My engine might be seized, so I want to pour some oil/anti-seizing product into the spark plug wells to help unstick it.
Is this safe? Where does all this oil go?! what about when I start the engine!
You can do this, but don’t put the spark plugs back in till you’ve spun the engine over enough to get the oil out through the spark plug holes if it doesn’t drain past the piston rings into the oil pan. If you put the spark plugs back in and crank the engine with enough oil in the cylinders they will hydraulically lock and possibly crack pistons, bend rods, ect. Remember fluid doesn’t compress, air does.
February 12th, 2010 at 7:33 pm
what year make model engine/?i think the engine is toast
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February 12th, 2010 at 7:40 pm
It goes nowhere until the engine revolves, then it gets spread over the cylinder walls. When the engine starts, the oil will burn off, making considerable smoke and possibly fouling the plugs. So don’t put too much in, nor get your hopes up; sometimes the heat that caused the siezure will weld the surfaces together, and the only remedy is a complete disassembly and repair.
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February 12th, 2010 at 7:53 pm
You can do this, but don’t put the spark plugs back in till you’ve spun the engine over enough to get the oil out through the spark plug holes if it doesn’t drain past the piston rings into the oil pan. If you put the spark plugs back in and crank the engine with enough oil in the cylinders they will hydraulically lock and possibly crack pistons, bend rods, ect. Remember fluid doesn’t compress, air does.
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February 12th, 2010 at 8:14 pm
I like to use just a squirt or two of transmission fluid to unseize a motor. If you use a small amount it will just burn out when the motor starts. Hope I have been helpful.
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February 12th, 2010 at 9:02 pm
Good post by Pinger.
Use a $.99 baster with the tapered tip and measure the amount of oil to insert.
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February 12th, 2010 at 9:50 pm
don,t do that ! just take a breaker bar to the crank and see if you can turn the engine by hand. if it turns then it,s not froze up. pouring oil in the cylinders will fowl out the plugs.
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February 12th, 2010 at 10:10 pm
Yes, you can put a teaspoon or so of oil in each cylinder and crank the engine (with the plugs still out) after a minute or so of letting the oil find its way in. If the engine was seized you should hear the cranking speed pick up over a period of about 5 seconds. Don’t get your hopes up too much, though – the only engine I tried this on lasted a couple weeks before it threw a rod.
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35 years maintaining my own cars