Can a 89 240sx AT be started without transmission bolted up?

[reds240]

OK, the long and the short of it is I bought a 2nd 240sx for parts(my timing chain rattle makes me cringe) but the parts car has no transmission, the kid i bought it from was an idiot, he says there is 20k on rebuild of this engine, it looks clean but i dont want to swap the engines only to find out he lied. Is there a way to start the engine to test it without the transmission? can i even test the compression if i cant get it started? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

[NISTECH]

The simple answer is no. The starter bolts to the bell housing.

The complex answer is yes. You would need to wire up all the engine control harness an ECM with a fuel supply. Have at your disposal a high powered high revolution 3/4 or 1 inch impact gun to spin the crank to get it fired up.

[Scooby24]

I'd be worried about the fact that there is no weight any longer at the end of the crank to balance it....

I had my transmission off and asked my mechanic friend (wanted to see if I wired right) and he sceamed NO!!!

[NISTECH]

Obviously the engine needs to be firmly mounted to a platform. Even with the transmission attached if it isnt mounted it will roll over due to the torque of the engine. Mounts must be installed and firmly mounted to something heavy to prevent that.

[reds240]

Thanks for the responses, let me clarify a little, the engine is still in place in the car, just the transmission is missing, and since i am trying to do this at home and dont have a compressor, i dont have access to air tools, however i do have a used auto trans, but it has been sitting outside, wrapped in plastic, on a pallet covered by a tarp. I was told that it probably wouldnt be good to use because the internals may be rusty from sitting outside, but would it be safe to bolt it up, just to get the engine started?....

[NISTECH]

remove the bell housing from the trans and mount it to your engine in the car. Bolt up you starter. place a floor jack with a 4x4 between the jack and the oil pan to keep the engine stable. Then fire it up. Since you dont have a a front or rear mount on the engine [ typically the trans mount] your engine may rock , with the jack there it wont.