First time I've ever had a six that JUST won't free off. Month or more of soaking the cylinders in ATF P'Blaster and Acetone. Built a dedicated tool to attach to the crank pulley and put a strain on a box wrench slipped into it; three straight days holding it up with a 4ton engine crane. Got s small white dot for a tell tale on the pulley and it hasn't moved appreciably in weeks of graft. Not going to destroy it getting all ratchet with it but it is frustrating. Might have to pull the engine with the torque converter and get it broke loose that way. No water in the oil, plenty of oil in the pan. Just stuck tighter than ****'s hat band as Dad would say. Looking for a SBF to swap into this '64 Cl***ic.
I had a 428 Ford that was that way. Had to beat one of the pistons out with a sledge hammer and the only thing that stuck it was the hood on the 56 F100 that it was in was left open some to the point that water ran right down into the engine through the carburetor for several years. Engine looked perfect on the outside and oil looked good.
I don’t understand these type of posts sometimes. You want to do an engine swap but also want to free up a stuck engine that is being replaced. Sell it as a core and make it someone else’s problem.
I fill the whole damn engine to the top with diesel. On some engines I flip the exhaust manifolds over and add more diesel. Patients is key.
I'd rather keep the six intact, but in the interest of expedience, I need to get it running. If the six hides in the corner of the garage for a couple of years, so be it. If the swap goes well; It'll still be nice to have the original engien.
The stuck engines I've had to deal with wouldn't budge until I pulled the head/s and cleaned up the rusty cylinders as best I could. Pistons just won't move up over rust, it has to be removed first. If it's stuck valves keeping the engine from turning, the push rods or lifters usually need to be removed first. Sometimes the valves can be freed by smacking the tops with a hammer until they come loose, or...not. Had one engine that defied turning and found it had a seized distributer shaft, after having tried everything else Good luck!
Like Doublepumper said, pull the head then s****e the cylinders of rust and carbon using box-knife blades, the pointy ends get down in that space between the cylinder wall and the piston. Patience and perseverance wins the day.
If working on a stuck valve, avoid striking the stem directly with a hammer. You can easily bend the valve stem or chip the hardened valve tip. Hold a block of wood on the valve between the stem and your hammer.
The engine is seized-up.... **** you were able to remove the exhaust manifolds to reverse them ?!!! Exhaust mani's nuts/bolts are usually THE WORST !!! 6sally6
I had an FE Ford I thought was trashed, it looked like **** on the outside but after sitting under a tarp for 3 years I popped a head off to fine freshly polished cylinders...
I take it you don’t want to dis***emble anything? But if you can get the pan off, loosen the main caps. pull the head. A slug of 1/2 in on top of the piston and attack the slug with an air hammer/chisel. The rapid vibrations should break the rings loose from the bores. I’ve done a few that way, although I had a FH V8 that I had to bust a few pistons up, but it had been sitting out for who knows how long.
My olds 303 was stuck talking to the yard owner the 98 was in the yard since 71 and the valve covers were off for many years. Removed the heads and starter than soaked the cylinders for a weak than used a rubber hammer to hit each piston the motor came unstuck rather easy.
I spent three days fighting a stuck motor one time. After we pulled the head, it was pretty apparent it was never going to turn over until you destroyed the pistons. That was the last motor I invested more then ten minutes trying to get to turn over.
Just remove the damned cylinder head and see what you're up against. How long does it take to pull the head on a 1964 inline six?
I find it better to pull the starter and use a pry bar on the ring gear teeth. Alot more leverage there than on a crank pulley bolt. Dave
It's mainly the cost of replacement gaskets. Felpro doesn't make the 196 gasket set anymore.Of course, my own obstinance is a big part of it...
Its gunna need a rebuild whatever, there's no way a motor that stuck is just going to free off and run again like nothing happened.
Understand all that but unless I stick it BACK together with the old gaskets (which I hate to do) I may end up ruining new gaskets needlessly. Cue next round of questions for transmission guys, coming up.
I just went thru this in a Chevy 292 six. Almost 2 weeks of messing with it whenever I had time. Soaked with ATF and acetone on top of pistons for over a week- no luck. Pulled head, nothing looked bad, flipped it over and pulled the pan, pulled the rod caps. Pistons came out easily with no excessive force needed. Turns out crank was stuck to bearings AND cam was stuck to bearings AND lifters were stuck in bores. Got it all freed up and measured cylinder bores (it is still at std. bore with very little taper or barreling)- it goes to the machine shop tomorrow- if it checks out as salvageable it will get rebuilt and go into my '31 Chevy coupe this winter. Sometimes you just have to more stubborn than the engine.
The wrench on front bolt may not be sufficient pressure. Try to rig a pry bar on the ring gear, maybe use a bottle jack for more pressure force. Also try going both directions, which is easy with the ring gear.
It's not; it's a Rambler 196. I removed the starter but still can't manage the leverage needed. Even the tool I made for the crank pulley wasn't transferring enough force. Got to be a hell of a rust ring in the cylinders.
I had a stuck 389 Pontiac. After all the usual soaking and prying efforts I finally started dis***embling it piece by piece and trying to turn it - no go. Down to the short block with the pan and timing cover off, I found the cam stuck. But the crank still wouldn’t turn. One by one I removed the rod caps and finally saw a little crankshaft motion. The wrist pins were frozen. I had to hammer the rods to a position to remove the crank. Some pistons released in their bores after a few whacks but most were still stuck. I would never have gotten that engine to turn no matter what I soaked it in or how long I soaked it. Sometimes you’ve just gotta bite the bullet and rip it apart….
I was fighting a big White halftrack engine once, getting violent on the front with a big pipe on the crank when boom...something broke and it was free. Turned out only the oil pump was seized,, full of water, broke the drive gear
One thing you could do is use grease. Install a grease fitting on a spark plug undo the the rocker arms on the cylinder you intend to grease and before you install the spark plug fill the cylinder with grease then install spark plug/grease fitting and pump grease the hydraulic force may get things moving. I did this on an old hit and miss with a stuck piston and it worked. Dan
I have had a frozen water pump make me think the engine was seized. Cut the belt and it fired up. Frozen lifter and wrist pins have also given me grief.
The Jalopy Journal
