Freeing stuck rings

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For what it’s worth, I put about 1 oz of Lube Control through the spark plug hole in my cheapo B&S. It literally melted away crusty carbon deposits on the piston crown.

I’ve always wondered, how does anybody know if they have stuck rings? And, what does this really mean?
 
Piston rings have to be free to move slightly in their grooves. If the groove is full of baked-on carbon it keeps the ring from expanding to maintain proper contact with the cylinder wall. Oil will leak past the oil control ring and blow by is combustion gas leaking past the compression rings.

The engine burns oil, the oil gets gunked up earlier than it should, and the engine doesn't have the power it should. Sounds like a worn out engine, but if the rings aren't greatly worn, just stuck, the problem can be cured and the engine runs better.


Ken
 
One ounce of Neutra in a 1.5 qt 14 hp B&S did the trick on my lawn tractor last summer. Went from using 4 oz oil every 4-5 hrs to no oil added in 30+ hrs of operation, read just a hair under full by then. I ran the Neutra in the oil for ~2.5-3 hrs of mowing, drained hot, refilled w/BobZoil Dino-Moly SAE 30. When I told this to Tim in Texarkana, he just said,"Your rings were stuck." Well, they're not stuck now, & I know how to unstick 'em in the future! I suspect Auto-RX and Lube Control would both work well, too.

[ March 20, 2003, 03:37 PM: Message edited by: Stuart Hughes ]
 
I've used Sea Foam for that purpose. Also works in the carb.

edited due to poor spelling

[ March 20, 2003, 07:01 PM: Message edited by: Neil Womack ]
 
A friend has a power equipment shop. He was asking about an solvent that he can use to free sticking rings on power mowers that are oil burners. He wants something that will work in a short time so he can get the job done and the mower back to his customer.

Any ideas? A half ounce of Neutra into the spark plug hole, pull the engine over several revolutions, and when it has trickled past the rings, start and run the engine, then change the oil?

LubeControl might do this job, but here at the far end of the country the shipping costs as much as the product.

Any other ideas?


Ken

[ March 20, 2003, 12:02 PM: Message edited by: Ken2 ]
 
I had excellent luck running auto-rx in the crankcase oof a Quantum motor. Before Auto-Rx the thing was a real smoker during cold start ups, coupled with a servere rapping sound. Seems to be cured after running the auto-rx for 6 hours, or six lawn cuttings for me.
 
Amsoil "Powerfoam" ...carb and engine cleaner

Spray it in through the carb, let the engine soak for 10-15 minutes, then start the engine and keep revving it until the exhaust is clear. (Do this outside!)

Back when engines had carbs I used to apply a can of this stuff once a year, prior to doing a tuneup. It's also the best engine degreaser I've found and washes off completely with water.

TS
 
Neutra and Lube Control both work well to free stuck rings as does Auto-RX. Lube Control seems to soften the deposits very well and free stuck rings when poured into the cylinder and allowed to soak past the rings.

BTW, I still use Amsoil's POWERFOAM to clean the intake of my '86 Burb twice a year; it is Holley carbed.
 
I pulled the plugs, put a teaspoon of Marvel's mystery oil in each of the spark plug holes and cranked the motor a couple times.

Then I put the spark plugs back in and the car started right up after sitting for probably a year. The guy who sold the car to me was pissed!

[ April 23, 2003, 11:01 AM: Message edited by: eHoward ]
 
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