Freeing a stuck engine
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==Preface== | ==Preface== | ||
| − | Before you get out the sledge hammer, a block of wood and start pounding | + | Before you get out the sledge hammer, a block of wood and start pounding, there are a few things to consider. Most importantly: |
*How long has it been since the engine was last turned over? | *How long has it been since the engine was last turned over? | ||
| − | *What condition was the engine left in when last turned over? | + | *What condition was the engine left in when last turned over, is there oil in it still, or water? Or is it dry, without oil? |
| + | *Is the engine seized because of neglect/rust/corrosion, or is it because of a mechanical failure like a broken crankshaft, thrown rod, spun bearing or seized piston from detonation, etc.? | ||
==Taking a look at the engine== | ==Taking a look at the engine== | ||
| − | Start by removing the air cleaner. While removing the air cleaner, check for moisture or water puddles in the oil bath. The reason that you are looking for moisture is to determine how much water could be within the engine. If snow has blown into the engine compartment, it will melt and puddle out inside the air cleaner, intake manifold, lifter valley, etc, but not necessarily make its way deep into the engine. If the engine has been flooded by means of overland flooding and rising water, then you could also have an accumulation of silt and dirt within the engine. Dirt and water within the engine is the worst kind of engine lock that you can experience. | + | Start by removing the air cleaner. While removing the air cleaner, check for moisture or water puddles in the oil bath or in the bottom of the filter housing. It might be dry ''now'', but look for evidence of there being standing water in the past. The reason that you are looking for moisture is to determine how much water could be within the engine. If snow has blown into the engine compartment, it will melt and puddle out inside the air cleaner, intake manifold, lifter valley, etc, but not necessarily make its way deep into the engine. If the engine has been flooded by means of overland flooding and rising water, then you could also have an accumulation of silt and dirt within the engine. Dirt and water within the engine is the worst kind of engine lock that you can experience. |
| − | Pull the dipstick and check for water in the engine oil. If you find water in the oil, try and determine how much there is. | + | Pull the dipstick and check for water in the engine oil. If you find water in the oil, try and determine how much there is. Start by removing the oil drain plug from the oil pan and watch what comes out. Water will exit first, followed by whatever oil that may be left. If the engine was flooded excessively, there will be basically no oil left; it will have been pushed out by the rising water. The amount of water to oil that comes out of the oil pan is an indication of whether the reciprocating assembly was submerged or not. |
Open the radiator cap and check for coolant. If no coolant is present in the upper tank, open the drain tap and check for the presence of antifreeze. You can remove a upper radiator hose housing and check under the thermostat too. In some cases, you can open at engine block tap or remove a water jacket stud to look for coolant too. | Open the radiator cap and check for coolant. If no coolant is present in the upper tank, open the drain tap and check for the presence of antifreeze. You can remove a upper radiator hose housing and check under the thermostat too. In some cases, you can open at engine block tap or remove a water jacket stud to look for coolant too. | ||
| − | + | <gallery perrow=5 caption="What you might find"> | |
| + | File:Bearing damaged from sitting in water.jpg|Bearing surface etched, rod cheeks rusted/pitted. | ||
| + | File:Rings stuck in piston grooves.jpg|Rings stuck in grooves- will surely burn oil until (IF) they're able to be unstuck. | ||
| + | File:Rusty chamber and valves.jpg|Rusty chamber, not that bad. | ||
| + | File:Stuck cylinder and piston- beyond repair.jpg|Beyond hope, needs bored and new piston and rings most likely. | ||
| + | File:Bbc fixable.jpg|Salvageable? Maybe, maybe not- but a lot of engines found in junkyards, etc. are going to look like this one. Further investigation will tell the tale... | ||
| + | </gallery> | ||
===Understanding water damage=== | ===Understanding water damage=== | ||
If the water is from an external source such as rain, and it came into the air cleaner via the butterfly stud on the air cleaner, chances are there is only a small quantity in only a few of the engine bores. You can only have so many intake valves open at one time, and the water would have only migrated into those cylinder bores. Therefore, you could only have two or three stuck pistons at best, and not all of them. In such a case, the likelihood of freeing the engine is much better. On the other hand, if the engine had been flooded by rising flood waters, there is a chance that besides intake valves being open, the exhaust valves open too. To make matters worse, water also entered in the oil breather and is present in the oil pan. Flood waters also have a large presence of clay particles (or silt), chemicals of unknown nature, and varying acidity and alkalinity. | If the water is from an external source such as rain, and it came into the air cleaner via the butterfly stud on the air cleaner, chances are there is only a small quantity in only a few of the engine bores. You can only have so many intake valves open at one time, and the water would have only migrated into those cylinder bores. Therefore, you could only have two or three stuck pistons at best, and not all of them. In such a case, the likelihood of freeing the engine is much better. On the other hand, if the engine had been flooded by rising flood waters, there is a chance that besides intake valves being open, the exhaust valves open too. To make matters worse, water also entered in the oil breather and is present in the oil pan. Flood waters also have a large presence of clay particles (or silt), chemicals of unknown nature, and varying acidity and alkalinity. | ||
===Flood water damage=== | ===Flood water damage=== | ||
| − | The clay or silt particles present in flood water | + | The clay or silt particles present in flood water could accumulate deep inside of the engine and hang on to the rough casting surfaces of all the internal workings. These clay particles are so small that when they are in solution they will infiltrate a bearing. When the water dries, they will form a layer of dust within the bearing. The dust will wick up the oil from the surface and water vapor from the air will start to rust the steel surface over time. The dust may also have acids and alkalies (caustics) attached to it, and together with water vapor will etch the bearing surfaces. |
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| + | After a flood, newer, essential and operational vehicles take priority for being repaired, others will have to wait. Many flooded engines will just have to wait, sometimes after the winter freeze-up, sometimes even longer. Internal damage and cracked blocks and heads are usually the result of frozen water. Sometimes they will end up being junked for the cast iron. If these engines are gotten to ''before'' such damage occurs, they may be able to be salvaged intact. | ||
==Understanding and preparation== | ==Understanding and preparation== | ||
| − | What you discovered above will lead you to understanding the solution to unsticking the engine. An engine that was in a covered shed, had no visible sign of water infiltration, and was full of oil and coolant but stuck, is usually an easy fix. The rings which are cast iron are stuck to the cast cylinder walls but only in the cylinders which are open to the atmosphere. If you followed the firing order of the engine, you could determine which are open cylinders and which are closed. You can start by pulling the spark plugs out | + | What you discovered above will lead you to understanding the solution to unsticking the engine. An engine that was in a covered shed, had no visible sign of water infiltration, and was full of oil and coolant but stuck, is usually an easy fix. The rings which are cast iron are stuck to the cast cylinder walls but only in the cylinders which are open to the atmosphere. If you followed the firing order of the engine, you could determine which are open cylinders and which are closed. You can start by pulling the spark plugs out and inject penetration oil with a trigger type oil can. Diesel fuel reeks and is truly a foul smell to have all over everything it comes into contact with. For that reason, it is not recommended unless that is all that's available. Marvel Mystery Oil, PB blaster or WD-40 is good and kerosene works as well. DO NOT use gasoline or a solvent-like product as they do not provide any lubricity, plus are a fire hazard. |
| + | [[File:MMO gall.png|MMO gall.png]] [[File:W-d40 gallon.jpg]][[File:PB Blaster gallon.jpg]] | ||
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| + | Use a least an ounce in each hole and allow to sit for a few hours. While that's working, back off on the fan belts, remove the air cleaner and valve covers. Charge up the battery, clean the cables and make sure all electrical connections are tight. Remove the fan shroud if there is one. Get a 3-foot breaker bar with a 3/4" drive and the appropriate socket for the front pulley bolt. Remove the coil wire from the distributor/coil. Get some help if you think you need it. | ||
==Breaking the engine loose== | ==Breaking the engine loose== | ||
| − | With the spark plugs out of the engine and a FULLY charged battery, give the starter a one second click and then stop. Observe as you do this if the fan or crank pulley has moved slightly and which way it moved, if the valves have moved, and if the starter is fully engaging into the flywheel. Take the breaker bar and turn the crank pulley back a | + | With the spark plugs out of the engine and a FULLY charged battery, give the starter a one second click and then stop. Observe as you do this if the fan or crank pulley has moved slightly and which way it moved, if the valves have moved, and if the starter is fully engaging into the flywheel. Take the breaker bar and turn the crank pulley back a bit and then hit the starter button again to put some torque on the flywheel. This torque multiplication will move the crank journal a degree or two and will push or pull on the piston which in turn will apply thrust against the rings. All you have to do for the moment is crack the rings loose a thousandth of an inch to allow the penetrating oil to get in between the rings and cylinder walls. |
| − | + | After allowing the penetrant to settle in for a few minutes to overnight, use the breaker bar to remove the tension on the rings. The penetrant between the ring and the wall will eventually break the ring free from the cylinder wall. It may take a dozen or so tries before all of the stuck rings and bearings are free but with each successive try more fluid will fill the voids until the engine is free to turn. Allow the engine to make two or three revolutions before stopping the exercise. This will allow the excess penetration oil to evacuate itself from the combustion chambers and for some of the oil in the crankcase to move in the system. The engine will now have a new place to rest while the lubrication seeps into the surfaces of the internals. | |
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| + | During the 1954 flood and hurricane in New England, many cars were submerged. My Grand father and another fella got these cars cheap and I remember helping as a kid they drained the oil out and put in warm water and Tide soap and ran the engines at an idle for an hour or so. then they drained the water and quickly filled the crank case with kerosene and idled the car for another hour or so. After this they put in regular oil and ran the car as a usual car. Many cars were sold this way and I remember people driving the cars with kitchen chairs bolted to the drivers floor while they looked for seats in a junk yard. | ||
==After the engine has broken loose== | ==After the engine has broken loose== | ||
| − | Now that you have broken the engine loose, one of the first things to do is change the oil. This will get rid of most of the dirt, acids, and excess | + | Now that you have broken the engine loose, one of the first things to do is change the oil. This will get rid of most of the dirt, acids, and excess penetrating fluid. Pull the plug, remove the filter and let it drain. Then, add a gallon or so of diesel fuel and a new filter, and turn it over with the starter for a minute or so. You'll be turning it over without spark plugs, so watch for spray coming out of the plug holes. It will turn much faster and build up some oil pressure while cleaning out the oil galleys and internals. You can cycle through a few times if you want. |
You now have to make a choice: run the engine as is, or pull the heads and pan to check for damages. If you're going to do a compression test or a leakdown test, drain and re-fill with new oil. Circulate the new oil throughout the oil galleries by cranking the engine 50 crankshaft revolutions to purge the diesel fuel, and then start the engine to warm it up and burn off some of the diesel fuel in the engine. In most cases you should go the overhaul route, checking for wear, mic'ing out the bores and clearances of bearings, etc. | You now have to make a choice: run the engine as is, or pull the heads and pan to check for damages. If you're going to do a compression test or a leakdown test, drain and re-fill with new oil. Circulate the new oil throughout the oil galleries by cranking the engine 50 crankshaft revolutions to purge the diesel fuel, and then start the engine to warm it up and burn off some of the diesel fuel in the engine. In most cases you should go the overhaul route, checking for wear, mic'ing out the bores and clearances of bearings, etc. | ||
| − | I figured this out a long time ago if the engine is altogether I ran 180 degree water through the system remove the | + | I figured this out a long time ago if the engine is altogether I ran 180 degree water through the system remove the thermostat hook up your hoses to your heating unit and pump the hot water thru the system. Most frozen engines are rings stuck to cylinder walls. The heat usual expands the cast iron faster than the pistons, and voilà- you have it lose. I used a oil burner and home made system with pump Also if stubborn fill the intake with diesel fuel to get the valves on tops of pistons to force the hot water through the engine. Hook a battery or cables to the starter and budge it as you pump the hot water. |
| − | + | ==Unsticking the "impossible"== | |
| − | ==Unsticking the impossible== | + | |
The basics of unsticking any engine are the same. Fill it up with a fluid that will penetrate and lubricate any surface. Remove or loosen any accessory or engine part that is not relative to making the engine turn or cause stress. ROCK THE ENGINE, a degree of turning or a thousandths of an inch is a start in moving the engine's reciprocating mass. Allow for TIME and don't get impatient. | The basics of unsticking any engine are the same. Fill it up with a fluid that will penetrate and lubricate any surface. Remove or loosen any accessory or engine part that is not relative to making the engine turn or cause stress. ROCK THE ENGINE, a degree of turning or a thousandths of an inch is a start in moving the engine's reciprocating mass. Allow for TIME and don't get impatient. | ||
| − | Finding a fluid that will penetrate and lubricate is the key. You need something that will creep, stay wet, and wick its way up into the most awkward and obtrusive spot. Ordinary motor oil will coat but creeps at a very slow pace. Petroleum or mineral spirits will get into small places but will dry out over time. Paraffin will wick its way up or down a threaded bolt when it is at the correct temperature. Acids will 'burn' their way and may be hard to control. Caustics are more of a slow burn and will require an outside energy source to work better. Water will penetrate, wet and coat but has limitations. Diesel fuel | + | Finding a fluid that will penetrate and lubricate is the key. You need something that will creep, stay wet, and wick its way up into the most awkward and obtrusive spot. Ordinary motor oil will coat but creeps at a very slow pace. Petroleum or mineral spirits will get into small places but will dry out over time. Paraffin will wick its way up or down a threaded bolt when it is at the correct temperature. Acids will 'burn' their way through and may be hard to control. Caustics are more of a slow burn and will require an outside energy source to work better, and are often harmful to aluminum/aluminum alloys. Water will penetrate, wet and coat but has many limitations. Diesel fuel is a middle-of-the-road fluid that will creep, coat and stay wet over time but reeks to high hell and will stink up everything it contacts- you included. Use as a last resort. If you're feeling adventurous, you can mix up your own solution (WD-40 did). Or just spend a few bucks on a large can of Marvel Mystery oil, WD-40, and/or PB Blaster. |
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| + | Most metals will form what is known as an oxide, where oxygen from the air mixes on the surface with the base metal. We do know that when these oxides dry out they are usually hard to remove by any means other than mechanical (sanding or wire brush/wheel, sand/bead blasting). | ||
| − | Know what metal that you are working with and apply the correct solution to get the best result. We know that steel or iron will rust | + | Know what metal that you are working with and apply the correct solution to get the best result. We know that steel or iron will rust. Aluminum will form a white powdery residue and form a dark grey to almost black coating caused by the oxidation of the metal. Brass and copper will be covered with a green corrosion. Each condition will use a different approach in most cases. |
| − | Why not just re-wet the piece of metal with the same thing that caused it to fail! If water cause a piece of steel to rust, why not use water to re-wet it and remove the rust; i.e. waterjet. | + | Why not just re-wet the piece of metal with the same thing that caused it to fail! If water cause a piece of steel to rust, why not use water to re-wet it and remove the rust; i.e. waterjet? While this may be a solution for some, in some circumstances, there are time-honored ways of dealing w/oxidation that don't require any specialized knowledge or equipment. |
| − | Heat is an excellent tool for unsticking things, but only when used in moderation. If you | + | Heat is an excellent tool for unsticking things, but only when used in moderation. Would hitting a stuck piston help it to move? The answer is, yes and no. If you apply enough force in the proper direction, yes it would help. If you just wound up and smacked it dead center with a ball peen hammer, you would probably just put a hole in it and it would still remain stuck. The better way to approach this when you have a stuck engine would be this way: |
| − | + | *Determine what is stuck. Is it the piston(s), the crank, the cam and valve train, the rods, or a combination of all these? | |
| + | *Break the engine down until you find that part or combination of parts. | ||
| + | *It would be a hell of a waste if we just gave up on an engine just because it wouldn't turn over. How about turning it back? Could we have just dropped a valve on the piston and it's stuck there? | ||
| + | *Remove non-essential accessories that aren't required to make the engine rotate. That means that you can loosen the belts off or remove the alternator, water pump, intake and exhaust manifolds, distributor, heads, oil pan, etc. Get it down to where you can have a good look around and see where the problem area lies. | ||
| + | *Keep the engine in a secure holding device. If it's the frame of the car or truck, that's good. If the engine is loose, find a way to hold it down. Remember, the tensile strength of steel is greater than wood. And if one bolt is good, a half a dozen would be better. If using an engine stand, use caution that it doesn't tip. Alight-duty three wheeled engine stand won't do it a long breaker bar is going to be used to turn the crank. | ||
| + | *Flood the engine block with the fluid of your choice. Turn it upside down and fill the block, and plug holes as necessary. This is just a pre-lube stage. | ||
| + | *Using an oak block and a dead blow hammer of your choice, SHOCK each piston with a few blows. A air chisel with a flat bit and an oak block like the mushroom end of an axe handle works good, remember you are just trying to loosen the rings NOT move the piston, just let the bit vibrate the oak block and piston. When the rings break free you will see your lube run past them into the block. Any piston which is at TDC or BDC will not give you any mechanical advantage in rotating the assembly by hitting it. The initial strike is to just loosen the rings in the piston lands and break the rings free from the walls of the cylinder. Pistons that are in between TDC and BDC will provide the best opportunity to move within the bore. | ||
| + | *There are two places in which you can apply rotational force. One is the crank pulley and the other is the flywheel. Use whichever is accessible the easiest. Do not use pulleys or the outside ring of balancers to turn over the engine if at all possible. Don't use the balancer bolt, either. Damper/balancers can be damaged and the damper bolt will strip if excessive torque is applied. Instead, the safest/easiest way to turn the crank is to use a tool that allows a large ratchet or breaker bar to be used, like a crank turning device (shown below). Both sockets that use the crank key, and adaptors that bolt to the inner hub of the damper are made for turning the crank. Crank keys and keyways can shear with abnormal force. Be sure of the bolt grades before applying force. Remember to try to turn the crank CW and CCW. | ||
| + | <gallery> | ||
| + | File:Crank turning tool.jpg|Damper-mounted crank turning tool | ||
| + | File:Crank turning tool2.jpg|Crank snout-mounted crank turning tool | ||
| + | </gallery> | ||
| + | <br style="clear: both" /> | ||
| + | *Don't forget to use longitudinal force on the crankshaft. Tap the crankshaft at both ends with your dead blow hammer and oak block, like you were going to measure the crank end float. Loosen the rod bearing caps and tap with a bronze hammer to break the bearings loose. | ||
| + | *After you've done all of the above, let 'er soak and then start over again. It'll loosen! | ||
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===Miscellaneous=== | ===Miscellaneous=== | ||
| − | After trying the aforementioned soaking to no avail, determine which cylinder is on the compression stroke by removing the spark plugs and using a compression gauge hose or other hose that fits snugly in the spark plug hole. Blow in the hose, if you can't easily then you have the one on compression stroke (if you use a gauge hose make sure it has no | + | After trying the aforementioned soaking to no avail, determine which cylinder is on the compression stroke by removing the spark plugs and using a compression gauge hose or other hose that fits snugly in the spark plug hole. Blow in the hose, if you can't easily then you have the one on compression stroke (if you use a gauge hose make sure it has no Schrader valve in it). Break the porcelain out of an old spark plug and thread the metal body for a large grease fitting (1/4" NPT). Insert the plug in the cylinder that's on the compression stroke and pump it full of grease using a grease gun filled with cheap light weight grease (like white grease). Grease guns can develop thousands of pounds of pressure with no impact. Once the motor breaks free you can rotate the motor to squeeze most of the grease out of the spark plug hole. |
| − | Another approach is to put an | + | Another approach is to put an ounce of Marvel Mystery Oil, WD-40 or PB Blaster into each cylinder and then pressurize with compressed air. On cylinders that are not under compression, the compressed air will distribute the penetrating oil. With the cylinder under compression, the compressed air will act to rotate the engine while driving the penetrating oil past the rings. |
| − | I tried all of the above and was about to give up when a "old timer" told me about using Coke a Cola, I didn't believe it but | + | I tried all of the above and was about to give up when a "old timer" told me about using Coke a Cola, I didn't believe it but why not try it. I poured a can of straight red can Coke in each spark plug hole. Let sit overnight. Next day I pulled on the breaker bar and with hardly any pressure it rotated free and easy. Ever see what coke does to a penny soaked over night? |
| − | Coke works because it's acidic but I don't care for the sugar it leaves behind; we use various | + | Coke works because it's acidic but I don't care for the sugar it leaves behind; we use various oils. We spray an ounce of Mystery oil in each hole. Then we come back with a long angled blow nozzle with good pressure. Not to turn the engine over but to cause the oil to coat the whole cylinder. A small percentage of liquid mag wheel cleaner will mix with the red oil. |
| − | Use good eye protection. Blow all the cylinders to coat the whole inside. Give it a couple | + | Use good eye protection. Blow all the cylinders to coat the whole inside. Give it a couple days or more so it can dissolve the rust. No telling how much might be in there. Go back after you've waited as long as you can. Screw in the adapter charge each cylinder with fifty or so psi. It helps if you completely loosen the rockers first so any cylinder you charge has the valves closed. If it doesn't turn over at fifty psi it's not ready. Apply more oil and wait as long as you can. It's a bit of work, but if the object is to SAVE the engine and not just prove you can turn it over, you have a 90% chance of saving what is left of it. |
==Unsticking an engine in a manual transmission vehicle== | ==Unsticking an engine in a manual transmission vehicle== | ||
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Once the engine has soaked, jack up one drive wheel, put the transmission in high gear and work the wheel back and forth. | Once the engine has soaked, jack up one drive wheel, put the transmission in high gear and work the wheel back and forth. | ||
| − | If you have a friend to help you can skip jacking up the wheel, put the vehicle in | + | If you have a friend to help you can skip jacking up the wheel, put the vehicle in low gear, position yourselves on each end of the vehicle and rock the vehicle back and forth. This can take quite a while and it is quite tiring but you will notice the wheel will start to move a little farther if the process is going to succeed. |
Once the drive wheel rotates several revolutions, pull the vehicle in high gear several miles with all the plugs removed. This is probably not necessary but it gets everything well-lubricated. | Once the drive wheel rotates several revolutions, pull the vehicle in high gear several miles with all the plugs removed. This is probably not necessary but it gets everything well-lubricated. | ||
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