Flywheel Tool?

[Rparker28]

My 1929 model a has the engine stuck. I have put marvel mystery oil in the cylinders and I have let it soak for almost a week now. No movement yet and I am trying to be patient with the process. I have it in gear and I do rock it gently everyday. I removed the starter Sunday and exposed the flywheel. Is there a tool that a person could put on the exposed portion of the flywheel to turn without using a pry bar and risk breaking the teeth off? Ralph

[Gunmetal blue2]

Marvel mystery oil is not a good pentrating oil. I used diesel fuel and gasoline with the head off and then used a wood block and hammer big hammer. this is something that takes time. I also put a socket and breaker bar be on drivers side and pull the breaker bar down. O use wood on top of pistons. good luck

[quardt5]

Ralph,

I had the same condition on my 29 after only sitting a little over a year. I found on the forum a mixture of ATF and Acetone 50/50. blocked up the intake and exhaust ports with rags and filled each cylinder. Like you I let it sit a week or two. I was reluctant to rock the car back and fourth so I too removed the starter as mentioned here and used a long pry bar on the gear teeth. Being very careful I turned a tooth at a time until it completely rolled over. It has also been mentioned not to turn a stuck engine over manually in the front to not cause damage to front bearing and seal. Hope this helps good luck.

[Patrick L.]

Diesel fuel or ATF/acetone work well, if thats going to work at all. I wouldn't hesitate to use a pry bar against the teeth as long as you're careful.
A week of soaking may not be long enough.

[Tom Wesenberg]

I made this tool years ago, and I think the dealers now sell a similar one. I first saw this on Jim Mason's website, so I don't know who first thought it up, but it works great. I used broken parts to make my tool. I'll have to see if I can find a picture of the tool.

[RawhideKid]

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Very nice tool Tom.

In the same realm, is placing the trans in 3rd, or any gear, and gently rocking the car going to do any transmission damage?

PS. I usually just use my Snap-On "not to be used as a pry bar" 2' screwdriver.

[100IH]

If something breaks from rocking fore and aft, it was already junk. The drive train is built to handle 40 HP backed up by a 60+ pound flywheel.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by 100IH

If something breaks from rocking fore and aft, it was already junk. The drive train is built to handle 40 HP backed up by a 60+ pound flywheel.

I agree.

Be sure to use high (3rd) gear for the best leverage.

I wouldn't be afraid to use an 18" pry bar against the flywheel teeth.
Just be sure to also use common sense.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

I agree.

Be sure to use high (3rd) gear for the best leverage.

I wouldn't be afraid to use an 18" pry bar against the flywheel teeth.
Just be sure to also use common sense.

Tom,
People are COMMON, but SENSE, is NOT
COMMON SENSE is merely remembering what has WORKED in the past & what has NOT WORKED in the past.
Someone here wrote: "WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING THE OLD UNSUCESSFUL THINGS, & EXPECTING A POSITIVE OUTCOME"?
Bill Wisdomandbs

[Patrick L.]

Yep, agreed. If sense was common everyone would have some.

[Afordman31]

I made one (flywheel tool) using Tom's picture's, used it on my Brothers Model A which was froze up. We put the hand crank into the ratchet nut in the crank pulley also. He was standing on the hand crank and I was turning the flywheel with the tool and a long breaker bar. Thanks Tom for your ingenuity.

[Rparker28]

Thanks everyone for your insight into the subject! This is a great forum with a lot of talented folk. I am not sure that I fall into that category but I am going to do my best to put something together to get the flywheel turning and I also like the idea of someone at the crank at the same time! Thanks again EVERYONE!

[Terry, NJ]

Bill, It's called "Persistance" and it overcomes resistance. I grew up on the story of the Scottish king who lost his kingdom and tried 6 times to get it back. He was reduced to living in a cave with a spider. The spider was trying to string it's web. It tried 6 times and finally was finally successful on the seventh try. The king tried one more time and was successful. Then there was Edison! He was looking for a material to make Filaments for his light bulbs. He experimented with a thousand different substances. He found a thousand different things that didn't work. Then he tried Tungsten and we've been well lit since then.
Terry

Originally Posted by BILL WILLIAMSON

Tom,
People are COMMON, but SENSE, is NOT
COMMON SENSE is merely remembering what has WORKED in the past & what has NOT WORKED in the past.
Someone here wrote: "WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING THE OLD UNSUCESSFUL THINGS, & EXPECTING A POSITIVE OUTCOME"?
Bill Wisdomandbs

[100IH]

Rocking the car is good for when the rings have rusted to the cylindrer walls. Tom's tool is the best way to break the crank and pistons loose. If the camshaft is rusted to the iron camshaft bores, that may be a bigger challenge and knowing that the cam is not as strong and more brittle, a tear down would be in order. Common sense does come into play.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Camshaft rusted to it's bores does remind me of an engine I bought for $10 about 15 years ago. I could see the engine was junk and would never run again. It had welds all over the block, but I was hoping to save some internal parts. I had to use a sledge hammer to break the pistons out for scrap aluminum. None of the valve could be removed, nor the tappets or camshaft.

The only parts I could save was a few of the bolts and a rust pitted valve cover.
Someone truly must have used it for a boat anchor.

[Railcarmover]

...no worries,a model a engine can be unstuck and build compression,no need in rebuilding it,just unstick and go..they are real hearty and robust that way,why they were built to run forever.

[RonC]

Please do not use gasoline. It's dangerous and unnecessary to use

[midgetracer]

I have used a tool like Tom's to free at least ten engines. It works exceptionally well. It works so good that I built a second one to loan out to people that do not want to build one.

[Jim M]

A number of years ago I had the same trouble with a barn find car. I had put MMO in the cylinders for a couple of weeks and could NOT loosen it with the crank. I searched this forum and found an article which suggested SLOW towing the car on a DIRT driveway or area and easing the clutch out a number of times. This worked like a charm for me. I had been trying for quite a while using the had crank and rocking the car with no results. The slow tow worked first time. Took it back to the shop, put the battery in and after a few turns it started right up. My shop looked like it was burning down from the smoke coming out of the exhaust but it cleared up in a couple of minutes. Hope this helps!

[1931 flamingo]

Try a 50/50 mixture of ATF and Acetone into the cyls. FWIW
Paul in CT