Reviving a "stuck" 3.0

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charlesm3

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Hi group,
I am about to pull out a '73 CS that has been in an indoor storage unit here in the southeast for 4 years. It is a humid coastal environment and the space is not climate controlled. Prior to this location it was garage kept in other locations in the Southeast as far back as 1992 when it was bought from the previous owner in New Mexico. I am considering buying this car from the seller/friend and he is allowing me to bring it to my shop for several weeks of inspection. The seller believes that the pads are stuck to the rotors, clutch to flywheel, and motor won't turn over. The motor is a euro spec built 3.5 from an 86 535I. Everything functioned fine when the car was parked. Its my assumption that the humid salt air has taken its toll on the surfaces of all of these parts while parked.

Just to get the car out of the storage and onto my trailer I am looking for advice on what I need to do to move it around. Once in my possession I have a few local experts who are going to inspect it with me and help me assess what it will need. This is my first foray into the coupes but I am no stranger to the marque (current E30 M3 owner).
Thanks in advance!
 
Not a Mecahnic But

I would pull the four bolts that fasten the drive shaft to the differential. (Mark it first so you can replace as dissembled), and support the loose end of the drive shaft with a wire (or remove it entirely). Then you can worry about clutch and motor when it is in shop.

For the brakes, I would remove one wheel at a time then unbolt each caliper and then you should be able to get the pads off the disc. I would use hand brake and chocks to hold the car and replace the calipers in the shop after they are rebuilt.
 
I'd put some diesel in each cylinder and let it sit for a week. It should turn over after that. You can remove the callipers by unbolting them and knocking them off with a mallet. I've got rusted rotors cleaned up on a running car by spraying them with water and driving it around the block. They won't be any good, but they should at least turn. The callipers will need to be rebuilt as will the entire brake system after sitting that long. The most important thing to do on a coupe is to inspect the hidden box section structural components before you invest much time and money. A remote camera is useful. Rockers, upper inner fenders, under the windshield, etc. Hopefully some long time experts have some specific advice. ANyone into this model will tell you that rust is everything.
 
Welcome

Hello,

I'm a relative novice compared to most on the site, but if the clutch were to be stuck to the flywheel, which seems unlikely, you should be able to put it in neutral and that would eliminate that possibility. you could jack up the front end and try spinning the wheels and eliminate those two sticking points. The rear brakes are a little more complicated in that the parking brake shoes (inside the rear rotors) may be stuck and that would likely be your trouble spot. You might have to do a little on-the-spot disassembly from there. Just my best guess, and once you get it out look for the deadly enemy...RUST.

Best of luck and let us know!
 
Since you are only interested in getting a good inspection, I would let the towing company deal with getting it to your mechanic, and let the mechanic deal with the rest - most tow operators have castors and/or dollies that are used to transport cars with locked wheels.

....especially the tow operators that service parking enforcement, not that I would know anything about this.
 
nimble_n_quick said:
Since you are only interested in getting a good inspection, I would let the towing company deal with getting it to your mechanic, and let the mechanic deal with the rest - most tow operators have castors and/or dollies that are used to transport cars with locked wheels.

....especially the tow operators that service parking enforcement, not that I would know anything about this.
Click to expand...

since i spoke to Charles last week, and i know him from e30 m3 days, the tow company is him - he was going to load the car onto his trailer and drive it home ... and the mechanic who is going to inspect it is him also. so getting the car rolling is important.
 
I revived an E9 that was sitting for nearly 20 years and had a seized motor. It did roll, so we were able to push it onto a trailer, but everything else was suspect. Before disassembling your calipers (if they are seized), and rocking the car doesn't free them, you can try jacking the car and moving the wheels with a breaker bar on a lugnut.

My best advice is to inspect the car thoroughly, both mechanically as well as structurally, while you let the cylinders soak. If the motor is potentially a goner, you'll need to decide if it's worth messing with. Also, and this may take all the will-power you have, do not start taking the car apart. This is the #1 mistake for creating a money pit.

My second bit of advice, if you get the motor free and decide to move forward, is to start with the brakes before driving it, as you need to think about stopping before going. I did rebuild my entire brake and clutch hydraulics, but was able to do it myself, as the bores were in good shape. For the brakes, you may find that the soft lines have swollen, giving the impression that the calipers are seized, as the fluid goes in, but can't come out. Before you spend the money on sending out calipers, having your brake / clutch master professionally rebuilt, carefully inspect what you have, as there are rebuild parts for all of those components, and it's relatively easy to do.

For freeing the engine, diesel in the bores was mentioned earlier, which I did not try, but I did use a mixture of ATF and Marvel Mystery Oil, and it broke free after a month or so. If you pull your radiator, which probably needs to be inspected anyway, you have better access to the crank nut, which IIRC is 36mm. With a breaker bar and maybe a length of pipe for added leverage, just give gentle to moderate pulls and pushes, and when it's ready to move, it will.

I did rinse the crankcase with diesel by draining the oil and filling with diesel, letting it sit for a day or so, and then draining, as the oil in the sump had sludged significantly from sitting so long, and this did a great job with cleaning it. You will also want to pull the rocker cover to inspect things and coat with oil after cleaning, and also set the valve lash if you've managed to get the motor to move.

Best of luck!
 
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