Piston question (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

hobbes

SILVER Star
Joined
Feb 2, 2002
Threads
90
Messages
1,330
Location
SWFL
1975 engine has sat three years...outside. Compression was 150+ on 5 of six cylinders. One 130 on six. Engine now stuck. Pulled the head. Is the rust so bad I need a rebore?

IMG_2168.JPG
 
Last edited:
IMG_2163.JPG
 
IMG_2167.JPG
 
Maybe.
Try marvel mystery oil or a mix of atf and acetone on the tops /sides of pistons, let soak. Then try to rock the crank. Use fine 600 grit paper on a sample cylinder wall, might get by with honing and rering?
 
Need to at least hone and see the degree of pitting on those cylinder walls.
 
Thank s guys.
 
The less expensive route I'd try first is to get a suitable sized "ball-hone" and see how well it tackles your worst cylinder. Then re-ring 'em. I've done this many times over the last 45 yrs. with probably 95% success. Worth a try...:hmm:
 
I will tell you a trick I learned. It got a Caterpillar engine that was stuck for 10 years broke free.

With head removed, pour some diesel fuel into each cylinder on top the pistons. About a half inch in each. Put a cloth wick into each cylinder. Have fire extinguisher ready. Preferably do this outside like I did. Light each cylinder and let them burn. Mine burned about a half hour. This expands the cylinder walls and will break the rust lock the rings have to the cylinder walls. It was amazing. I got an old D2 Caterpillar running that had sit for eons pushed up into the woods.

The 50/50 mix of acetone and auto trans fluid is also a good penetrating solution if let sit a long period. The burning of cylinders is just faster.

As long as you don't have pitting you can hone that rust out.

I have an old picture of my flaming D2 engine I'll post later.
 
Last edited:
That is certainly a different idea.

We've been soaking it in solvent. We can turn the motor by hand now. So getting better. Not totally sure what the end game is yet. I suspect hone.
 
I will tell you a trick I learned. It got a Caterpillar engine that was stuck for 10 years broke free.

With head removed, pour some diesel fuel into each cylinder on top the pistons. About a half inch in each. Put a cloth wick into each cylinder. Have fire extinguisher ready. Preferably do this outside like I did. Light each cylinder and let them burn. Mine burned about a half hour. This expands the cylinder walls and will break the rust lock the rings have to the cylinder walls. It was amazing. I got an old D2 Caterpillar running that had sit for eons pushed up into the woods.

The 50/50 mix of acetone and auto trans fluid is also a good penetrating solution if let sit a long period. The burning of cylinders is just faster.

As long as you don't have pitting you can hone that rust out.

I have an old picture of my flaming D2 engine I'll post later.
A novel solution to a sticky problem--love to see the pics, if you can find them---(did you drain the oil pan first)?
 
I will tell you a trick I learned. It got a Caterpillar engine that was stuck for 10 years broke free.

With head removed, pour some diesel fuel into each cylinder on top the pistons. About a half inch in each. Put a cloth wick into each cylinder. Have fire extinguisher ready. Preferably do this outside like I did. Light each cylinder and let them burn. Mine burned about a half hour. This expands the cylinder walls and will break the rust lock the rings have to the cylinder walls. It was amazing. I got an old D2 Caterpillar running that had sit for eons pushed up into the woods.

The 50/50 mix of acetone and auto trans fluid is also a good penetrating solution if let sit a long period. The burning of cylinders is just faster.

As long as you don't have pitting you can hone that rust out.

I have an old picture of my flaming D2 engine I'll post later.

I often threaten to set fire to something if I cant get it to go but not quite in the same context your talking :) :)
 
That is certainly a different idea.

We've been soaking it in solvent. We can turn the motor by hand now. So getting better. Not totally sure what the end game is yet. I suspect hone.

If you can turn it by hand, then the time for burning is past. Now it is just hone each cylinder. Actually, if mine I'd take out the pistons, then hone the cylinders. Clean it all up and stick some new rings in. The thing about the fact it was stuck is the rings are what got stuck, so the rings could be sticking in the pistons some. Will affect compression. You are already torn down this far.

With the old Cat I got running I was able to remove engine side plates giving me access to the bottom of the cylinders. Once the engine was turning over by hand I sanded with emery cloth beneath each piston and then honed from the top. I didn't remove the pistons. Then put the head back on. Cleaned out the oil pan. Before even trying to turn it much I rigged up a way I could manually pump oil through where the oil gauge connected. I forced oil in there until it was running out of all the mains and rod bearings. I could see that looking through the side panels. Anyway, at some point I had it all back together, oil in the pan, new filter. Fired it up and the darn thing ran. I have a youtube video of the first time it ran. I'll find that link as well. I had the fuel tank sitting on saw horses. It was really great to hear the old thing fire up after it had sit locked up for so many years.
 
A novel solution to a sticky problem--love to see the pics, if you can find them---(did you drain the oil pan first)?

When I went to drain the oil from the machine after I purchased it....about 10 gallons of water ran out of the engine. It had been sitting in the open and rain coming down the stack forever I guess. Testament to the durability of Caterpillars that this thing was revived. And I guess my never giving up.
 
Cleaning the deck a bit right now. Engine spins by hand. Haven't played with the walls yet...:hillbilly:
 
Found the pictures...
Burning the cylinders of a Caterpillar D2-5U dozer.
Used the propane torch to quickly light the diesel.
D2_Flames2_zpswiio6lnu.jpg


Slideshow of a few pics. I remember that it soaked from more than a week and wasn't moving. I had tried a round block of oak and a hammer. So then did the burning and used the block of wood. It broke free. But had to then hone the cylinders before it would spin due to all the rust in the cylinders. I'll post the link to the first time I started the engine.
D2 Burning Cylinders Slideshow by gary__seven
 
Here is the link to my video. Forgot that D2 was a 1953 model. At one time I had four D2's I had restored. Really enjoyed bringing these old machines back to life. Started the 'hobby' back in 1997. I now have two remaining. One of sold to a fellow in the Czech Republic (interesting story). Another (this one pictured) I ended up getting it running, replaced a steering clutch, fixed other various issues and then sold it to some old fellow that had driven D2's on a farm as a kid and just had to have it. Two I have kept to play with and use around the house.



This is a video when I was attempting to free the stuck clutch by driving around hitting the brake. But that didn't work. I ended up having to pull the final drive and replace the clutch pack with another used one from a parts machine.

 
Last edited:
I feel an Arthur Brown song is in there somewhere.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom