Water in engine after rebuild before first start.

[Locutus]

As most of you know texas has been hit with some pretty heavy rains lately. I did a rebuild on my motor a couple of weeks ago but didn't get a chance to put it back in the truck till this last weekend. I didn't get the hood back on yet and the valve covers are not on yet. I had the engine covered with a tarp and someone moved the weight I had holding it down. Last night it rained and blew the tarp up and I have water sitting on the engine and some in the head in the rocker area. I am sure some has drained into the pan. Do I just drain the water from the oil pan and go on or do I need to do alot more before I start it the first time?

[Randy70C-10]

Drain water from oil pan, and to be on the safe side you need to pull to spark plugs before attemping to start it and turn it over a few times with the spark plugs out. This will save you from bent connecting rods just in case any water got in the cylinders.

[JimKshortstep4x4]

I would dry the water off of the engine, drain the oil pan and change the oil. The filter should be fine. Did any water get into the combustion chambers? If so remove the spark plugs and air blow them out. Blow out the manifold and carb if water got into those areas. It would not hurt to run an upper combustion chamber cleaner fluid through the engine so that everything is coated inside, (with the engine running).

Getting rid of water in the engine is not easy so you may want to change oil soon after you get it running.

Good luck, that is a bummer!

Jim

[Blazer1970]

The best thing to do is to get the water blown out as described above, then get it running and up to operating temp for a considerable period of time ASAP. Getting the engine up to temp will boil any water that is left in the engine out so that it can not begin to corrode internally.

[Longhorn Man]

Depending on how much water made in into the oil, it may well take a few oil chainges to get it all out. My caddy motor was covered by a tarp that turned out to be a leaker. I drained the oil pan, and thought I was good. After starting it and running it for 30 or so min, I shut it off and saw the oil still looked like chocolate milk.
5 oil chainges later, (and filters too) I think it is pretty much cleaned out.
I did fire it up on every oil chainge, but never ran it longer than 20 - 30 min. It'd get to operating temp, but I was too afraid of the water causing bearing damage to keep on running it.