bottom of the pan.
CHANGE the oil and run it some more and see if the valves reseat and the cylinders clean up.
I don't think it's hurt that bad YET. The water in the oil is probably doing more harm now that it's in the bearings. Change the oil and give it a chance.
Running it won't make any difference if later you have to pull it down and re-ring it and resurface the valves.
If you run a tank of gas thru it and it still runs bad then pull it down.

 

I agree with the above post.

I would also pull the plugs and squirt some lube into the cylinders and replace with new plugs.

Plugs could be rusted shut.

If it cranked and ran I doubt any damage is major.

 

I totally agree, also.

+1 on this to. I had purchased a Jet boat a few years back, that had sat for 8 years, with a built 455 olds, and all we did was took the spark plugs out, squirted some oil down all the cylinders, let it sit for a couple days, and she came loose. It ran decent, the worst thing about it, was it leaked oil, but it still ran pretty strong. If you do the proper steps, you should be just fine, I would definately change oil, and spark plugs, and run it for a while, the remaining water should just evaporate. If it seems to run pretty good again, I would change the oil after a couple hundred miles.

 

that jet boat wouldn't happen to be a 69 Tahiti would it? I've got one.

 

She is running now, seems fine other than the terribly worn out clutch.

I lucked out

 

Oh your mean, no the one with a 455 olds, was a Nordic jet boat, 76' I believe,

I had a 77' Tahiti jet with a 454 chev in it, 23 footer. loved that, but our lakes up here are drying up, so cant run them anywhare within 350 miles.