Caterpillar Sixty stuck piston

I just bought a 1927 caterpillar sixty and have one hole that had a piston seized up in the jug. It had atf oil in it when I got it. I tried warming up the jug by putting paper towel soaked in alcohol in the water jacket and burning it to warm up the jug. I had it in my hand press and had pretty much 30 tons on it and jug temperature up to 300-350 Fahrenheit. Does any one know of any other tricks on know where I could get another standers 6 1/2 inch piston. My phone number is (780) 841-1438. Thanks Jason.

Jason, sometimes pressure and heat alone will not "pop" 'em loose. A good piece of hardwood turned to the ID of the cylinder and a rap with hammer along with the heat and loose juice works. Just be sure the block is fitting the whole face of the piston, you do not want to break it. One of the problems with heating, if done slowly, the piston and the cylinder both expand equally, thus not creating the difference needed. No easy solution. - cts

I left the press on it overnight along with diesel fuel on the piston. I tried adding a little more pressure this morning and it broke loose (It was all that 30 ton press could do). I have the piston soaking in rust ez now trying to free up the piston rings. hopefully they are going to free up by Monday. Thanks for replying.

Thanks for the update - Keep us posted on your progress, pictures are always welcome. -cts

diesel and time.

we unstuck a diesel years ago with a block of wood and some diesel. took a bit over a week

everyday top up the diesel and give the block or wood a love tap. once it was freed a new set of rings and away it went.

slow and steady wins the race.

another way is get some 3/8 or 1/2 inch steel plate cut and drilled to fit over the cyl and tapped for a grease nipple and pump it full of grease a manual lever type grease gun does upto 12000 psi. could probably use a porta-power too bit harder to seal for oil though but you would have the advantage of pushing oil down past the rings.

you would be surprised what diesel and time will do. being more oily than kerosene it wont evaporate as much so just brushing it on can work.

grandad managed to fully dismantle a old stationary engine that had all the fasteners seized with rust as it had been used pumping brackish water for a river gravel wash plant. we still run that engine today over 30yrs later.

Using a grease gun can have some ill effects too. Pressures created with pumping a fluid (non-compressible) exert pressure(s) equally on all surfaces. The weakest location will be the one that fails first. In an engine cylinder - that weak spot can be the water jacket vs. the piston moving. Another "old" method that has been used - a "mild" acid can sometimes help. Coca-Cola has been used to somewhat limited success. - cts

I once freed an old Cat 20 by setting a chunk of dry ice on each piston.

I recall some of the fella's in the Cat shop using ice to shrink some pieces, one would be surprised at how much difference that Heat/Cooling expansion factor can make. The real key to that is not heating or cooling both pieces thus equalizing the effects - cts

its the same principal with that freeze and release sprays.