Topic: frozen engine, 2 part treatment?

[flybox1]

picked up a K4, 25k miles, $200.
wont show you any pictures because its UUUUUUUuUuUUUUGly! 
can you say "put down the rattlecan chrome and step away from the bike!"

the engine is frozen.  PO stated that he poured some sort of pre-treatment down the spark plug holes before storage, and a 2nd bottle, which he cannot locate, is to be poured in before future startup. 
anyone heard of this? 
is there something else i can use to 'wash' out whatever he treated the engine with?
kerosene? MMO?

thanks in advance.

[Duke McDukiedook]

ATF and acetone?

[ChortlingSandcaster]

Try penetrating oil overnight.   Have not heard of that 'two-teppy' deal.

My thinking is that if he treated it before storing and it STILL has pistons stuck in the bores -- it must have set a LONG time.

Penetrating oil has done it for me on several occasions, most recently on a cbx motor that was stuck.  I went crazy with 'Amazing Blaster' down the spark plug holes on that cbx,  popped off the engine case cover on the crank's right side, got me a bigole breaker bar and freed her right up.  Did not need to pull the head.

[flybox1]

gonna try to break this one free over the weekend.
i'm the noob of noobs when it comes to engine internals, but am not afraind to get my hands oily.  my 350F was a runner when i got it.  i just made it better.

if i do get it free'd up, where should i dig in first?
baby steps...

[cappy]

I have heard methods of heating up some tranny fluid on a camp stove and pouring it into the cylinder to up free up a stuck motor.

I have done this successfully on some old two stroke bikes.

[ChortlingSandcaster]

AFTER you get the piston un-stuck:


Buy a compression test gauge, Harbor Freight has them, http://www.harborfreight.com/, their site is down right now but search on 'compression' and the gauge should show up.

Search this site for 'compression test' and there's probably lots of posts on how to do it and what you should see.

If the compression is below spec, get back to us.

Also, the carbs will need (probably) to be pulled and remove the 4 float bowls and if there's any crud inside, search this site for how to clean carbs and do that.

New engine oil and filter, probably new battery, new spark plugs.

Check the gas tank, if it's rusty and/or smells like varnish, you'll need to flush it and maybe use POR15 or Kream to seal it.

That'll get you started.

[scrapvalue]

I have had very good luck with "Marvel Mystery Oil". Comes in a red plastic bottle. It is available at most any auto parts store or Wally world.

Try to get what ever is in the cylinders out first. Buit if you can't the mystery oil should still do the job.
Add the mystery oil and let it set for a day or 2.
Try turning it over, if it doesn't free up the first time you try, let it set a day or so longer.
I usually try turning the motor over by putting it in gear and trying to roll it back and forth.
Don't just try to kick it over. To much force applied in one direction can cause more problems.

Man, I love project bikes!

[flybox1]

GUYS...YOU ROCK!
CARBS - while i was looking over the bike, i was able to drop the bowl on #1.  looks like PO drained them. just a tsp puddle in each.  no varnish buildup.  i wouldnt eat off it, but clean enough that i know the carbs wont need more than a once-over of the tiny bits..

The tank has a slight rusting to it inside. looked like bare metal inside with tiny rust spiders.  it was empty and dry, no smell.
Hit it with THE WORKS? and then maybe POR15?
The PO removed the tank emblems, and then bondo'd those areas to make the tank flush.  bad bondo job, but i think i'll continue with what he started. thankfully he still had the badges...

PO's do the strangest things.  this guy took spray chrome and covered the front caliper, the front and rear spokes, swingarm, and the side covers.  OOOHHHH i shouldnt forget to mention the chrome overspray on the tires.
MMMMM, nice touch. 

[Henning]

Go on! Give us some pics! Nothing can shock us.

[bradweingartner]

Just to be sure, you're trying to turn it over with the plugs out, right?

While pretty unlikely that whatever was poured into the cylinders wouldn't leak past the rings, I figured it was worth asking.

Would be kinda nice to find out one hole was full to the brim with oil and it wasn't actually frozen. 

[articblue]

yeah pics...it's probably not quite as bad looking as the thing i picked up.

[wdhewson]

A lot of the time the thing that "sticks" an engine is a semi-solid organic mung of oxidized oil and evaporated gasoline with its varnish.  So the first treatment is a light viscosity oil with lots of detergent and dispersant.  Best would be a 0W30 low temperature Diesel engine oil.  This stuff is pretty rare, so go with a 5W30 typical engine oil.  Fill up each of the cylinders through the sparkplug hole.

Then find a way to get the engine hot.  Put a hot plate under it, aim 10 heat guns at it, and blow an industrial heater at it.  The heat thins the oil and  speeds up its capillary action and diffusion.

But most of all, the heat melts and softens the above mentioned organic mung.  Get a good fitting wrench on the end of the most stout crankshaft nut.  The initial breakaway will be the most difficult, but the first hint of movement, and rock the crank back and forth.

But if she was put away wet and the rings are rusted to the cylinder wall, then you've got greater problems of a different nature.  Don

[dave500]

rings stuck in grooves?you can get it going,if its stuck hard a tear down is the go.