Frozen clutch - dissolve rust with Coke?

[timsch]

My PTO won't disengage. My fault (x2) - I let it sit too long without blocking the clutch and I also failed to finish tightening the bolts on an inspection cover and it got rained on - enough water in the bell housing to get things a bit rusty.

I've heard of people filling the bell housing with enough coca-cola to dissolve the rust and free things up. I do have a drain plug on the bottom of the bell housing, so that's good. What would I use to flush the coke out though? Not water and nothing oily I'm sure, but not sure what would be best and most cost effective.

 

[old]

My PTO won't disengage. My fault (x2) - I let it sit too long without blocking the clutch and I also failed to finish tightening the bolts on an inspection cover and it got rained on - enough water in the bell housing to get things a bit rusty.

I've heard of people filling the bell housing with enough coca-cola to dissolve the rust and free things up. I do have a drain plug on the bottom of the bell housing, so that's good. What would I use to flush the coke out though? Not water and nothing oily I'm sure, but not sure what would be best and most cost effective.

I'd use vinegar I sure would not use coke

 

[Jeff in ND]

The active ingredient in the coke is phosphoric acid. Same stuff can be found in milking machine cleaner only a LOT stronger. You could dilute that a lot (it also has some detergent in it). Keep a close eye on it.

 

[M-MAN]

All kinds of crazy rumors out there from folks who don't like Coke or Taco Bell. Ignore them.

 

[timsch]

I did read that phosphoric acid was the main effective ingredient. Vinegar is cheap and an option. I have lots of chemicals, but don't have milking machine cleaner. I just searched for phosphoric acid, but with that search came up Oxalic acid, which I do have a lot of in powder/crystal.

The acids recommend washing off the acid solution with water and then drying the metal off, which is not too practical here, although I could place a blower by the inspection port and blow it out for a while.

 

[T.R.K.]

I have heard of at least one Ford (N series) nearby that has a strategically placed hole in the bell housing that allows the owner to tie down the clutch pedal and use a screwdriver to pop the clutch disc free from the flywheel when it sticks fast.

I have personally never seen the hole in the tractor, but that is what the owner told me. (If it is the tractor I am thinking it is, the tractor is 'rough as a cob." He used to win "ugly tractor" contests with it. )

 

[timsch]

Unfortunately, the inspection port I have does not allow me the right angle to do such a thing. The only port that might is covered up by my FEL mounting brackets, and they're a beast to get off and back together.

I bet mine could give his a run for the money in an ugly tractor contest.... mine's got as much rust as paint, and not a straight panel on the thing. Empty light housings with light guts exposed, etc. The panels are all there though, so that might knock me out of the running. Runs like a champ though - just need to free up the 2nd stage of the clutch.

 

[stevieb49829]

There was a youtube video recently that tested and compared all of the rust removers. Coke was at the bottom of the list. Vinegar was near the middle. A couple of the commercial products readily available at an auto parts store were on the top of the effectiveness list. If you use a liquid, get it freed up and then go slip the clutch enough to heat up the disk and plate to dry it thoroughly. steve

 

[MarkB_MI]

I don't understand how the Coke is supposed to penetrate between the clutch disk and pressure plate. Also, phosphoric acid doesn't remove rust, it converts it to iron phosphate, which is pretty tenacious stuff.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

I don't understand how the Coke is supposed to penetrate between the clutch disk and pressure plate. Also, phosphoric acid doesn't remove rust, it converts it to iron phosphate, which is pretty tenacious stuff.

Mark
Did you know?

• Phosphorus is found naturally in many foods and phosphoric acid is used as an additive, so most people get enough in their diet. Your body needs phosphorus, but too much of it can cause problems. Studies suggest that excessive phosphorus intake can put you at risk for osteoporosis and heart disease.
• You can buy food grade phosphoric acid from Amazon.
• And like you said, phosphoric acid converts rust to iron phosphate, something paint will stick to.

While you can remove rust with a box of borax, baking soda, and a bottle of vinegar, sometimes you might not have the time or ability to DIY your formula—in that case, a store-bought rust remover can get the job done quickly and easily.

Chemical rust removersuse acid, solvents, or sodium hydrosulfite to dissolve rust off hard surfaces. Depending on the active ingredient, they can be very hazardous:

 

[Texasmark]

My PTO won't disengage. My fault (x2) - I let it sit too long without blocking the clutch and I also failed to finish tightening the bolts on an inspection cover and it got rained on - enough water in the bell housing to get things a bit rusty.

I've heard of people filling the bell housing with enough coca-cola to dissolve the rust and free things up. I do have a drain plug on the bottom of the bell housing, so that's good. What would I use to flush the coke out though? Not water and nothing oily I'm sure, but not sure what would be best and most cost effective.

Back around 1960 I was moonlighting at a service station in a rural area. More than once I heard folks recommend putting Coke in an automatic tranny to solve slipping issues.......putting sugar and water into a transmission?????? Not my cup of tea.

 

[560Dennis]

Exorust

 

[Charles in Aus.]

When the flat belt on my Ferguson saw bench slips a little Coke or molasses will help it grip , probably the opposite of what you want your clutch to do .

 

[bc]

Back around 1960 I was moonlighting at a service station in a rural area. More than once I heard folks recommend putting Coke in an automatic tranny to solve slipping issues.......putting sugar and water into a transmission?????? Not my cup of tea.

I can believe it. Drink Pepsi but dump that nasty Coke down the nearest hole.

 

[caterpillar guy]

First what tractor do you have would help since the clutch to an H can be removed from the bottom without splitting you could unbolt the pressure plate and slide the clutch disc back to all could be cleaned out and dried out. I believe an M can be loosened up and slid back some to free up the clutch. This would be on the main clutch on these tractors since they are not an IPTO model. As for one with an IPTO it would probably be a more involved deal part of the reason for knowing the tractor that you are having the trouble with since most of the readers here just read clutch, not PTO clutch.

 

[Aaron SEIA]

Unless it sat for years, I'd just put a load behind it and drive around with the pedal down. Bet it pops free fairly quickly.
AaronSEIA

 

[MarkB_MI]

Unless it sat for years, I'd just put a load behind it and drive around with the pedal down. Bet it pops free fairly quickly.
AaronSEIA

Unless it sat for years, I'd just put a load behind it and drive around with the pedal down. Bet it pops free fairly quickly.

He says the PTO clutch is stuck. So he'll have to put a load on the PTO, and assuming the tractor has live PTO with a double clutch, he'll need to load the PTO without having the tractor in motion.

 

[MarkB_MI]

Mark
Did you know?

• Phosphorus is found naturally in many foods and phosphoric acid is used as an additive, so most people get enough in their diet. Your body needs phosphorus, but too much of it can cause problems. Studies suggest that excessive phosphorus intake can put you at risk for osteoporosis and heart disease.
• You can buy food grade phosphoric acid from Amazon.
• And like you said, phosphoric acid converts rust to iron phosphate, something paint will stick to.

While you can remove rust with a box of borax, baking soda, and a bottle of vinegar, sometimes you might not have the time or ability to DIY your formula—in that case, a store-bought rust remover can get the job done quickly and easily.

Chemical rust removersuse acid, solvents, or sodium hydrosulfite to dissolve rust off hard surfaces. Depending on the active ingredient, they can be very hazardous:

Mark
Did you know?

• Phosphorus is found naturally in many foods and phosphoric acid is used as an additive, so most people get enough in their diet. Your body needs phosphorus, but too much of it can cause problems. Studies suggest that excessive phosphorus intake can put you at risk for osteoporosis and heart disease.
• You can buy food grade phosphoric acid from Amazon.
• And like you said, phosphoric acid converts rust to iron phosphate, something paint will stick to.

George, I haven't had a soda in years. Maybe my phosphoric acid level is low. As a former science teacher, you probably know that phosphoric acid will dissolve a lot of things (including glass), but it won't eat your skin like many acids.

You can buy phosphoric acid at just about any paint store, where it's sold as a metal prep. Ospho is one brand; you can buy it at Sherwin-Williams.

 

[Butch(OH)]

Instead of discussing what does and does not disolve rust how about something helpfull like nothing you pour in there is going to fix it??? Gesh!

I assume you have a 2 stage foot clutch? Do you own a bush hog? Attach it and get the tractor started. Then push the pedal while moving the throttle up and down to cause a jerk in the drive line. If that doesn't work go cut some tall grass and keep pushing the clutch pedal. Best with sone saplings to cut or throw some firewood out where you will hit it.

 

[Butch(OH)]

He says the PTO clutch is stuck. So he'll have to put a load on the PTO, and assuming the tractor has live PTO with a double clutch, he'll need to load the PTO without having the tractor in motion.

Mark you replied while I was typing, sorry