Get a long breaker bar with the appropriate socket for the front pulley bolt. Don't try to rush it. "" Also note that striking the crown of the piston is a very bad idea so ones oak block should be relieved in the middle. Loosen the rod bearing caps and tap with a bronze hammer to break the bearings loose. The most significant indication of a locked engine is that your car will not start, and the engine does not turn at all. 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. When the water dries, they will form a layer of dust within the bearing. In any case one also needs to consider the three-score-and-ten aspect when undertaking such lengthy tasks. Good luck and the hardest part, HAVE PATIENCE. Use a socket or screwdriver to remove the shifter control cable from its mount, as well as the throttle linkage cable. The rings, which are cast iron, are usually stuck to the cast iron cylinder walls but only in the cylinders which are open to the atmosphere. Are ya running your engine with no oil? This locking due to water is called hydro lock and it can seize the engine. 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. Don't use the balancer bolt, either. Note: Using a breaker bar to turn a frozen engine over by the crankshaft bolt is not recommended. We have access to free lubricants. The penetrant between the ring and the wall will eventually break the ring free from the cylinder wall. I figure i have 3 options. $15.00. If horizontal, lay the truck dolly down on its frame, with the spark plug holes facing up. Pistons that are in between TDC and BDC will provide the best opportunity to move within the bore. You can cycle through a few times if you want. 1) Patience and 2) penetrating oil. Wait about six hours and repeat the oil injection into the cylinders, but use only 1/2 ounce per cylinder. In such a situation, remove the spark plugs from the cylinders. Last edited by a moderator: Jul 28, 2011. Unsnap the top motor cowl case and pull the plug wires off the spark plugs. Once the drive wheel rotates several revolutions, pull the vehicle in high gear several miles with all the plugs removed. 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. Is this a 4 stroke? After 2 weeks, top of engine with 4 quarts of 15-40 hd oil. Working on option in terms of money and time for two engines . When pistons are stuck really hard, heat, the wood block and the sledgehammer may all fail. This will get rid of most of the dirt, acids, and penetrating fluid. 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. Many years ago the writer bought a Commer van with a stuck engine. Give it a couple minutes/hours/days so it can work on the rust. It seems one of the small bolts that holds the carb plate on wiggled loose, got sucked in the intake, tore up the rotary valve and jammed the engine. Remove the rags and let the excess penetrating oil escape from the cylinder, while you spin the motor. It is possible that the mainshaft gears and the clutch are locked up but usually it is the pistons. I have found that Oil of Wintergreen is a wonderful penetrant. Fill cylinders again and reinsert plugs. Have your assistant help you remount your engine on the transom then connect the cables, fuel line and wire jack you removed. You can tell if your engine is locked by trying to turn the crankshaft with a breaker bar. Try it if you want to. My father-in-law has problem with a 2000 model Mercury 50hp motor two stroke. Fill it up with a fluid that will penetrate and lubricate the stuck surfaces. WD 40 or kerosene may work but are not as effective as some of the others fluids mentioned. To put it in the language of the two-stroke—it goes URP and locks up solid. The 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. Just used all methods above and freed up Mercruiser 200 that sat for 2 years with oil drain pug removed and water filling up the oil pan. Or it will tell you that the engine is well and truly frozen up and needs to be disassembled for a proper rebuild. Remember to try to rock the crank CW and CCW. And if one bolt is good, a half a dozen would be better. Many flooded engines will just have to wait, sometimes until after the winter freeze-up, sometimes even longer. Two pieces of 1/4″ thick cold-rolled steel about 1-1/4″ and 2-1/2″ long were drilled in three places to allow bolting to the bronze connecting rod in lieu of the end cap and also to hold a long threaded bolt 3/8″ diameter and 5″ long. Attach the impact wrench to the crankshaft nut and turn it on. Reattach the spark plug wires and close the top motor case cowl. This is the method we use in the Junk yard. Usually a two stroke will overheat and the piston gets too large for the bore and it seizes against the cylinder wall stopping the engine - technically, the piston melts and welds itself to the cylinder - the cylinder is steel and the piston is aluminum so the weld is not strong - when the engine cools, the weld will break and depending on the severity of the seizure, the rings may not be stuck in their … If it turns, the engine isn’t seized, and you should look for a different cause. The engine will now have a new place to rest while the lubrication seeps into the surfaces of the internals. Locked-up motors result from long periods of storage, worn components or insufficient lubrication. Dry ice or even a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher are also very effective in creating sub zero temperatures (BP -57C). It would be a hell of a waste if we just gave up on an engine just because it wouldn't turn over. Up top looks bad. On cylinders that are not under compression, the compressed air will distribute the penetrating oil. Note - use the 1" socket on the Engine rotation adapter or you will break the tool from force on the internal 1/2" drive cut out while trying to break the engine free. Note: Some years ago, a machinist's magazine did a controlled (but unscientific) study on penetrating oils, and found that ATF mixed 50/50 with acetone outperformed all other penetrating oils by a wide margin. DO NOT use gasoline or other highly flammable solvents as they do not provide any lubricity, plus they are a respiratory and fire hazard. Remember, the tensile strength of steel is greater than wood. The theory here is the heat will expands the cast iron block faster than the pistons; the extra clearance this creates gives the penetrating oil a better chance at reaching the stuck areas as well as may break any bonds formed by rust/corrosion. 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. An engine that's had regular routine oil and filter changes will be relatively clean inside. Be sure to lubricate after draining/blowing off the antifreeze. Heat is an excellent tool for unsticking things, but only when used in moderation. Once the crud is softened up, it can take a long time to ever be removed totally. As concerns valves in 2-cycle engines, there is a reed valve that is a flap of spring steel over a port. If possible use the starter to budge it as you pump the hot water. The ratio of water to oil that comes out of the oil pan is an indication of whether the reciprocating assembly was submerged or not. Continue to turn crank in small increments. Hey guys, I have a 2003 Sea doo that I just accumulated through family for free. This page has been accessed 562,962 times. Make sure that cylinders have sufficient oil so that the engine works properly. At this point the starter motor was tried but the battery was too weak. I'm thinking new short block. You can only have so many intake valves open at one time, and the water would have only migrated into those cylinder bores. If the engine is loose, find a way to hold it down. Mercury Marine, based in Wisconsin, has been making Mercury outboard motors in two- and four-stroke versions ranging from 2.5 to 350 horsepower for more than 75 years, though the company's first motors did not have as much horsepower as some of its current motors. I was told the craft was sunk and took on water over a year ago. So, out came the engine, and the search for a Wrench Rabbit complete two-stroke rebuild kit started. You can start by pulling the spark plugs out and inject penetrating oil with a trigger type oil can. What condition was the engine left in when last turned over, is there oil in it still, or water? How about turning it back? 1) Pull the motor...find out whats wrong and attempt to rebuild it. If it's the frame of the car or truck, that's good. An air chisel with a flat bit and an oak block like the mushroom end of an axe handle works well. With the spark plugs out of the engine and a FULLY charged battery, give the starter a one second click and then stop. You can remove an upper radiator hose housing and check under the thermostat, too. If no coolant is present in the upper tank, open the drain tap and check for the presence of antifreeze. 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 Lubriplate white grease). While that's working, (if the engine is in a vehicle) back off on the fan belts, remove the air cleaner and valve covers. Most importantly: Start by removing the air cleaner. A breaker bar can be substituted for an impact wrench, but it is important to use a hammer to tap the breaker bar to shock the stuck components. Location: Engine locked up Price: $1000 1998 Honda crf250 - dirt bike - 2 stroke (Engine locked up) $1,000 - … by: Alittle1, Cobalt327, Countryboytn, Crashfarmer, Crosley, GypsyR, Jon(Click here to edit this page anonymously, or register a username to be credited for your work.). Use 1/2 ounce each time, in each cylinder. Engines from boats which have sunk are much more difficult. Place rags over the spark plug holes. Engines can get locked due to the high amount of water in cylinders. Use plenty of penetrant in each spark plug hole and allow to sit for a few hours. Use a socket and wrench to remove the spark plug (or plugs). Charge up the battery, clean the cables and make sure all electrical connections are tight. Fortunately the defective alloy part had been discontinued and replaced with a steel part so the new part was bought and fitted. I generally coat the cylinders each day and try to turn engine. 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. Pull the dipstick and check for water in the engine oil. After a flood, newer, essential and operational vehicles take priority for being repaired, others will have to wait. 2) Look into getting a new motor. Use a commercial engine flush, following the directions. If the piston or pistons that cannot complete their travel cycle are prevented from doing so by a liquid above them, they slam to a halt on the upstroke, hence the “lock” in hydrolock. We know that steel or iron will rust. Just click the "edit" tab at the top of this page, or click one of the [edit] links to the right of an article section. The better way to approach this when you have a stuck engine would be this way: 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. Before you get out the sledge hammer and a block of wood and start pounding your meat there are a few things to consider. Whats the most effective method of un-seizing a two stroke engine? It should eventually free up. Two things you can't have too much of in freeing a seized engine. Use a socket to remove the bolts holding the starter mechanism and set it aside. Chris Stevenson has been writing since 1988. 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.? Paraffin will wick its way up or down a threaded bolt, but only when it is melted. Use a socket or screwdriver to remove the shifter control cable from its mount, as well as the throttle linkage cable. 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. Using an oak block and a dead blow hammer of your choice, SHOCK each piston with a few blows. Liquid Nitrogen is better (BP-196C) but its not so easy to obtain. Its owner had been soaking the piston with red-diesel for a year however he said that he would not be doing any work on the engine until the piston had been soaked for another THREE YEARS but not many people have so much patience. Like I say, most times it will be the piston(s) that are locked up. In such a case, the likelihood of freeing the engine is much better. Leave the dolly upright if the pistons are already vertical. If using an engine stand, use caution that it doesn't tip. Allow the engine to make two or three revolutions before stopping the exercise. Before the engine was torn apart, Dirt Bike magazine managing editor Mark Tilley vapor-blasted the entire thing in his Vapor Honing Technologies VH800 blasting cabinet. Acids will eat their way through but can cause damage of its own and may be hard to control as well as dangerous to handle. A two stroke engine piston broke perfectly in the upper tank, open the drain plug from cylinder... 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