Oshkosh Snow plow W/ frozen motor - Steel Soldiers::Military Vehicles Supersite

BBoomerBootCamp · 11-25-2011, 21:33

So my Oshkosh WT2206 was transported to Alex at Idaho Motor Pool. Turns out despite the claims of the boyz at Burns Airport that it's running condition should be "just fine", its 1091ci Hall Scott motor is frozen tight as a drum.
I had a long and fruitful conversation with Alex earlier this week, he's in a very busy spot with a large order of trucks to fill. It was decided that he would pour some Marvel oil back down the spark plug holes, close it up for a couple more weeks to get his buisness done and try to turn it over again in mid December. He's a good man with his time and effort, my truck was more or less dropped into his lap, we never expected a froze motor. I told him that my only options would be to try and find a buyer for it as a parts truck or scrap it. Neither one of us is fond of the scrap route, we both think and feel with a little more time and imagination we might be able to free up the motor and fire up the old girl some time in December.
I'm posting to ask for experience and stories of frozen motor being freed up and brought back to life. Did you have any workable out comes, was there a trick or 2 up your sleeve.
Thanks,
Mark

Heath_h49008 · 11-25-2011, 21:53

Marvel works. I have also used ATF, and pulled the accessory belts off and checked clutches and found out the engine wasn't the locked up part.

Most of my experience has been on cars. It might be nothing big.

Good luck!

hippiedude · 11-25-2011, 22:15

I had a 69 nova with a 250 six that was froze up ........... The old man I got it from put 1 can of coke a cola in each cylinder 3 or 4 days later it was running real good .............. Tim

73m819 · 11-25-2011, 22:22

When I got my 5t autocar, it was FROZE tight, pulled the plugs, pored in a mix of 50% transmission oil and 50% MARVEL, let it soak about a week, then bared (a BIG bar) it just enough to move it over a bit about 1", let it sit , next day bared in the other direction about 2" let it set, next day the other direction again about 3", did this for about 2 weeks, only bared till it felt tight, once I got a full revolution, with the bar, i put it in 3rd hi, pulled it with my pickup one direction one night then the other way the next night for another week, after that got it turning over with the starter, then stuffed rags tied to a wire, sopped up the oil, put the plugs in, changed the oil, cleaned the points, she FIRED off, once things cleaned up, no smoke or oil EXCESS consumption (same for later on), so don't think any rings were broke, I pulled the valve covers to make sure the top end was good and not stuck. the bottom line is soak and take your time, DO NOT force it

supermechanic · 11-25-2011, 22:28

Check out this;
THE BAR STARTER

For that matter, look over the whole website, lots of good mechanical info.

BBoomerBootCamp · 11-25-2011, 22:35

Thanks for the reply's. An old timer that runs the old Mining Ghost town up in Jerome collects old gasser motors. He told me a story about a 1920's IHC that was in a field in S. Cal. for about 20 years. He haled it to Jerome and let it sit for another 6 years. One day he jacked up the front end by using the hand crank as a point to place the jack under, filled it with Marvel oil, watched it for 2 months before it finally broke loose. Today it runs and starts with know effort at all, he has several stories of frozen motor he has limped back to life.

booger · 11-25-2011, 22:50

Ole Don at the Gold King Mine, great guy! He keeps his Harley flat tracker in his living room, ya gotta love that.

73m819 · 11-25-2011, 22:53

On the avacado ranch I ran in CA. many years ago, was a pile of old bits and pieces, junk ect. the pile was about 15' high, that "was THE PILE" that just through it on the pile, well it was decided to clean up, we found a old 39 IH 1 1/2 ton somewhere near the bottom, drug it to the shop, soaked the he!! out of everything, after a while started baring, my Mexican mechanic took the project on as a personal project, in two months he had it running good, three months driving it around and stopping, fixed the mechanical two speed rear, rad. ect, ect. when I left 2 years later it was still running great, though you might get hurt if you tried to drive the truck, it was the MECHANICS truck

JAYHAWK 1962 · 11-26-2011, 01:12

Bar starter cool idea. Looks like a whole lotta of leverage from that setup.

Heath_h49008 · 11-26-2011, 01:28

NOOOOO!!!!!

You don't want leverage!!! You'll make history with the rings and maybe a rod or a valve depending upon what's wrong! If you just want to say "Screw it" drag it behind the tractor and dump the clutch.

The oil/detergent/lubes are cleaning out the rust and freeing the engine to move with just a breaker bar. Any more than that and you can do damage.