Breaking loose a seized engine

[fabricatordave]

Re: Breaking loose a seized engine

that sucks.sometimes hammer therapy is a good thing

[DanStokes]

Re: Breaking loose a seized engine

Brian -
Sorry you had to do that. Unless you're a sociopath, that's gotta be tough. I'm really glad that I'm not working anymore and my income is stable and guaranteed. I hope the new Prez and the Congress can get the economy moving, but I don't think it'll happen quickly (not intended to be political - just wishing for the best).

I stumbled across some Seafoam recently, so I stopped with PB Blaster and went to the Seafoam. No idea if it's better, yet.

Dan

[milner351]

Re: Breaking loose a seized engine

Guys - I've been busy with many other things lately.
Yesterday was a typical example - changed oil and installed winter tires on one friends car, changed oil and rotated tires on another friends car - that friend then helped me clean the gutters on the shop - sorely needed, then- helped another friend replace the hub on his recently divorced and broke sisters 2002 Blazer 4x4, then got to disassembling the intake system on my DD so I can get to the glow plugs, and injector pump seals, etc, etc, that need attention.

The brake fluid soaking in 4 bores of the 428 appears to be not working at all - probably today I'll rotate the engine to pour that stuff into a drain pan, and start with something else.

I have another idea -- air hammer -- I have broken loose many a rusted item with a few short blasts from that air hammer - I would use some soft material (chunk of wood) to prevent totally destroying the piston - however, I think the idea has promise.... we'll see.

Dan - I need to get a wire wheel of appropriate diameter to attack the rusty bores on the 292 - as for now -it's resting peacefully on the pallet you supplied - sitting on the arms of my cherry picker.

[malc]

Re: Breaking loose a seized engine

I would imagine hitting on a piston stuck in the bore with an
air hammer might swell the piston and make it even harder to remove.

[Caveman]

Re: Breaking loose a seized engine

I'd try the air hammer with a chunk of oak, or the biggest brass drift you can find. Maybe alternate 10 sec blasts from the top, flip the motor, and do 10 sec blasts from the bottom, i.e., work the rusted rings back and forth. Maybe aim for the side of the piston top/bottom so that the wrist pin pivot action works with you, not against you---meaning don't hit it at the ends of the wrist pin, hit it on either side. Who knows, you may break a piston skirt, flopping the piston sideways...

My dad's got a frozen MG B GT motor that is AWFUL. The oil pump, cam gear, camshaft crank, and the one remaining rod are a locked mess. Judging from the 3 inches of sand, grease & crud in the bottom of the pan, and the 1/4" deep scarring in one bore (broke piston, flopping rod & pin), somebody ran this on 3 cyl at high rpm until it starved of oil and died a horrific death.

[milner351]

Re: Breaking loose a seized engine

Thankfully Caveman - my 428 isn't THAT bad.

I finally won a very significant battle tonight - after busting a glow plug in my DD - I had plenty of pent up mechanical frustration and rage that needed a constructive outlet....

I busted a hickory hammer handle, and broke off lots of the teflon on the end of the piston popper I built in machine shop, but, one piston is out, and two have moved a good bit....

Here's the evidence:



the first one that released it's hold from the bore - looks like a stock replacement cast piston on an early FE rod - C2 - those aint CJ or SCJ rods I don't think - not with date codes that early - it will be interesting to see the rest of this thing apart for sure....

[fahrenschnell]

Re: Breaking loose a seized engine

Way to go dude....Sorry to hear about the Mercedes....That sucks.

Seth

[malc]

Re: Breaking loose a seized engine

At last we´ve moved forward ;D Great.
Was there much of a ridge at the tops of the bores ?

[milner351]

Re: Breaking loose a seized engine

The ridge on the top of the bores doesn't look bad at all, I've not really tried to measure it - but by the finger nail test - I've seen much worse.

Amazingly - the rings / bores don't apear that rusty, just grungy. The compression rings on the piston that came out spin freely in the grooves - the oil control ring is pretty well stuck.

[malc]

Re: Breaking loose a seized engine

I just watched a programme on tv about searching for a lost WWII German pilot.
They hauled the motor of his ME 109 out of the Mediterranean a tad crusty.
To find out when it last flew they dismantled the motor remains, looking for the newest part
installed, it came apart without any problem.....................cleaned up nicely too.
Its last flight was just before the summer of 1945.

[milner351]

Re: Breaking loose a seized engine

there's not much oxygen under water to help the rust monster take hold.

Amazingly enough - a friend of mine has sunk his 351W powered inboard ski boat - TWICE!

Both times he flushed the engine with diesel fuel a couple times, put in fresh spark plugs, drained the carb, and the damned thing started right up!

The 428 and 292 have gotten little attention lately - the damned saturn "flip" car has turned into a real PITA. My friend discovered after we had the engine installed and running - there was an oil leak.... Yup - you guessed it - the hole we drilled and tapped about 1/4" away from the hole with the busted off stud on the exhaust manifold mounting flange was leaking oil.

SO - he ended up having to swap the head anyway - this time IN THE CAR... but it's done and the thing is running again.

Anyone need 2.2 ecotec parts? we've got a pile of them to sell now!

[AllenK]

Re: Breaking loose a seized engine

I need to show this thread to my Dad. He tried and tried to get the engine in my grandpa's tractor unseized,but no dice. It's been sitting since '81 or so probably since my grandpa got sick with cancer.

[DanStokes]

Re: Breaking loose a seized engine

Milner's (John) explanation of why the underwater engine wasn't seized sucks! I was thinking of droping the nailhead in the ocean for a couple of months, but probably not the best plan.

Dan

[milner351]

Re: Breaking loose a seized engine

Well - I still have not given up on the "vat 'o rust converter" idea - but as of late (and given the state of the auto industry that puts food on the table) I should really be investing a few hundred bucks on some chemicals at the moment.

As it is I'm up to my elbows working on mundane every day stuff and have not gotten back to the hotrods in a while.

Thankfully the Saturn is done - and I'm making some progress on the two diesels.... and I have some time off coming up... time will tell.

[DanStokes]

Re: Breaking loose a seized engine

What does a drum of this stuff cost? Maybe we should go in together on a barrel and then rent it out when ours are done. If you'll store it - I'll bring the Nailhead there.

Just a thought
Dan