Stuck Piston Removal

super99 · Dec 17, 2019

Getting ready to start in on this project, looking ahead for possible ways to get it done. I bought a Oliver 550 gas with the motor stuck from 2 brothers cleaning up their Dads estate. They said it had ran OK, but it set in a shed until the roof fell in and then sat that way for quite a while getting rain down the exhaust. I brought it home, took the spark plugs out and filled with ATF and let it set inside for 2 years and it's still stuck. I'm going to pull the head soon and see just how bad it is inside. I don't know if it has wet sleeves or dry sleeves. Wondering the best way to get stuck piston and sleeve out of the block. I have heard tell of filling the cylinder with diesel fuel and lighting it on fire to break the rust loose. Watched a video on You Tube of a guy who did that and got his stuck piston out. I have heard of taking the pan off and putting a hydraulic jack under the connecting rod on the stuck piston and jacking the tractor up to put pressure on the piston to break it free. Years ago, I had a M Farmall with a stuck piston, ended up drilling holes in the top of the piston until I was able to get it to move and out. How hard will the sleeves be to get out without a sleeve puller? How thick are the sleeves? Saw a guy on You Tube that used a small screw driver and drove it down between block and sleeve on a Perkins diesel to split the sleeve and then get it out. I've heard of taking a welder and weld a bead down the sleeve to shrink it enough to pull it out. I would think the sleeve would be thin enough that you would probably burn thru the sleeve and weld on the block. Anyone ever did this? What welder setting did you use? Too cold in Illinois to do much to it right now, but next week is supposed to be mid 40 to 50?, so I'll start on it then. Just looking for ideas to think about. Chris

rustred · Dec 17, 2019

nice little original tractor. take it apart first then a person can see what your dealing with. as yes there is lots of ways to do it. I do know the fire thing does not work as I have tried that also. best is the 16 lb. sledge and a round block of hard wood. yes I have done the weld a bead thing and it works great, but pistons must be out. as a last resort you can even remove the engine and stick it in a press to remove pistons. no such thing they wont come out one way or another. not familiar with the olivers what they have for sleeves. but an engine is an engine.

RCP · Dec 17, 2019

Those are wet sleeves in that engine, and it is very likely you will break the pistons if you have to beat them out of the liners. It is also likely that the sleeves are not worth saving, they will be heavily pitted where the pistons are stuck. If you are interested, I have a 550 parts tractor with a good engine for sale.

Rich

glennster · Dec 17, 2019

chris, the last couple i did i used a method an old buddy showed me. get a couple cinder block type appratus, be sure its ytdot and safety committee approved. and a couple 5 ft 2 by 12's. jack the back of the tractor up an put the 2 bys and blocks to make a ramp so the tractor will roll downhill on the back wheels. put the trans in a high gear like you would use to pull start it. think 4th gear on farmall m. pull the plugs and fill the cylinders with your favorite mystery mix. i buy the gallon jugs of pb blaster. loosely put the spark plugs back in to keep the mice and such out and then walk away. if it will break loose, this will usually get it. one day you walk in the shed and the back wheels are on the ground. its kind of a low impact method. you can also try filling the engine with hot water too, but i would save that for warmer weather. now if you can con kruser in to setting up another roundup get together out your way, i can bring my sleeve pullers, we can have a lunch pow wow and then pull sleeves!!!! woo hoo!!!! livin on the edge!!!!

T.R.K. · Dec 17, 2019

I guess there are about as many ways to free a stuck engine as there are mechanics. What I suggest is try the gentler ways first and work up the harsher ways, (like the 16 lb sledge) to avoid doing any more damage than necessary.

The time I did the 16 lb. sledge thing the block wasn't worth anything when the pistons finally moved.

old · Dec 17, 2019

Rain down the exhaust equals water in the cylinder and if one does not first remove the water some how the ATF can not do any good at all since it will just float on the water so in turn you wasted the time and the ATF unless got the cylinders dry first

gene bender · Dec 17, 2019

Just remove the engine so you can put it on a stand. Then you can tear the engine down an do it easy an rite so it will last for a long time

fixerupper · Dec 17, 2019

(quoted from post at 19:59:12 12/17/19) Just remove the engine so you can put it on a stand. Then you can tear the engine down an do it easy an rite so it will last for a long time

X2. Just get the engine out of the frame so you can work on it easier. If water has been down the exhaust that long you will need new sleeves and pistons anyway.

Steve@Advance · Dec 17, 2019

Sooner or later you will be wishing you had a shop manual during this adventure.

It will tell the procedure for replacing the cylinder liners. Might get lucky and they come out easy, piston and all!

RWT · Dec 17, 2019

If the crank is turned right take the cap off and push the sleeve and piston out together. Once the sleeve is up some it will come right out.

That's the way I did it and even if I had gotten the piston out the sleeve and probably the piston weren't usable.

RT

buickanddeere · Dec 17, 2019

(quoted from post at 21:24:53 12/17/19) Getting ready to start in on this project, looking ahead for possible ways to get it done. I bought a Oliver 550 gas with the motor stuck from 2 brothers cleaning up their Dads estate. They said it had ran OK, but it set in a shed until the roof fell in and then sat that way for quite a while getting rain down the exhaust. I brought it home, took the spark plugs out and filled with ATF and let it set inside for 2 years and it's still stuck. I'm going to pull the head soon and see just how bad it is inside. I don't know if it has wet sleeves or dry sleeves. Wondering the best way to get stuck piston and sleeve out of the block. I have heard tell of filling the cylinder with diesel fuel and lighting it on fire to break the rust loose. Watched a video on You Tube of a guy who did that and got his stuck piston out. I have heard of taking the pan off and putting a hydraulic jack under the connecting rod on the stuck piston and jacking the tractor up to put pressure on the piston to break it free. Years ago, I had a M Farmall with a stuck piston, ended up drilling holes in the top of the piston until I was able to get it to move and out. How hard will the sleeves be to get out without a sleeve puller? How thick are the sleeves? Saw a guy on You Tube that used a small screw driver and drove it down between block and sleeve on a Perkins diesel to split the sleeve and then get it out. I've heard of taking a welder and weld a bead down the sleeve to shrink it enough to pull it out. I would think the sleeve would be thin enough that you would probably burn thru the sleeve and weld on the block. Anyone ever did this? What welder setting did you use? Too cold in Illinois to do much to it right now, but next week is supposed to be mid 40 to 50?, so I'll start on it then. Just looking for ideas to think about. Chris

<img src="https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto157.jpg">

Order a piston/ring/sleeve kit . In high altitude or LP if they exist .

Frank 41 · Dec 17, 2019

Acetone and AFT but like Old said get the water out with air or heat.

super99 · Dec 18, 2019

Where are you and how much? e-mail is open

super99 · Dec 18, 2019

I have an I&T manual for all my tractors. New sleeves and pistons are the plan, just wondering how difficult it will be to get it apart.

4520BW · Dec 18, 2019

I have removed a lot of stuck pistons inside the liner, most of the time we used a bottle jack. The engines were in a test cell so it was easy to do. Once its removed we cut the liner to remove the rod and pin.( you would not believe how fast a piston will melt if the fuel mixture is wrong)
I had a 60 with a stick piston so I used a 4x4 and pushed it down with a metal strap over the head studs using the nuts to put pressure on the piston. Let it soak with blaster and whack it with a hammer when ever I was around and one day it just popped loose.

RCP · Dec 18, 2019

Email sent

Ultradog MN · Dec 18, 2019

If the engine is sleeved it's pretty easy to drive them out. I used a block of oak and a 4 lb hammer and drove these out from the bottom. I have other engine parts so I just scrapped the rods but as suggested, you can just cut the sleeves off with a slitting wheel to get at the wrist pins.

Traditional Farmer · Dec 18, 2019

Actually there are way more ways to free an engine than there are mechanics.Some of the ideas I've heard are what jacklegs do not mechanics(LOL)

Ultradog MN · Dec 18, 2019

I meant to add that the sleeves came out with the pistons.

Butch(OH) · Dec 18, 2019

My experience exactly. I have poured all manner of super duper mixtures in stuck engine projects over the years and never once experianced a miracle, my luck eh? Some of them have set a very long time due to not getting to the front of the line in the shop. None the less I still pour something in the cylinders for reasons I cannot explain, LOL. I have a single cylinder Bamford diesel that has been sitting for over 10 years. When atf and acetone became the rage I filled it to the top of the bore and it is just as stuck as day one, surprise surprise. One day it will be the project of choice and we will knock or press the piston out. I just finished boring and sleeving a stuck Petter oil engine that had set with a cylinder full of PB blaster for guessing 6-8 years. When I set up the rigging and pressed the piston out it was obvious that the Blaster had not penetrated past first ring, so much for all that hoopala. Tried to post a picture but slow connection. Won't allow it. These examples are similar to all others in my life experience. I can only wish that I could get the results that others report. I welcome anyone to come visit and pour thier secrete sauce in the Bamford and report results here. I won't even disclose the mixture, LOL.

jaoneill · Dec 18, 2019

Bought a JD "M" that had been thirty years sitting out behind a barn with an open exhaust, needless to say.... but, a year of soaking, a block of hickory and a ten pound hammer finally did the trick.

jddrawbar · Dec 18, 2019

The 550 looks nice.....will be worth all the effort when finished.

Determined · Dec 18, 2019

Might as well throw in my method in as well.

Oxalic acid (wood bleach)

You want something that can actually dissolve the corrosion that is preventing the engine from turning.

Oxalic acid was the active ingredient in the old school rad cleaner that actually worked.

It can be harsh on some metals but it sounds like you will not be reusing the pistons or liners.

Solution works best when heated.
I would fill the cylinders with it then if it has one plug in the block heater.
You could also use a heat gun, hair dryer etc to warm the block and solution.

Being that you already have oil in the cylinders I would blow out as much as I could then get some spray 9 or other soap into the cylinders to help the oil to lift so the acid can do its magic.

Loren in Iowa · Dec 18, 2019

I sure don't have the patience to let something soak for two years. After about two days, I'd be taking the sledge hammer to it.

Dick L · Dec 18, 2019

That is a wet sleeved engine! The sleeves will be pitted setting for an extended time. Probly only two. Open it up remove sleeves piston and all. Replace wat is needed and save time and a bunch of hoping for something that aint going to happen.

dhermesc · Dec 18, 2019

I have always looked at it this way.

If there is so much rust in a piston that it takes EXTREME steps to break it free - what condition will the piston and cylinder walls be in once its unfroze? Horribly pitted and scared pistons and cylinder walls mean you now have running engine that needs to be rebuilt instead of a nonrunning engine that needs to be rebuilt.

My father in law bought an old D17 with a froze up engine that supposedly hadn't run in a decade. The brakes were gone so they put it in gear and used the clutch and froze engine as the brakes - the engine broke free while they were unloading it. It fired up and burned some oil but not horrible. I look at some of these pictures of frozen engines and wonder just how well it would run even it they somehow broke free.

buickanddeere · Dec 18, 2019

This would be the time to give up on the fantasy of pouring in some wonder lubricant . Hitting and starter and have the engine purr like new .
Remove the engine from the frame and perform a complete and total tear down, cleanup and inspection with measuring tools.
A hydraulic press will ease the sleeves out without smashing anything . Swinging a sledge around an engine block is just looking for trouble .

jeffcat · Dec 18, 2019

You mean a little sandpaper will not clean that up? Just looks like surface rust to me.

Stuck Piston Removal

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