The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 54 locked up solid

I have a supposedly rebuilt(owner id dead) 54 235 block with a 56 head in my 49 1/2 ton. I have tried everything and cannot get it unstuck. I was wondering if it could have a piston or valve hitting somehere to lock it up. I wanted to see if anyone had any idea before i tear it down???

It is very comon for the valves to stick on these motors, espeacially if one was cranked with old gas in the system.

If you suspect stuck valves, pull the valve cover and rocker assembly. This will eliminate the valves as suspect.

If it is still stuck it is likely the usual piston rings rusted to the cylinder walls. Some diesel fuel squirted into the cylinders through the spark plug hole might help free it. I have had success using ATF. Let it sit for several days. Try spinning the motor both ways untill it will spin freely for a couple revolutions.

If you still can't budge it, it's time to pull the head and have a look inside. There are spy camera tools availabe that might let you look into the cylinders through the spark plug hole without pulling the head. Harbor freight has one that works well according to a trusted source and I have seen one recently at Costco.

Pull the spark plugs out and use some penetraiting oil on the cylinders.

Take the side cover off and shoot some penetrting oil on the lifters too. They can get varnished in the bores also.

Good luck.

If it won't budge, it's likely rusted cylinder walls. Keep putting a mixture of atf and diesel in it. Let it set a few days, then try to turn it. You may can remove the flywheel dust cover and use a pry bar to see if it will move any in either direction. Just be mindfull if you try too hard and it does move, you may break some rings.

There is also a sliim chance a bearing (could be rod or main) that is too tight. Has this engine ever been run?

If you can find it in your area, a lot of folks swear by "Kroil". Put some of it down the spark plug holes and let it set a few days.

This might sound a little strange.
A old timer said they use to use coca cola in the cylinders,
They would let it sit for a couple of days. Frees up rusted piston rings.
Or gun powder in the cylinders.

Thanks

Billm, Kroil, ATF and diesel, penetrating oil, molasses, coca cola, or some mixture there about put into the cylinders will help dissolve rust on the rings.
Remove the valve cover and loosen all the valve settings so you don't bend pushrods when it does turn over.
Remove the flywheel cover and pry on the flywheel with a crow bar gently in each direction. It will eventually break loose.

Billim,
All good advice here. I have never heard of using coca-cola, but that doesn't mean it won't work. I have to ask, because it hasn't come up. Is it out of gear? Could the clutch be stuck? Just askin.
Mark

Coke = phosphoric acid = rust is under attack = point of inertia is over come and you motor spins round and round So there is truth in advertising after all.... Coke makes the world go

Shift manual transmission into neutral. Remove rocker assembly (as was suggested before) or remove pushrods. Check that lifters spin or move and are not stuck in the galley. Remove the starter, distributor, spark plugs and loosen fan belt. If the engine still doesn't rotate it needs to be removed from the truck. Remove the timing gear cover and gear and see if the cam can be turned. If the crank doesn't turn, for a rebuilt engine, it needs to be taken apart to see why. If this was an engine from a worn out old field truck, I'd put a 6 foot lever on the end of the engine and go for it.

I just went through this with my 1956 235. It sat for 20 years. I could not budge it even with the methods above except the coca-cola idea. I only used coca-cola for drinking and cleaning the terminals on the battery when they were gunk up with corrosion.

It took me a while to remove everything minus the cam and lifters. Since the engine would not rotate I could not remove the clutch housing or flywheel because of the hidden bolts. I finially had everything removed, spending time off and on after a week or so. The only problem was the lifters were rusted in. I had the machine shop remove them because they would not budge.

My .02 cents is that if the oil in the cylinders does not work in about a week or two or coke idea (not really sure about that), just tear it down and start from scratch. I would not want to possibly create more damage to the block. If its stuck that bad it may need to be bored out. Just hot tank and magna flux it, if its ok then spend the money to have the crank checked and polished and cylinders checked and bored out if necessary, then go from there on your build.

Good luck with it.