Seized Engine

karamazovapy · Post by **karamazovapy** » Mon May 01, 2006 12:45 am

I've got a '75 that hasn't run in a long time, and the engine has seized. I'm not rich, but I like tinkering with the old girl. Any advice on how to proceed? My first instinct is to just replace the engine outright with any spider engine I can find that runs. I hate to admit browsing ebay, but that's what I've been doing. Would I run into much trouble throwing in a 2.0L? Any suggestions on what I should do would be greatly appreciated!

YeLLoWBoAt · Post by **YeLLoWBoAt** » Mon May 01, 2006 3:10 am

Have you tried pulling te plugs and spraying alot of WD- 40 in the holes and letting it sit for couple of hours? Then take a wrench to the balancer bolt. you would be amazed as what you can to turn over with this method.

What happends is you get water( condionsation sp?) around your rings and they rust to the cylider walls. If its not that bad you can just brake it free and let the rings hone out the cylinders.

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Mon May 01, 2006 10:04 am

a 2L will fit, but that motor is about 1/2 inch taller, so hood clearance becomes an issue. 79 was the only yr that 2L were carbed, the newer ones were FI so unless you're going to swap manifolds you'll need the wiring harness and computer, fuel pump, etc
If the motor is seized just from sitting, you may be able to break it loose. Rather than wd40, I sugget using auto trans fluid. If you can free the motor up, you could probably refresh it as cheaply as you could buy another motor

karamazovapy · Post by **karamazovapy** » Mon May 01, 2006 10:39 am

Thanks for the suggestions...I'm still torn as to what I'm going to do, but it sounds like trying to free it up is worth a shot. As cheap as some of these cars go though, I might just consider getting a new spider and inheriting a new set of quirks and fixes.

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Mon May 01, 2006 10:49 am

if nothing else, the seized-engine spider can be a good donor car if you acquire another Fiat

fiater · Post by **fiater** » Mon May 01, 2006 9:45 pm

I've never tried ATF to unstick rings, but yrs. ago I was told to use it as motor flush, because it was pure detergent. What I have used to unstick rings was Marvel Mystery oil and it worked great! ( I used alot of marvel and I let it sit for about a week ) I've also heard of using kerosene. I don't know the pros and cons of each, except that Marks mentioned in the past that ATF burns off better once you get the engine fired up. If it was me, for starters I'd try to get this engine unsiezed and see how it runs.

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Mon May 01, 2006 10:31 pm

I suggest atf because it will burn. Oil will foul the plugs. Marvel is good also, it's just atf is alittle easier to come by, and maybe cheaper. Just be prepared for lots of smoke once it starts! After letting it sit for a couple of days with whatever lube you choose, gently work the crank bolt back and forth in each direction. The danger is that the rings are rusted to the cylinders and they may break if the rust is heavy

karamazovapy · Post by **karamazovapy** » Wed May 24, 2006 1:05 pm

I finally have the time and it's finally warm enough to give this a go...I'll let you guys know what happens after the ATF has set for a few days. I'm about to start replacing the convertible top, too!

fiater · Post by **fiater** » Wed May 24, 2006 9:58 pm

When you get ready to turn the engine over, I'd try to gently turn it by hand at first and not use the starter untill it turns freely.