Hey Guys,
I'm considering buying a car that's been sitting a while. It's been garaged and off the road since the 90s, the motor's all intact and complete, but it's locked up from sitting. It's the original motor so I'd like to try and save it. What's the best way to go about doing this? Tear it down to get access to the rings, or should I just keep it together, pull the plugs and fill each cylinder with PB Blaster and let it sit? I've heard people using that, ATF fluid, or diesel fuel, as well. How would you guys go about saving this engine? Thanks!

Cheers

Dave

Its going to have to be rebuilt, so why not take it apart? ATF mixed with Acetone is a wicked solution that will break up anything. Its what I used on all my seized 440's.

Yeah I've also heard atf and diesel work great. Take it apart if you want to salvage the engine, but break it loose before you start to disassy it.

If it will break loose, I've seen engines so corroded up, that beating each piston out from the bottom side with a piece of hardwood and sledge was the only way to get them apart.

I'd be sending it to a builder and have him redo the entire thing anyway, but in the meantime I'd like to try and break it loose. I'll soak it for a few days and see what happens when I get it here. If it does break loose, any chance on trying to start it after breaking it loose or should I not even bother? Don't want to ruin the block but it'd be nice to hear it run, for whatever that's worth.

Thanks, Cheers

Since it is together, soak the cylinders for a week with Penetrol from Schaeffers.
Then hook up a water heater to it and get it good and warm. This will expand everything and may help get it loose.
If that doesn't do it,( and it won't if it spun a bearing or broke ),you can still take it apart.

If the cylinder walls are so corroded that it wont turn, it wont have any real piston ring seal either and probably wont run due to low compression. At least not on all 8.

What kind of a car and engine is it???