Hi All

I went to put some after run oil through my RB7 Engine the other day to find it had seized.

After taking it apart I found it was stuck at top dead center, something not uncommon with new engines.

I did forget to rotate the flywheel after the run which could of saved me the fun of un-seizing it.

Anyhow the engine is now fine so in the interest of helping others who may get the same problem this is what I did.

First off these are the items I used:

After run oil (I have a bottle of HPI which has lasted ages).

An old toothbrush or something similar that will clean the engine without damaging it.

A hair dryer or heat gun.

When I took the cylinder head off I found my after run oil sitting on the top.



First off I used a hair dryer to heat up and loosen the engine. After leaving the hair dryer facing the piston head for about 20 minutes I used some oven gloves to hold the engine while gently lifting the piston sleeve out by getting a small screw driver head under the top of the sleeve.



I was very careful not to use any force in order to prevent any damage!

After the sleeve was removed I could turn the engine over.

I then removed the pull starter and backing plate so that I could get to the piston.

I inspected the piston and gave it a clean with the tooth brush and after run oil.

I then reattached the piston and put the sleeve back on after giving the rest of an engine a clean with the toothbrush.

I think the key here was a bit of un-burnt fuel on the side of the crank case, this was likely causing the piston sleeve to stick.

Next I put a bit of after run oil into the carb and on top of the piston.

I then turned the engine over some more to make sure it would now move with the sleeve on top.

Next I reattached the cylinder head and backing plate / pull starter.

Finally I removed the glow plug and dropped another bit of after run oil into the engine to verify it would still turn over with everything rebuilt.

I hope this helps someone if their engine gets stuck. If you need any help let me know.