Stuck y block update

mikhett

Senior Member
OK,so starter is out and cylinders are oiled and I still cant turn over this rebuilt( by previous owner) 292.I tried turning the damper bolt and it doesn't budge.Im gonna try a flywheel turner.
 
Has it ever run since the rebuild? If not, remove the oil pan and loosen all the main bearing bolts one half turn. Now does it turn? If not loosen all the rod bearing nuts one half turn. All the connecting rod caps and all the main bearing caps will only go on one way. If any are accidentally put on backwards, or in the wrong place, it will freeze up like that. There is a way to determine this. The main bearing caps are often numbered. The thing to remember is, the bearing tangs always go on the same side. Same for the rods. Sometimes they are numbered on the cap and the rod. If so, good. Make sure the bearing tangs are all on the same side.
 
Push the pedal all the way to the floor and wedge a cut off broom handle between the pedal and the front of the seat. Put the trans in gear, parking brake off, and see if you can move the car. If you can't the clutch is either stuck or out of adjustment.
 
I would think that unless the input shaft of the transmission is somehow frozen or something is jammed against the pressure plate/flywheel (broken throw-out lever?) putting the trans in neutral will allow the crankshaft to turn, if it can.

If the dash is apart is the shifter still hooked up? Just double checking how you know the trans is really in neutral. If the shift linkage is out of position at all the column lever may act like it's in neutral but the levers on the side of & in the transmission really aren't.

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Taking the dash out didn't affect the shift linkage.I can check the linkage movement under the car while my son shifts in the car with emergency brake on.the two levers are reverse first and 2 3 ,right?.Thanks
 
Taking the dash out didn't affect the shift linkage.I can check the linkage movement under the car while my son shifts in the car with emergency brake on.the two levers are reverse first and 2 3 ,right?.Thanks
Yes.
You could disconnect both shift rods from the levers on the trans and move each lever front-to-back just to make sure they're both in their center/neutral position, and then reconnect the rods. With the column shifter aligned in neutral the rods should slide easily back into the trans levers, or adjust the rods until they do.

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One other thing to check along with OldDon's suggestions is to loosen the rear main seal retainer along with the bearing caps. If for some reason someone put a rope seal in it, it can put a major drag on the engine. I haven't seen one lock up an engine but they will make them turn hard as the seal expands.
 
One other mistake a person can make on assembling an engine, look up between the flywheel and the block. If a flywheel bolt was misplaced, and a longer one used, it will hit the block and freeze it tight. (Guilty!)
 
One other mistake a person can make on assembling an engine, look up between the flywheel and the block. If a flywheel bolt was misplaced, and a longer one used, it will hit the block and freeze it tight. (Guilty!)


Me too, manual flywheel bolts are longer then auto flywheel bolts....:<(
 
I would take a serious look at the valve train being stuck (most likely a pushrod) before putting too much rotating force on the engine. You can easily bend a pushrod and damage the cam if it is in the valve train.
 
The way I remember it, if you assemble the flywheel on the crankshaft hub without having the special washer/clips under the flywheel mounting bolts, the length of the bolts will hit the back flange of the engine and prevent the crankshaft from turning. If you lost those washer/clips, you can grind down all of the flywheel bolts so that the ends of the bolts will not be long enough to hang up on the engine block.
Additionally there should be a steel ring with holes that goes on the flywheel before you install the washer/clips and bolts. If that ring is missing, it is just that much more bolt length protruding into the cavity at the rear of the engine block
 
IM gonna pull the engine get it on a stand then pull the heads im to old to be pulling heads leaning over a fender.been there done that,thanks for all the input,fellas!
 
Please keep us posted. This one is really interesting. I wish I could come and help. Where are you?
 
JACKSON N.J. ,Don to far from you.I was under the impression that my "waterproof" California NOAH car cover could handle it plus the air cleaner was on.BIG MISTAKE! Ater 30 years of doing this you think I would know better.May be OLDTIMERS disease setting in!
 
im to old to be pulling heads leaning over a fender.been there done that!

Well, I'm almost 60 and I have lifted the heads out over the fenders before, and apparently I am going to do it again one more time, because me and ol' Blue are headin' to TEXAS next year and we aint never commin' back.

I'll git it done somehow. I always do.
 
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