The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Recipe for penetrating oil.

Was told by a retired millwright from a sawmill that the best and cheapest penetrating oil is a 50/50 mix of automatic tranny fluid and acetone. I am currently (yeah!!!) fresh out of rusty stuck nuts and bolts, so anyone out there want to give it a try??? And let us know? Ron

I tried that before, wasn't too impressed. Still have some mixed up. Kroil or Seafoam deep creep seemed to work better for me.

When I was in the Air Force the guys in the engine shop used hydraulic fluid. I used Kroil on my truck and found it works great.

That was posted here by someone a couple of years ago. I haven't had to add transmission fluid to a car in 40 years but, I just happened to have a quart on the shelf. I probably picked it up for a quarter at a garage sale, so I mixes up a batch and it worked just as good as the expensive brands. Just as good as Kroil, PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench and I still us it. It's just easier to us a pressurized spray for some applications.
DG

Acetone and about any lite oil works great. Acetone and coleoil works great to unstick stuck pistons. And if you want it to squrit like the other PB's and what have you there are spray cans available for your home brew that you pressurize with compressed air.

I read a post about the mix a couple of years ago. The problem I have with the "mix" is that acetone is extremely volatile and will evaporate quickly leaving only the tranny fluid. I don't see where it would be any more effective than using straight tranny fluid.

All the old guys around here use wintergreen oil & trans fluid mixed.

....and since we never know just how bad something is stuck we will probably never know what "works the best". I personally like Kroil but I do have PB Blaster, liquid wrench, marvel mystery oil and a few others on the shelf. Seems I "decide" which I use based on how much time I have???

Darn it, now I've got to get some acetone to mix with some tranny fluid. Never know when I might "decide" to try some of it. ....now wintergreen oil is a new one on me! Maybe it will at least smell better than some of the others?

50/50 diesel fuel and turpentine works pretty good too.
I keep it in a gas can because I worry about fumes.

Be careful with the acetone, it is a minor irritant to skin and lungs, and it will soften-up many types of paint (it is a good paint remover).

I use Kroil.It's the best.Next if it don't work it's the torch' nothing can do the job better

On another thread about unsticking a heat riser valve, someone pointed out that the shop manuals suggest using kerosene and baking soda to keep the valve moving. Has anyone tried that?

I've used baking soda as a medium in the deruster tank with a 12 volt charger with good results.

PB blaster, Kroil, Knocker loose, WD-40, Liquid wrench, MMO.
I have never ever seen any of this stuff actually work. The home brew stuff is probably as good as any.

Weeds

But [censored], you haven't told us your secret formula?????

Are ya Gettin' the bugs worked out of that Burb this winter??

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Where could someone find wintergreen oil? Since it's now winter...

when i cant get krawl (kroil) to work i use lidquid wrench. mix is 66% oxygen to 33% acetelyne works well but sometimes it loosens up more than what your trying to get loose.

That's a good recipe, Mike. I used some of it today.