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Engine Freeze

T

Tom_A

New User
Anyone have any insight as to why a old Farmall Regular (1931) engine would simply freeze? It sat for about 2 months (ran great when parked), but just cannot crank it at all now. Any thoughts and suggestions appreciated.
 
Tom, Engines will sometimes stick in wet weather or damp or humid weather. though not often!
shoot ATF in all cylinders let it set for a few days, then jack up one rear tire, place tranny in high gear and rock the wheel ,back and forth, it should free up in short order.
Then after it frees up,.... I would pull the tractor around with another tractor or your pick up to slick back up the cylinders that gave you the trouble in the first place. (leave the plugs out, so to blow out the cylinders , thus making it easier to start after you put it all back together to start)
I had my ol M do that many yrs ago for some reason, shot ATF in, broke it loose then pulled it around a little while, put plugs back in, then pulled it to start and away I went.
Hope this helps
Later,
John A.
 
BIL had Farmall that locked up after sitting outside, by pure dumb luck I pulled #4 sparkplug and tried starter, engine freed up and spit water out the sparkplug hole

after some detective work, I traced water running down the muffler into ruined threads on exhaust pipe joint and into manifold then into the cylinder - hydro-locking the cylinder

pull the plugs and see if you have same problem, then either fix the exhaust manifold or put bucket over the muffler when tractor is parked outside
 
Is there any chance some type of fluid (rain water, coolant, etc.) got into one of the cylinders, causing hydraulic lock? If you're pulling the plugs to put in some ATF fluid anyway, try to crank it when you get the plugs out -- just in case.

Mark W. in MI
 
Did it sit out side and get water in the exhaust?? Or maybe it is hyd locked because the fuel was not turned off or maybe you have a head gasket problem and the cylinders got filled with coolant. I would pull the plugs out to start with and if the cylinders are dry and not full of some fluid I would then fill them with ATF and let it sit a few days. If it has been humid where you are it could be caused by condensation
 
if the exhaust is pointed up and not coverd with the million dollar tomatoe can then thats what happens when rain runs through the open valves into the cyls and rusts the piston rings to cyl. walls. perfectly normal thing to happen. in other words keep exhaust pipe covered when tractor not in use!
 
Much thanks to all the responses. This old beast has a downward facing exhaust. What's amazing is that my late father had this tractor for over 20 years; mostly just sitting waiting for him to fix this and that. He only started it once or twice a year for many, many years. Never froze in the past. He had the greatest luck with his equipment.

I didn't know about ATF. I used penetrating oil. Same effect? I'll add the ATF as well.
 
Tim, There are many, many, concoctions that guys use to free up stuck engines. Many are good but ATF tends to be the one that guys go to most often. But Penetrating Oil is good too, what ever you prefer or what you have on hand! My Dad liked Liquid Wrench, it just depends on what you are doing.
When some guys get in a old project and it will be many months before they get to it. Most guys will fill the (Fill to top) the cylinders with ATF and let it set for the duration. Heat/Cold, Freeze/Thaw cycles will help do a lot for you, though you are not actively working on a project. On a {lightly stuck engine} like yours it just sometime happens, just run it more often IMO.
Hope this helps.
Later,
John A.
 
i went nuts trying to find out what caused an engine i was working on years ago to be stuck and found the starter nose fractured and jammed the flywheel.
 
ATF is your friend , pour some in and leave it sit. After a week put a wrench on the crank and start trying to move it. Time and ATF work real well.

Make sure first there isn't something jammed in the fly wheel.
 
I met a guy once that used fly spray in the gallon can, to unstuck engines. Don"t know if it worked, too pricy for me I use auto trans and diesal and propanal for motors and to shut off the check engine light on my car. Dave
 
Tom, I seriously doubt if that will be necessary, but if you want to check, pull dip stick and see if you detect any water, also/or unscrew drain plug just to the point it almost comes out if there is any water you will be able to detect it one of these 2 ways. If there is serious water in the crankcase the oil will be Milky.
Hope this helps.
Later,
John A.
 
A 50/50 mixture of acetone and ATF has been shown (by a series of objective/independent testing) to be the best solution for freeing any rusted nuts/bolts; far better than Kroil, PB Blaster, kerosene, gasoline, ATF only or ANY other product on the market. If you want the test results, reply with your e-mail address.
 
Another good penetrant/light lubricant is a 50/50 mix of diesel fuel and Marvel Mystery Oil. I have also used diesel fuel and ATF in a 50/50 mix with good results.
 
Please explain that one!The throw-out bearing doesn't touch the clutch until you press the petal down. How could it lock up an engine????
 
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