Stuck Oliver Super 88

[Old Bob]

I got my Oliver Super 88 out of the barn yesterday. I haven't had it running in about 4 or 5 years. As my luck would have it, it is stuck. Radiator is still full of anti-freeze and engine oil looks fine. Didn't try to pull it to break it loose. Thought I would get a socket and put it on the front of the crankshaft. There is no nut on the crankshaft. Don't have a crank, but then again the end of the crank does not feel like it is made for a crank. Pulled the plugs. Three of the plugs are fine. Three of them have a small amount of rust on the end of the plugs. Why the rust? What do I soak it with? How much do I put in each spark plug hole? How do I try to break it loose?

Sorry for all the questions. Any other suggestions are appreciated.
 

[old]

That is right up my alley and that is what I do a lot of times. FILL the cylinders with ATF be sure to put the plugs back in. Let it sit say 3 days. Pull all the plugs out and with a good full charged 12 volt battery using short fast taps on the starter button try to spin it over. I will almost bet that if you do as I say it will free up and then after doing the normal stuff run well again. BTDT so so many times that you would not believe some of the stuff I have that I payed low $$ for due to be stuck and run them now
 

[redtom]

My 340 Farmall did that same thing just from condensation in cyls. I tried rocking rear wheel in gear did not work. After soaking cyls in wd-40 etc for days. I towed it slow and eased the clutch out in gear loosened right up, runs fine.
 

[Old Bob]

Condensation has to be the only way moisture could get in those cylinders. It has been in the barn and has a flapper on the exhaust pipe. Radiator is still full. Thanks
 

[glennster]

old's auto trans fluid works good, it is a light high detergent oil. you may want to also pull the valve cover and lube up the valve stems. if the valve is stuck and you turn it over, you can bend a push rod or bend the valve when the piston comes up. i would not try and pull start it to break it loose. bumping with the starter works good like rich said, or try rocking the tractor by hand while in a higher gear.
 

[rustred]

well i sure dont know about the auto trans oil . i have a w-6 that sat in barn and stuck. poured in auto trans oil in spring and tryed yanking it back and forth in gear and no way, tires just skid. same with a w-400 i put new sleeves in. sat out with exhaust covered for 2 yrs. and stuck. filled with auto trans oil sat for 3 months . tryed the same thing on it and no way. the only luck i have is removing the head and clean out the rust and break them free with a round hard wood and 12 lb sledge. i can say now i tryed the auto trans stuff. and it dont work. even looked in cyl"s with flashlight before adding oil and cyl"s looked shiney so i thought i would try the miracle oil cure. but thats a joke i can see.nothing like disassembly and doing it right.
 

[ShadetreeRet]

I have used a mixture of motor oil and kerosene, ATF seems to be popular. Unless it is inside a tight building, any engine will tend to accumulate a certain amount of moisture. The cylinders with the valves open would probably be most likely to gather the most. It is highly possible that ALL the cylinders are not stuck. The best way to prevent this situation, if you know it is going to be idle for some time, is to add a little ATF to each cylinder when it is put in storage, and then every few months turn it over a few times. Yes, I know, it ain't that easy to remember. BTDT, and good luck.
 

[Dick2]

Dad bought a used combine cheap once that was supposed to have a stuck engine. When we got it home, I discovered that it was just a stuck starter. I freed up the starter and it never stuck again.
 

[gene bender]

Take a light and look into the cycl with the plugs out and then you can see the cycl walls and if they are rusty pull the head cause you aint going to bust it loose rusty plug is a good indication of just that. All the snake oul just wont cut it.
 

[dboll]

probably from condensation, you won't get any leverage on end of the crankshaft and skidding it in gear won't do anything but wreck something, take off the starter and pry on the flywheel, it works
 

[dboll]

a friend adapts a hyd hose to the stuck cylinder and hooks it to another tractor, never tried it but he swears by it
 

[rustred]

having it in gear and skidding it is not going to damage a damm thing... it not like pulling it around and popping the clutch at 5 miles an hr. puts a lot more force on flywheel than a pry bar.
 

[rustred]

that wont do much good unless both valves are closed completely, and in most cases one is open.
 

[old]

I have done well over 20 stuck engines and freed all but 2 up with ATF. Been doing them for well over 30 years and 99% of the time I free them up. Ya your not going to free up every single one but I have found if one is going to free up ATF works the best
 

[Blackhole49]

Was that 150mph Alfa Romeo stuck when you got it?