Working with a frozen engine

Question:

I have a 1961 Olds 98 Sport Sedan with a 398 cid Rocket engine. The car has been in storage and now the engine is frozen. Do you have any suggestions on freeing it without a full disassembly? Can you give me any other information on this car, such as the number manufactured, the value, and so on?

Answer:

Remove all spark plugs and repeatedly spray penetrating oil into the cylinders a few times a day. After several days of soaking the cylinders like this, rock the crank back and forth by hand. Do this either with a breaker bar and socket on the crank pulley bolt or with a flywheel wrench. If the car has a manual transmission you can also put pressure on the engine by placing the transmission in gear and pushing the car back and forth.

If your patience runs out before the engine breaks free you will likely have to disassemble it.

According to my research, Oldsmobile made a total of 4445 Ninety-Eight Sports Sedans in model year 1961. The present value of your car depends in large measure on information that you have not provided, including optional equipment, level of originality and, most importantly, condition. If the car is not very original, has few options, and is in awful condition in addition to having a stuck engine, its value is marginal. That means a few hundred dollars at most if it has some salvageable parts. On the other hand, if it is mostly original, has some desirable options and is in excellent condition other than the frozen engine, it is probably worth a few thousand dollars.

To enhance your enjoyment of your car consider joining the Oldsmobile Club of America (www.oldsclub.org).