Mouse in a Rat motor!!

[JQ-72]

I just pulled in a 1969 GMC Custom Camper with a factory 396 motor. The guy I bought it from said it was running about 5 years ago. Owner passed away suddenly and the truck sat in a wooded lot next to his house until now. I was going to pull the valve covers and apply penetrating oil to the valves before I tried to spin it over. (BTW, carb was off when I got it and who knows for how long!). When I removed the valve covers, there was a mouse nest under one and lots of acorns under the other. I cleaned best I could and something told me there may be more inside. See pics below of what was under the intake!! I want to get the motor running to either sell the whole truck, part it out or maybe even keep it, but don't want to put alot of time and effort in it. Do I have to pull the motor to clean it all out, or can I flush with kerosene or something and drain the oil pan? I don't think the little boogers went down into the crankcase. Any ideas?
Joshua

[TBONE1964]

If it were me, I would sell the engine as is. Used engines are hard to sell even if they run because of the unknowns. If you want to hear it run, I would vacuum it out as good as you could and change the oil. Use gas from a can to start it and not from the tank. The gas that is in the tank, if any, will not burn if it has been sitting for 5 yrs. You should smell the difference.

Also get yourself a oil pump primer and make sure it can move some oil before you do too much.

[Zoomin]

I don't think flushing is going to get it done...

[Steeveedee]

You really don't have any idea what is down in the pan. If it were mine, I'd tear it all the way down and clean it up. One piece of nutshell in the wrong place is going to cause you major grief, otherwise.

[prostreetC-10]

Doesn't it only make sense that a mouse would hide under the much bigger rat? lol

[special-K]

I agree that tearing it down is the only way to go,before running it. Nut shells are an abrasive. Maybe softer than steel or sand,but they are used for media blasting. Those little critter can sure ruin some stuff.

[wkends]

I have a engine that looked just about like yours. I seen a few mouse turds on the intake so I took a air hose and blew down in the intake. Parts of the nest were blowing out so I pulled the intake. I found about what you have so I pulled the oil pan, yeah more nest and nuts. I ended up pulling the timing cover and yeah more nest behind the timing cover. Them little suckers can get in places that you would not believe.

[truckster]

As Special-K mentioned, walnut shells are used as an abrasive blasting media. I wouldn't try to run it without cleaning it out thoroughly. The only way I know of to do that is to tear it down.

[JQ-72]

OK, you guys talked me into it! I'll pull it and give it a good cleaning. Probably needs new valve seals and gaskets anyway.
JQ

[prostreetC-10]

Trying to visualize how a mouse could get under the intake in the first place. Through the dizzy hole?

[JQ-72]

The only way I can figure is through the oil fill cap (which was off), then down the oil return holes on the back of the heads.
JQ

[prostreetC-10]

No baffle in the covers? Must have been small mice.

[joesgreen67]

I seen an engine that was stored in a barn for a few years that had critters in it similar to what you have shown.

They crawled inside the intake valve and made a nest in the cylinder bore....all that piss & crap from the mice was like someone poured acid inside!! The piston was partially eaten away near the skirt and had "fusion" welded itself in place. Took a hydraulic press to get that piston out!

My buddy realy wanted that engine since it was the original one from his Olds 442. He had to bore it .060" over to get the cylinder wall to clean up.

I would have never guesses they could have caused this much of an issue if I hadn't seen it myself!

[67_C-30]

Man, that is crazy. It's amazing they got the pecan shells that size through holes that small.

[Dave]

Josh,
When you get time, post some pics as you progress on your tear down. You may find more interesting stuff that critter stashed.

[JQ-72]

Update - I pulled the heads and the pistons and cylinder walls look good. See picture of oil pan! I should be able to clean it up from here. I'll go ahead and re-ring it while it's apart and add new gaskets.
JQ

[bigguy69]

Wow
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[prostreetC-10]

That's the better part of amazing. Man...were they crawling through the return slots above the cam? Hard to believe.

[Dave]

Josh, that's amazing! The shells and seeds made it down to the oil pan baffle. What the ? Keep posting pics, I'd like to see it thru various stages of rebuild, if you have time, thanks.
Dave.

[SCHRUMGMC]

No sign of Jerry though