I poured the Marvel Mystery Oil down the spark plug holes last week. It still will not break loose. Since I have never done this before I figured I would ask if there is anything else I can do before I take a bat to it. Is this too short of time, and I should have more patience, or am I in other words screwed?

Be patient with it and let the oil do its best. When you have waited till you can't wait any longer, Get a friend over to help you and try to rock the bike free by putting it in gear and go like you would pop start it. When all else fails, take the head off and use a piece of white oak and a hammer and have at it one piston at a time. If this still doesen't work, I suggest copious amounts of strong drink!

Would you recommend putting the oil in the tranny as well? It hadn't crossed my mind but I could see how that would help. It would probably clean it pretty well too correct?

There have been numerous comments regarding the well-reputed 50/50 mix of ATF and Acetone, both of which you can buy in large containers at any home improvement supply store.

Fill every orifice in the engine, then cap off as you go from crankcase up to rocker inspection caps. let sit for a week before attmpting to knock anyhting loose.

If you are going to do a total overhaul, get it loose and rotating before removing engine from frame. The frame gives you lots of leverage.

You know, I was wondering about that. I just filled the spark plug holes. The headers are off so it came out the front. I'll pull the rockers off tonight, and fill the tranny as well. Would putting a head, etc, in a bucket of this stuff be a good way to clean it up? I figure it cant hurt anything.

It sure can't hurt anything.

If the alloy of the head is dirty or corroded and will need future cleaning, its best not to get it too oily on the outside - or it will then need extensive degreasing. Better to just soak it in degreaser, rather than oil ?

Give the oil down the bore plenty of time to work - forcing it and breaking something is a huge backwards step. Trying to gently rock the crank back and forward to break the rings grip can help here, but don't overdo it. make sure the oil pump is free to spin, or remove it. I once let an ancient Triumph engine sit for 2 years soaking, until the piston freed off - but those old iron pistons are irreplaceable - and get a good grip.

Hopethishelps.

Cleaning little castor oil baked model aero engines to restore , they throw them in a crock pot of Anti-Freeze (car radiator)
and boil for an hour . say they come out like new .

Could drop youre whole engine in a 20 litre drum of it .

ATF , heat cycleing could help , if the suns out ? into the miday sun for a 1/2 hour , into deep shade for an 1/2 hour , alternateing a good few times .

A blow lamp & a fire extinguisher miles from anything inflammable if youre in that much of a hurry .

Engine rebuilders have ' Hot Tanks ' , HAS to be suiutable for ALLOY , or itll disolve .! ! !
a bit expenseive , but preferable to brute force and ignorance .

Down on the farm theyd dump it in a 50 Gal drum of Diesel for a season .

AussieCombat wrote:Mike are you sure it's the motor that's stuck and not just the primary chain siezed, or the gear box.
Just a thought.
AC.

You know I honestly don't know to be honest with you. It may have to come off tonight to see if it helps at all. But I will say that when I got the bike the headers and plugs were out of it. Although it was moist inside it, I probably made a rash assumption.

Cut to the chase.. pull the head off and pour my penetrating solution right on the problem. If in fact the motor is stuck and not one of the other two issues previously mentioned. Your gonna take it off anyway..........


Tim_S

Tim is right - and taking the head off reduces the chances that a stuck valve is what is stopping the engine turning over....

I started to take the head off last night. I took the rocker covers off and the carbs. The air filter was made out of a piece of wire mesh and a tube sock. Early K&N? lol ( And yes I have a pic I will post) The rockers look GREAT, and when I checked the oil in the tranny, it looks VERY clean and new. So I am feeling pretty good about it. I hope to have the rest of it off tonight so I can get a better feel for it.

Ok, so I took the advice of the "white oak method". lol I took the head off and put a Louisville Slugger down the jugs. That and a hammer, seemed to "coax" the pistons free. lol Two things I noticed. One, it looks like the area where the push rods go through have been repaired. The push rods looked fine, but someone has put weld up in the area and hollowed it back out. The second was the jugs. Where they go into the bottom of the engine there are cracks around the "square cut out part" on the bottom of them. Does this mean that they are trashed? Also the pistons were dented in from the top, and no not from me beating them, they were made that way. However the pistons in the Commando are not. Is this normal?