engine rebirth checking x's and o's

[usarmyharley]

hey guys 1989 mercruiser 5.7 out of a malibu sunsetter that has been sitting for about 8 years( stringers were rotten and never finished the project)...I did winterize the engine before it was stored and its been covered. What I have done so far:

1. Carb is sitting in carb cleaner waiting on rebuild kit to come in mail
2. Intake manifold looked rusty so removed it and going to soak it in something to remove the rust( This is really the only thing that worries me....im going to try vinegar solution first since its cheap)
3. Removed valve covers, spark plugs and soaked every hole and cranny with marvel mystery oil...tomorrow going to turn the engine over by hand and resoak
4. Once I get done soaking it in the marvel mystery oil Im going to drain the oil and add new

I have researched how to bring a engine back to life but just wanting some suggestions in case i didnt read something or if maybe I should do something else to give this engine the best possible chance to crank because if it dont crank I will probably part it out.

A few things that worry me:

1. The intake manifold was rusty but looked like surface rust
2. A few of the spark plugs seemed to be oily but the engine is also 25 years old so maybe she has a few years left.

other than that it looks real good...the oil in it looked good and the outside looked good

 

[NHGuy]

Maybe get a crank socket so you can turn the crankshaft directly back and forth. A cheap one on ebay is 11 or 12 bucks. If you soaked the carb more than a few hours it will break down the golden looking cadmium plating that's on the flaps and stuff under the spark arrestor. Not functional,but it may look kinda dappled and funky. Also, hopefully you removed anything that was not metal before dunking the carb. Any rubber, plastic or phrenolic parts will get attacked by the dip.
Keep us posted, I hope you end up with a good motor, could be fine. Fingers crossed!