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Just bought a 54 vette that sat for 30 years. Motor is stuck. I've had good luck putting a mixture of oil and penetrating oil into cylinders of other cars with manual transmissions and was able to rock them free. With the power glide transmision and a starter that ingages but won't turn, I am baffeled on what to pry or push on to try and free it up without taking it apart. Any suggestions besides tearing it down?
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Re: C1 freeing up stuck engine
Ted----
My estimation is that you won't have a lot of luck, if you've not been able to succeed with what you've done so far. Keep in mind that pistons are aluminum; rings and cylinder bores are cast iron. Once all of the oil has drained and evaporated and some moisture is present (a high humidity environment is all that it takes to have more than enough moisture present), galvanic corrosion sets in. In some cases, you'll be amazed at what it takes to get the pistons out of the bores.In Appreciation of John Hinckley -
Re: C1 freeing up stuck engine
I have freed up a couple of engines but I have always ended up rebuilding them if I cared about them. Sometimes, even the valves are stuck in the cylinders along with the lifter bodies. You can end up breaking/bending push rods/rocker arms and rocker studs. It is a small engine, easy to take out and easy to take apart. If you care about the car I would just take it apart and do it right.
Cast iron rings would be trashed by now. You might crack one in the process of breaking it loose and end up trashing the cylinder(s).
Just my opinion. Good luck, TerryComment
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Re: C1 freeing up stuck engine
Ihave had good luck with brake fluid and diesel.Comment
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Re: C1 freeing up stuck engine
I have had fair luck with straigt kerosene. Remove plugs and fill cylinders. Let it soak for several days. Use a long breaker bar and a socket on the bolt holding the balancer on (if it has a bolt). Or attempt to turn it by prying on the starter ring gear teeth. If you suceed in turning the engine over, I would fill the cylinders with Marvel Mystery Oil and let it soak again.
Lotsa luck. I am trying to free up a 586" Contential engine. Been sitting since the 60's. I just want to free it up enough to tear it down. I am not worried about damage to rings or pistons. I have a set of .060 pistons for it.Dick WhittingtonComment
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Re: C1 freeing up stuck engine
I had good luck with Marvel Mystery Oil soaking in all the cylinders. If you can get access to the ring gear of the flywheel, you can pry on the flywheel using a lever such as a tire iron on the bell housing. Be careful when you do this. You can chip the ring gear and mung up the bell housing. There are tools that do this. I forget the right name, something like "flywheel turner." You don't care which way the flywheel turns. In fact, you'll probably have to work it back and forth until it completes a full revolution. Make sure the flywheel goes through a full revolution before you try the starter. Don't succumb to the temptation to try the starter until the engine goes through a full revolution. If the engine is stuck, the starter won't be able to disengage. It'll continue to try to turn over. That circuit is not fuse. Much smoke will ensue.Comment
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Re: C1 freeing up stuck engine
Big time trouble if the smoke escapes the wiring. Lucas never did figure out how to capture the smoke in a wiring harnessDick WhittingtonComment
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