Kendall Robinson asks about loosening a seized engine.
Kendall, I had a simialr problem with the engine in my
TR-3A when I bought it. You say you've tried penetrating oil
already. What I'd suggest before going to more drastic measures
would be to fill (yes, fill) the cylinders with a mixture of
penetrating oil and motor oil (about 50:50) and let it sit
at least a week, longer if you're patient. Top up with the
same mixture if it begins to soak through. After a week or two,
I'd bet that the piston rings will have loosened up enough
that you can break them free.
What I had to do to break them free was to put the
car in fourth gear, and slowly push the whole car forward
and backward. This allowed a slow and gentle movement, but
with lots of force. In my case this worked well, I drove the
car for another 65,000 miles without having to do anything
else and it didn't even burn much oil. Your mileage may
vary, of course.
Good luck,
John
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