Letting an engine sit after a rebuild

[DoTheTodd]

I rebuilt my engine about 3 months ago, full top end rebuild, honed walls, new rings, but left the bottom end together. I put assembly lube on everything that needed it, knowing that it would be a few weeks, if not a couple months until I could get it back into the bike. Life got in the way, and obviously those "few weeks" came and went. I'm still working on the bike, but progress has definitely slowed. My question is:

How long can you let an engine sit after a rebuild without running it? Is there an amount of time that things will go bad from not moving around? Or assembly lube turns to molten lava after X amount of months?

Obviously I want to get it going ASAP, but I don't want to screw things up if I end up waiting longer.

Note: The engine is completely sealed up with all covers on and rags stuffed in exhaust and intake ports. It's sitting on my bench in California, so the temperature changes aren't exactly extreme. There is no engine oil in it.

Thanks

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

It will be fine for months, maybe years.

 

[hillsy]

It won't cost you anything to squirt a little oil in the cylinders and turn the engine over by hand every month or so.


Better than getting rust in the bores.

 

[TheJester]

If you used assembly lube on everything, dont sweat it! It will sit for a zillion years with no harm done to it.

An engine even sitting with just oil will be fine sitting for years, oil doesnt go bad, it is millions of years old to begin with. Sure it may drain down and away, but you will always have a thin film when you turn it over the first time. Non moving parts dont require lubrication as there is no friction.

You can sleep well tonight.

 

[Tim]

I'm staring at 2 engines - one XS650 and one CA95 that have been sitting for a loooooong time since I rebuilt. I keep them warm indoors and drop a bit of oil in the cylinders once in a while.

 

[DoTheTodd]

Awesome! Thanks everybody.