Can Electrolysis Un-Lock a Rusted Engine?

Comments · 688

• RU

  @russbilzing5348 · 1 year ago

  As an old retired mechanic, there is a solution for this that I came up with a long time ago.  If you make a cradle with four strong legs, you can fit a hydraulic jack into it and bolt it to the engine block  Using a large "foot" between the ram and the piston, you might find that they can be coerced into 'leaving home' with a lot less trouble and damage than using a hammer.  It helps if the block is inverted so you can fill the bottom of the piston with oil or cutting fluid until it can't help but oil the rings from the bottom.  Then, just empty the oil into the next piston and repeat.  Here's my hopes that this 'old timey' answer might be the solution you need.  I didn't have many tools like the modern shops, so I did this and it worked.

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• GO

  @Good-Enuff-Garage · 1 year ago

  when I saw that clean white T shirt I knew this guy was a pro

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• GA

  @garymanis6305 · 1 year ago

  My father's method. Clean up the gasket surface, put the head on, take a couple of old spark plugs and clear out the core. Drill and thread the inside to fit a grease zerk. Choose two cylinders where the pistons are somewhere in the middle of the stroke and the crank will move the same direction if the piston moves down. Note: You need the crank installed. Put penetrating oil in each cylinder and let it sit a few days. Fill the two chosen cylinders with engine oil all the way to the spark plug holes. It can be used oil. Install your plug/zerks in the spark plug holes of your oil filled cylinders and using a grease gun, give each of the two cylinders a few pumps of grease. Wait a few minutes and repeat. Wait. Repeat until you see the crank move. If the pistons are going to move this will move them. Nothing fancy. No beating on anything.

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• CL

  @ClintsHobbiesDIY · 1 year ago (edited)

  This would have worked a lot better if you had put the sacrificial piece over the cylinders &quot;without touching the block&quot; because electrolysis works only by line of sight.<br>Also 2 or 3 drops of swimming pool defoamer would get rid of the foam on top of the water so you can see what&apos;s happening with the work piece.

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• DI

  @distinguishedcatfish · 1 year ago

  Engine-uity at its finest! It looked like you hit a wall there for a bit, but you finally knocked one out of the park. It’s the little victories you have to celebrate. Keep it up!

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• TW

  @twatdidusay304 · 1 year ago

  My go-to for unsticking seized pistons is a 50/50 mix of acetone and transmission fluid. &nbsp;Fill up the cylinders and let it sit for a week, while checking daily to top up any cylinders if needed. &nbsp; <br><br>It&apos;s worked every time for me, granted I&apos;ve only done it 4 times, but still, it worked every time.

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• SC

  @SciStarborne · 1 year ago

  The largest item I&apos;ve done electrolysis on was a vintage lathe bed, and a few tips for improving the process I found was setting it on a plastic milk crate in the tank to keep it off the bottom, so there&apos;s free flow under it. I also used several sacrificial electrodes in a circle around it, as the ions try to take the shortest path, so on big items you can notice the side facing the anode de-rusts a lot faster. Surrounding it balances the load. And finally, putting the soda crystals in first will mix them into the solution as you add the water. It&apos;s about turning the water into an electrolyte.

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• ME

  @Mercmad · 1 year ago

  I put up a vid years ago ,using electrolysis to free up pistons in a 1960 Mercedes 220SE .I have even used it to strip doors of paint and rust.I use a IBC &nbsp;with the top cut out .I didn&apos;t even have to force them apart .I left my project cooking for a week .12volts and a couple of amps.

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• BE

  @bernisrogerson9224 · 6 days ago

  Awesome 😎 for your project and awesome electrolysis works &nbsp;👍

• M1

  @m12968 · 1 year ago

  Great trophy 🤙

• CA

  @callidusss · 1 year ago

  Congrats!

• DU

  @Dubbin64 · 1 year ago

  HELL YEAH BROTHER!!! &nbsp;Ive been following since your first short on this car and I wont lie I thought for sure I would never see you get it unstuck or ever get a follow-up on the locked-up 235. &nbsp;Shoulda had more faith!! &nbsp;Can just hear the excitement in your voice when you finally got some movement, it had me yelling hell yeah with you!! &nbsp;Long way to go, one of many hurdles, but I know now that you arent the type to quit when faced with a challenge

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