so i have read on here about using atf and acetone 50/50 to unstuck engines. when i mix some up, the atf and acetone keep separating. does this matter? is there a trick to keep the two mixed? thanks tim
Shake it and apply. I try to just mix up enough to do the job. When I tried to store the mixture they did seperate. Shaking will re-mix them. Glenn
I've used ATF and Lacquer Thinner to wipe down bare metal. It doesn't separate. Probably works as well as Acetone. Not sure what the purpose of acetone would be aside from the thinning properties.
I use acetone and ATF it works great. Only down side in summer here the acetone evaporates pretty quick so I mix it in small batches. Brake fluid wont evaporate, the idea is to thin the ATF to get it in there then the acetone evaps leaving the oil
i wonder if its because the accetone breaks up the gum / varnish and carbon and lets the atf down the the rings and stuck area s im going to try this on a stuck studebaker , almost bought a couple cans of the new seafoam penatrating oil i saw at autozone ,
Depends on why the engine is stuck, if it's rust ATF ain't going to fix it. In the old days I used to wash everything in gas or kerosene. It's a wonder I never caught fire or burned down my Dad's garage.
took some digging but if you can find the mag its in the April 2007 issue of Machinist Workshop Magazine (I dont have it this is pinched from the net). They arranged a subjective test of all of the popular penetrants with the control being the torque required to remove the nut from a scientifically rusted environment. Penetrant: Average Load: none 516 ft lbs WD40 238 PB Blaster 214 Liquid Wrench 127 Kano Kroil 106 ATF-Acetone mix 53
A couple years ago I read the entire posting that started the acetone/ATF mix is better than penetrating oil claims circulating on the internet. Like many things on the internet, the claims are misleading. Whether they realized it or not, what was actually being tested/compared was lubricating properties, not their ability to free rusted fasteners. But that said, some commercial penetrating oils are just thin oil, or oil thinned with solvent. In a bind I have made my own oil/solvent penetrating mix and it does work. Given enough time and repeated applications I think any of the options suggested in this discussion are to some degree viable. Formulations that are acidic seem to do a better job at freeing rusted fasteners. Many consider Kroil to be the best. If I remember correctly it is slightly acidic.
i have never used to try to unstick engines. i use as a lube for rusted nuts and bolts. put it in a squirt type oil can and squirt away. as for the stuck engine i think maybe cutting it 25/75 trans fluid but thats just my thinking
thanks for the info guys. i tried the atf/acetone cause i was out of ideas. i have used marvel oil, cans and cans of wd-40 and pb blaster. straight vinigar, and every other thing the auto parts store had. i dont have an o/a set for heat. where do you find kroil. i can find it online easy, but do any retail stores sell it? it might be hammer and chisel time soon. thanks. tim
I use Acetone for many applications. I even clean my spark plugs with it. Stuck lifters? Not a problem. Rings stuck on a piston? Again, not a problem. I even use it to clean up fuel system parts. Normbc9
Just be careful with it on aluminum. Acetone tends to eat it if left on for a long while We had a customer at the tool store who competed in logger sports. Brought his chainsaw to us trying to find the parts he needed to put it together (custom racing saw). Apparently the guys usually run their own concoction of a 2-stroke fuel mix with plenty of acetone and toluene mixed in. He told me that if he didn't drain the saw and run it on conventional 2-stroke mix to flush the system, it would make all the aluminum parts of the fuel system porous after a while. Shawn
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