51 Studebaker Champion Stuck Engine

[Jerry Johnson]

Got a stuck engine, have filled the cylinders with kerosene and left it sit for about a week now. Still will not budge. Removed the manifolds and the lifter inspection and adjustment pans and all the valves will move freely. Can't belive the crank is a problem as it's still full of oil. This engine was suppose to be running when the restoration started some years back, so don't think it was locked up with a bearing problem. Now that I got the detail out of the way, what else can I put in the cylinders to free it up. How many of you have ever been sucessful with an engine which had been frozen and then freed. Where they OK or did you have to rebuild them anyway. Sorry about being so windy.

[rockne10]

Pull the starter and see if you can lever the ring gear with a very large screwdriver or pry bar. If you feel resistance sufficient to chip a tooth on the ring gear then I'd say you have a problem.
My Lark VI sat for 12 years outside and ran fine after I levered it through a few complete cycles.
My 33 Rockne sat for 31 years in a garage. I soaked it for a month with Marvel Mystery Oil, put it in gear, hooked a chain to my Lark and broke it loose. 1600 miles later it's still running with good oil pressure. No gaurantees offerred or implied.

[royvaldez]

Hello, I would use diesel. It works better tha Marvo. oil and kerosene.

[Roscomacaw]

Diesel, kerosene - both kinda thin. I use a good penetrating oil for the first wetting and then follow up with automatic tranny fluid. Everyone has their favorite sauce!

Miscreant at large.

1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe
1957 President 2-dr
1955 President State
1951 Champion Biz cpe
1963 Daytona project FS

[DEEPNHOCK]

Like SBob says.... What sauce pleases you?

A lot has been written on recipies...

Kano Labs makes a product called Kroil that works good.
I have used diet Pepsi and diet Coke, and they worked ok.
(something about the acid in there)
Some like to use straight water.

Just don't take shortcuts that will come back to bite you.
Jeff[8D]

DEEPNHOCK at Cox.net
'37 Coupe Express
'37 Coupe Express Trailer
'61 Hawk

http://community.webshots.com/user/deepnhock

[stephenm]

best penetrating oil in the world is Rustbomb made by Conklin
Company out of Minnesota....absolutely will unstick your engine..
their products are all pretty amazing.....sold through individuals but if you call 800-888-8838 there is likely a distributor in you area....they also sell other awesome automotive products....worth a look when you're trying to keep an older engine running....or unstick one for that matter!

'51 Business coupe

[Roscomacaw]

Kroil or it's silly cousin, SiliKroil is great stuff.

I thought about suggesting Diet Pepsi but if this is an effort to free the engine and run it thereafter (as opposed to just getting it apart so you can overhaul it), I'd be afraid of the Pepsi trickling into the bearings as it found it's way to the oilpan. Might not do the bearing surfaces any good![xx(]

Miscreant at large.

1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe
1957 President 2-dr
1955 President State
1951 Champion Biz cpe
1963 Daytona project FS

[Buddy1944]

Then again the problem may be the same as mine, 4 inches of muck in cyl 4 and two inches of muck in cyl 5. Had to push the pistons toward the bottom end until I could clean up the walls enough to remove them from the top. It required a .030 over bore.

[TTodd]

A friend of mine rebuilds old gas engines uses greese and a greese gun to free stuck pistons. He made a zerk fitting for the spark plug hole and pumps greese in till it moves.

61 Lark
61 Lark Cruser VIII

[Tom Bredehoft]

I'd want to make certain the piston I used wasn't at bottom dead center, or had a valve open. That sure ought to move a piston, though.

Tom Bredehoft
'53 Commander Coupe
'60 Lark VI