Think of Nikasil as a strong plastic that is coated on the cylinder walls a metal lined cylinder has different properties and is not as slick as Nikasil. When you stored the car did you rev the engine prior to shutting down? If so that may have introduced extra fuel to the cylinders resulting in the cylinder washing. When you pull it in for storage do not rev the engine and just shut it down.

 

No, I didn't rev the engine prior to shutdown - I know you should never do that- on any engine. Your description of Nikasil confirms what I suspected - that the oil is less likely to stay in place than on a conventional steel liner block because of the Nikasil properties.I'll try "Restore" additive and see if that helps - presumably the catalytics are safe with that stuff??

 

After you install Restore give it a chance to circulate by driving the car a few times before storage.

 

I hope this won't be an annual event for us. Want to start a new thread on the topic? May be some others who have the solution. And I also didn't rev the engine, just drove it normally that day > 10mi or so, then parked and covered. I suspect the oil drained off the cylinder walls then the injectors threw extra fuel for a cold start on dry cylinders and voila. That's why I'm hoping next time to crank the engine over a bit with no fuel (pulling the fuse) to splash some oil around. I don't trust the accelerator to the floor although that's the way it's supposed to work.

 

The answer is there is no answer! If you look at the number of Nikasil equipped cars on the road and guess at the number that are put in storage you will see that you are one of a few or one of many but not all. I am not sure that a real answer to your question is available. The Nikasil cylinder coating is slicker than a babies but and it is made that way to reduce friction and heat, using Restore is a step in the right direction. Who thought cylinder washing was going to be an issue.

 

Maybe I'll replace those coil cover bolts with thumbscrews.........

 

Can you order two sets please?