Removing stuck pistons

[bobdylan]

Looking for proven techniques for removing pistons, one thing taht sounds good is, after soaking with? pack cylinder with grease, put a head that valves seal tight. modify spark plug and instal grease zerk, use pressure from grease gun to shve piston out. Has anyone tried this? Bob

[George Bongert]

Looking for proven techniques for removing pistons, one thing taht sounds good is, after soaking with? pack cylinder with grease, put a head that valves seal tight. modify spark plug and instal grease zerk, use pressure from grease gun to shve piston out. Has anyone tried this? Bob

Greetings Bob!

I have heard of the grease gun method, although I've never tried it myself. As to soaking the cylinder(s), a friend of mine recommends a 50/50 mixture of laquer thinner and brake fluid to break the bond between the rusted cylinder and piston. Again, I never tried it myself, but he claims it works well. If you try it, let the rest of us know whether it works or not.

[ilvracn]

An old mechanic once told me, water is what stuck it, so it will work the best to unstick it. I found a product called evaporust. It is water based, and it eats rust like you would not believe. It may take a few days or weeks, but i think it will work.
Website orisonmarketing.com 800-460-2403

[FetchMeAPepsi]

I don't know anything, but can you just put a block of wood on them and use a BFH to pound them out?


Maybe putting a jack under them will push them out the top?

[abus319]

+1 for evaporust assuming its the rings that are stuck and your goal is to salvage the pistons.

[bobdylan]

Thanks, have you tried this? Bob

[ilvracn]

Haven't tried it on pistons. I have a pistol that my uncle found when plowing about 50 years ago. I think it dates back to the late 1800 era. Tried soaking it in diesel fuel for 2 years, did no good. I put the pistol in a bucket of evaporust and soaked it for a couple months. I was then able to rock the cylinder a little bit. I was pretty excited about that. So put it back in bucket, but did not get back to it for a couple months. Wheni pulled it out another chemical reaction occured, and a white powder had formed on it. Pistol stuck again. What a bummer. So dont leave evaporust in too long.

[bobdylan]

I think on a small part I would use electrolosis, using a bucket, battery charger some rebar. There some on youtube, I keep thinking I am going to try it, but there is the twenty unfinished projects.

[GMCDAC]

Looking for proven techniques for removing pistons, one thing taht sounds good is, after soaking with? pack cylinder with grease, put a head that valves seal tight. modify spark plug and instal grease zerk, use pressure from grease gun to shve piston out. Has anyone tried this? Bob

The grease method sounds like a pretty good idea, it sure works slick for pressed in pilot bearings. The first pic below is a couple different rust breaker sprays I've had good luck with before. I've heard kerosene and ATF mix works well but never tried it.

Haven't tried it on pistons. I have a pistol that my uncle found when plowing about 50 years ago. I think it dates back to the late 1800 era. Tried soaking it in diesel fuel for 2 years, did no good. I put the pistol in a bucket of evaporust and soaked it for a couple months. I was then able to rock the cylinder a little bit. I was pretty excited about that. So put it back in bucket, but did not get back to it for a couple months. Wheni pulled it out another chemical reaction occured, and a white powder had formed on it. Pistol stuck again. What a bummer. So dont leave evaporust in too long.


Cool find! I wish I could remember how Mom de-rusted this pistol about 45 years ago but it came out well. I remember she soaked it in something for quite a while in our utility room and I don't remember it having a bad smell or anything. She found it while digging for old bottles at a long-gone railroad station, and it is also from around the same era.

Sorry about the brief hi-jack!

DAC

[abus319]

I haven't tried the evaporust on a stuck piston yet. My thoughts were that eliminating the rust bond between the rings and the cylinder wall with a non damaging product like evaporust might be a better first step than applying force.
I know these pistons are stout but i would be concerned about breaking or deforming a ring land with the grease gun method.
On my 478 I used a mix of trans fluid and diesel in the cal, and built a torque plate to attach an impact to the end of the crank. Two or three second burst, reversing each time, several times a day broke it loose.
Do you have the heads off, or is this one of the engines that was stored without the heads? if so how do they look?

[atomman]

Many, and I do mean many years ago, you could get 2-5% tincture of Iodine. Pour it in the hole, and let it soak. Some reason unknown to me, it will soften up the rust and you will be able to knock out the piston. Old farmers would use it on their machinery to break loose nuts. Can't buy it any more in the pharmacy.
atomman

[bobdylan]

Thanks that is one I have not heard of. I am sure it could be found. Bob

[bobdylan]

Was stored with out heads, looks better than some engines I have that had heads that water got into .

[1965GMC1000]

I had IH with KB 10 red diamond one piston was stuck after many weeks of using every pentatrating fluids and a oak tree limb 12 pound hammer 4 wacks each day for two weeks it fell out the bottom no damage to rings or cylinder walls be pashent use to be (wsignman)

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[abus319]

[QUOTE]Many, and I do mean many years ago, you could get 2-5% tincture of Iodine. Pour it in the hole, and let it soak. Some reason unknown to me, it will soften up the rust and you will be able to knock out the piston. Old farmers would use it on their machinery to break loose nuts./QUOTE]

interesting idea!! I did some research on it and it seems to be a valid approach. There were patent applications on it back in the 30s.

[George Bongert]

Many, and I do mean many years ago, you could get 2-5% tincture of Iodine. Pour it in the hole, and let it soak. Some reason unknown to me, it will soften up the rust and you will be able to knock out the piston. Old farmers would use it on their machinery to break loose nuts. Can't buy it any more in the pharmacy.
atomman

Greetings fellow club members!

Back in the 80's when I was still milking cows, I was able to order Tincture Strong Iodine from my local pharmacy. I used it for sanitizing my milking equipment, and it didn't take much for that purpose. It might be worth your while to go to your local pharmacy and see if you can order it. I don't see why you would not be able to still get Iodine. As to the issue of Iodine being used to free up rusted nuts, bolts, and stuck engines, it's an interesting theory, although I've never tried it myself, and quite honestly, this is the first time I've heard of using Iodine as a rust penetrant/dissolver. And trust me on this--I've heard of just about every concoction known to man to free up a stuck engine. One more thought--have you considered using a commercial penetrant known as Kroil? It's supposed to be the best there is, but then that's only what I have heard.

[bobdylan]

I have heard of kroil, I have a lot of lot of engines, I can try several things and see what works the best, I am thinking about an oval stock tank, they make a size that would work well with v12, I would put the block in deck side down and fill with diesel and atf just enough to cover pistons, that way I am soaking from both sides. I think the block will displace enough fluid that it should not take to much, helps that fuel prices are down. Someone let me know if I am an idiot, I can take it. Bob

[ilvracn]

I soaked that old pistol for years in diesel fuel, did nothing. I dont think petroleum products will work. You need something that will react chemically with the rust

[Clyde]

Try a 50-50 mixture of Acetone and ATF.

[bobdylan]

Thanks, I think will try a lot of these ideas on different engines and see what happens

[ilvracn]

:upyes: I BOUGHT A 29 MODEL A A WHILE BACK. GUESS I'M A GLUTEN FOR PUNISHMENT. ANY WAY, ENGINE WAS LOCKED UP. I POURED 6-OZ OF EVAPORUST IN EACH CYLINDER, WAITED 15 MIN. AND WAS ABLE TO TURN ENGINE OVER AFTER WORKING IT BACK AND FORTH FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES

[bobdylan]

Has anyone ever tried Ultra One rust remover?

[Michael S. Wilson]

I recently bought a 401M long block that was never used. It ended up outside with no covering except a hub cap over the intake. It was very stuck. I pulled the heads and found that only two cylinders were in trouble and was able to remove the other four along with the crank. Pistons were brand new standard size. Cylinders where sleeved. I cleaned the two rusty cylinders as good as I could and rotated the block so these were level. I covered the pistons with muriatic acid which is available at Home Depot for cleaning swimming pools. I soaked for an hour and then cleaned everything up. One piston came out and looked reusable. The other needed and additional hour and it came out. I'm not seeing anything wrong with the pistons but I haven't removed the rings and inspected the lands yet. I have them soaking in cleaner right now. Both sleeves need to be replaced. I think Ill try to locate two new pistons but I wouldn't be surprised if these two could be reused.