Rust eater
 

I've been wanting to ask this question for a while now. I heard somewhere not long ago that their was a mix that could be made up to eat rust in cylinders to free up pistons.It was equal parts of WD40 Coke and something else that I can't remember. Has anyone ever heard of it?

Old...very old trick was to use just Coke.
Fill cylinder...let sit either for a few hours...or overnight for really stuck pistons...and then hammer down on the piston with the handle of a hammer.
This was common for inline 6's and 8's.
Coke will erode steel...so use is subjective...how much vs how long....experience is king.
It works...but on V8's and flat 4's and 6's you would have to rotate the engine into a piston/vertical position.
It's extreme...but in the long run...if you are considering it...it probably means you're going to toss the cylinders anyway.
Bob

Well I hope I don't have to toss the cylinder. It on on old 66 cycle I have.

I know that a mix of acetone and transmission fluid is a good penetrant ... and it won't eat your engine !

Cheers !
Phil

I wonder if differential heating of the cylinder vs. the piston with the same hammer handle persuasion would be a better n-1th resort?

Just bought some Metal Rescue. Seemed to work well on rusted nuts and bolts.

Rust never sleeps-Neil Young

That's helpful, thanks for that. :rolleyes:

I've been thinking of trying some of this stuff. Got any examples of treated parts that you could bring to breakfast tomorrow?

JR

I think the would also help. I saw Neal in concert once. My seat was rusted.

I purchased a car that was in storage for 12 years. My mechanic first added about 1/4 cup of automatic trans fluid to each cylinder and let sit for a couple of days before turning the engine. He said that this would free up rusted rings.

Not sure of your situation and how bad the rust but this is a common method as ATF is a great penetrating oil.

Vern

The Harley shop on Truman road carries something that will work. Several years ago I inquired about a product they carry for something I was working on. The name escapes me but it worked well on the Jeep I think.

It's not so much the Coca-Cola as it is the phosphoric acid in the Coke at attacks rust. Phosphoric acid is commonly used to chemically remove rust. It's not so great on machined parts.

+1 on ATF w/ acetone, Marvel Mystery Oil, PB Blaster and the like.

If you have a couple days, Gibbs Penetrant might work.
You can get more info at All Purpose Lubricant & Penetrating Oil from Get Gibbs.