[Vwdiesel] Seeking experience or data on Petter stationary diesels

[James Hansen]

To unstick a stuck piston...
remove head and injector.  make a dummy injector with a grease nipple on the
outside.  Ensure valves are good, refinish the valves if necessary... it
will eventually need to be done anyway, clean out any cooties in the bore,
fill the bore with cheap grease, leave the valves closed. reinstall head,
and your injector with the grease nipple. Greaseguns make around 2000psi,
more in line with what you need to free a stuck piston.  Pump grease until
the piston is free of the bore.  (oh, you've disconnected the rod already,
and make sure it CAN come out the bottom.  Some can't with the crank in.

Soaking with oil is a sure way to have this still sitting around in ten
years. If a diesel sticks, it's usually from either water getting in, or it
was a fresh rebuild in a tight bore. You can blow your head off (the skull
shaped one) by using compressed air to try to unstick it.  Never use
anything that is compressible on something that is stuck. That's called an
airgun/bomb. baaaaad.  Use incompressible fluids, grease etc, never air.
never never never.  If it decides to spew chunks, they fly with a great
velocity imparted by the energy contained in the compressed gas.  If you use
grease, oil, etc, and the block completely fractures into tiny bits, the
energy contained is tiny, and the bits drop to the floor.

by the way, DO NOT try to force the flywheel.  you will damage the rod
bearing, it it probably not a bronze bearing, but a babbit bearing, and
forcing it will squeeze out the good bits.
-James
(old engine guy)