Hambers. How do I go about loosening up a stuck engine. It's a 409 with a manual transmission.. water pump turns... Don't want to break anything.. Thanks, Kent
I have used mystery oil too. Pull the sparkplugs drain out any water that might be up there and fill it up with oil. let it soak. I have let it soak from that weekend to the next and then started working on it.
I have a 51 ford club coupe that was parked since 71, We pulled the plugs, squirted marvel mystery oil in the cylinders and let it sit for 2 weeks. Then my son and a friend put it in second gear and started rocking it back and forth by hand. eventually it gave a little and by the end of the evening turned over easily with the starter. ood luck, Mike
diesel dumped down the plug holes. let it soak for a while keeping an eye on the level of fluid in the bores. it wont work if the shit leaks out. go out after two or three weeks and try a breaker bar on the crank...
Fill it with diesel, put a breaker bar on the crank bolt, use a bottle jack to put pressure on the breaker bar(how much is up to you, some guys jack the entire weight of the car on the breaker bar) and give it some time. I've found that "Really Stuck" engines require both a penetrating fluid (of your choice and constant force trying to turn the motor over. Good Luck.
The Marvel Mystery oil worked for me on a 265" SBC. My guess is that the longer you let it soak, the easier it will be to turn over. It does require impact, and if it is still penetrating the frozen areas, give it time. No sense in bending rods or cracking pistons by forcing it as soon as it begins to move.
If the engine has been sitting for a long time I always pull the heads off you never know if valves are stuck open or there is a bunch of junk on the top of the pistons or broken parts. Also you remove the valves from the equation as far as turning the engine over. Lots of time and patience and as others have said Kroil is great stuff. I usually use it in combination with other penetrating oils (since it is expensive) Marvels is good as others have said . Use the flywheel and a pry bar to try and turn the engine over and not the balancer bolt its easy to break parts using the crank bolt it is not designed to handle that kind of load. Once it goes one way a little go back the other way and each time try and go a little further this can take days or weeks keep the cylinders wet and full. Anybody can screw up an old rare engine by going to fast saving parts takes time and lots of patience good luck.
Just heard this from an antique tractor guy: Weld a hydraulic fitting to a busted out plug, pull the tension off the valve train to close the valves, hook up to your fitting, and pump with hydraulic fluid. You could use ATF, (or vegtable oil if you're an AlGoreophite). Sounded pretty effective...
I loosen the rocker arms pull the push rods. Use Mystery oil or ATF or a little motor oil with a good penetrating oil or diesel, in the spark plug holes and down the intake. try a bar on the crank. the best is a flat pry bar or large screwdriver in the teeth of the flywheel. More leverage. If nothing happens right away, then let it sit & check it now and then.
I've always used Kerosene. I've only have done Model T engines that were stuck for many years. I pull off the head along with the main and rod bearings, clean the crud off the pistons and pore the Kerosene on both ends of the pistons. Daily I go out and put a 2X4 on top of each piston and with a Large hammer, give each one a good wrap. I did 5 T engines last year and with only 2 broken pistons. These engine were in floods for several years.
so is the trans still attached?, if it is are you sure its not keeping the engine from turning over? when i have a new engine thats stuck i pull the plugs and slide a small light inside so i can have a look at the walls, if theres rust i dont even try to turn them over as it couold cause more damage, if it doesnt look to bad then i spray combustion chamber cleaner inside it works in about 30 min, then with a socket and strong arm on the crank i wiggle, wiggle wiggle, hasent failed yet.
After soaking a 250 for weeks i took off the head and hit each piston 2x with a slug hammer and a block of wood. it unstuck it. i took each piston down and cleaned the cylinder walls with sand paper . i also cleaned the bottom of the head and installed a new gasket now its good to go. it runs great
yep, let it soak with penetrating oil then pull the heads off. Kroil and PB Fabulous Blaster are my favorite rust eaters ever, I believe they actually sidestep physics and use magic. one stuck valve will ruin your day when you try to turn it over. valve stem seals and some valve lapping would go a long way on making a frozen engine live. plus with the heads off you can 'pop' each piston lightly with a mallet and block of wood. lithium assembly lube putting it all back together and you've got a fair chance of the engine wanting to live for a while.
Amen. Rotary guys seem to trust MMO, ATF, and Amsoil Powerfoam, since the rotaries seem to carbon lock all too often, so I'd go with that. My luck went well for me with PB Blaster, my savior, day in and day out.
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