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How to Unseize a Model IC Engine

Whether you are talking about a model engine or the dynamo powering the average Hummer around town, the principle behind the IC (internal combustion) engine is the same: a fuel combining with air inside a combustion chamber, with the resulting gases moving some sort of force-generating component, such as a set of pistons. If you are trying to start your model engine and it sounds jammed, or seized, take several steps to address the problem before taking it completely apart.

Things You'll Need

Mallet
Ratchet set

Instructions

- 1
  Tap the starter gently with your mallet. If the starter and the flywheel are not meeting, you hear a jammed or clicking sound, but the engine is not seized. This is an important troubleshooting step before tackling the internal problem. After tapping, try to start the motor again and, as a last step, check the battery and replace if necessary. If your engine still sounds seized, move to Step 2.
- 2
  Find a socket that matches the nut attached to the pulley that, with most models, is on the underside of the motor, and put it on your socket wrench.
- 3
  Turn the nut in the direction that the motor turns. If there is some resistance, try first to gently push against it; that should unseize it. However, if the nut does not budge, you need to open up your engine compartment. Check all of the belt pathways until you find the obstruction, and test the engine again after you've removed it.

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