Picked up a pre-war air compressor and it's locked up. Started with a PBBlaster soak, moved on to ATF/acetone as suggested here and am getting ready to see if it will break loose. It's a big ol' two-stage with ball bearings so if I could get it going it will last forever (if I keep the water out of it) But now I need to know what's the best next step -- prybar on flywheel, 2x4 and BFH on pistons, air pressure???
Heat the cylinder and a good solid whack with a BFH (using a piece of wood as a go-between) and it should break free.
Coca Cola, I mix it with a little ATF for no reason other than in my mind I should. The rock it back and forth untill it comes loose.
1/2" plate as a cylinder head, with a grease fitting. Pump it full of grease, hydraulically forcing the piston out. Cosmo
Us farmers make a plate with a pipe thread bung in it, and hook a hydraulic hose from a tractor to it. Several thousand pounds of pressure will move it! (Use a LOOOOOONG hose and stay well back!) Also a high pressure washer will work, less mess with water. Sometimes the rubber tip on the wand will seal in the intake port. Seals good in a spark plug hole, too, if you have a stuck engine.
Those 'ol iron pumps are pretty tough, after soaking it good,take a 2x and a BFH and give a "massage" . I have an old Wayne that had been stored outside for a couple years and was stuck plus the end of the crank was bent from falling over. I managed to free the stuck piston and decided to pull the crank and see if it would straighten. Being made from steel or good nodular iron ,I put it in some "V" blocks with a dial indicator and yet another few whacks in strategic places and it was back in business, been running for a few years now .