My friend has just purchased a Morris Minor 1000 that has been sat in a dry garage covered up for 20 years.The car is in great condition structually be the engine has seized as it has not been turned over regularly.Has anyone any tips or suggestions on how to un seize it,could we put something down the bores to help it.
try taking the head off and pouring really hot oil into the bores, leave for a few mins and then carefully turn the engine over.
it worked on my austin healey engine, which had been stood without the head for 20years.
Be sure to only try to turn the engine VERY gently by hand, back and forth - it's all too easy to break the rings. Once it is moving - resist all impulses to get it started! First you must ensure there is a good flow of oil around the engine - so with plugs out - the engine will need to be churned over until the oil pressure light goes out - and then keep churning for another minute or so! Best done with jump leads from a car with running engine of course - and don't overheat the starter by strying too long at any one time.
Your next problem will be seized on clutch - and brakes - but we will come to them in time. Good luck with the project!
Do you have a workshop manual ?
Hi bmcecosse
Thanks for the heads up on breaking the rings,I will be very gentle with it.Yes I do have a workshop manual is there something in there that I should be reading?
Just guessing, but could it be a seized water pump and a tight fanbelt? Try taking the fan belt off, and see if it moves. Or a jammed starter, perhaps?
Do you have any history?
Maybe the reason it was put away was that the engine had seized.
Is there oil in the sump, and how does the rocker gear look, rusty?
Is there any movement at all?
Also what are you using to turn the engine over?
get to 12v batteries connect them so it make 24v like a lorry then put them on the engine so it will try and turn over i done that with my old moggie engine because that was seized but unseized when i 24v it
lol how many times did you change the oil once you got it going.
We should meet up sometime.
James
I own a 1974 MG Midget 1275 in Teal Blue "Midget" is what we call him and he is in very good to excellant condition "midget" is a Chrome bumper/Round Wheel arch model.
It's going to depend what has caused the engine to seize in the first place.
I doubt that it would be possible to free off the lightest case of stiction using the starting handle.
Rocking the car in gear can be good as it puts pressure on things in both directions.
If the bores are rusty or the engine seized from extreme overheating nothing is going to restore it apart from a rebuild.
As mmjosh isn't here complaining about low compression and excessive blue smoke everywhere the 24volt thing worked for him.
Good way to wreck an otherwise perfectly good engine !
Gentle hand pressure only - back and forth - on the crank pulley if you don't want to break anything.
I'm not suggesting going straight in with 24 volts or any other high energy attack on a seized engine.
But if you don't gradually increase the amount of force applied the engine might never free up.
If I were a cartoonist I do a strip of 4 frames.
Spring "Gently does it, to and fro".
Summer "Steady as you go".
Autumn " Don't break anything".
Winter (covered in snow) " T,t, to and fr,fr, fro "
