Engine locked up

R

ron103140

Member
I drove my roadster into the garage last night, every thing sounded fine. I closed the fuel valve off and let the engine run out of fuel. I went to start it this morning and it is completely locked up. Can't budge it with hand crank. Plenty of battery. I did check the oil and found it to be way over filled. Why I don't know. Before I start screwing something up that doesent even relate to my problem, I am asking for your advice as to where to start looking for the trouble. The engine has a "C" head, a "B" carburator and intake. No other changes. Thanks for any help in advance. Ron
 
smell the oil, if it smells like gas the engine is hydrolocked or youve been running entirely too rich.

oil could be overfilled due to headgasket blown and filled with water, could have also filled a piston or two with water.

so yes pull the plugs and see if you can turn it over with the crank.
 
After removing the plugs turn the engine over with the hand crank. If the head gasket has leaked (my suspicion since the oil level is high) and filled a cylinder up water will squirt out of the plug(s) and make a hell of a mess for you if you use the starter.
Did you pop the radiator cap and check the water level?
 
The first thing I'd do, since the oil shows too full, is crack open the oil drain plug and see if antifreeze comes out. If it does then pull the pan and head so you can clean out the pan and check for a blown head gasket or cracks, etc.

I did mention seeing antifreeze in the oil pan because I know no one would use plain water in the cooling system.:D
 
As Tom says, Crack the Drain Plug and see if water/antifreeze comes out. It is not unusual for a tablespoon of water to be in the very bottom of the oil pan. What you are looking for is more than a tablespoon. The water atin the bottom of thepan raised the oil lever. Also remove the plugs - carefully. If your headgasket has leaked overnight, one or more of the cylinders will be full of water - hydrolocked.

I had to replace a customers engine - '31 model S Coupe- last spring because it had hydrolocked in the fall of 2014. Not knowing what the problem was, He let it sit all winter. Come spring when the problem was finally diagonosed, cylinder walls were rusted and the rings were stuck to the cyl walls. The plugs were also rusty.

We replaced the engine and I have since rebuilt his damaged engine. The bottm end was not damaged.

Gist of this is do not let the water sit in the engine where it does not belong. Water in the cylinders is a NO_NO. ken
 
Ken's right about getting the water/antifreeze out as quickly as possible. Also don't turn the engine over until any water/antifreeze is completely drained from the pan, so the oil pump doesn't pick it up and spread it to the bearings and valve train. Remember, it will also be in the dipper tray, so I'd pull the oil pan before turning the engine over.
 
If you have any doubt, change the oil. Take a look at it and make sure it is all good, no water and doesn't smell like gas. Changing the oil might be needed and it's cheep insurance when in doubt.
 
Geez, it sure would be easy for someone's head to start spinning as fast as a windmill reading some of these answers huh! :D :D

Some good thoughts to ponder though....
 
What a lot of knowledge. I am very happy to be a Ford Barner. I had no clue where to start checking my problem. Now I do. The thing I don't understand is how it can lock up so tight that I can't budge it at all with the crank. It won't move a fraction. I'll pull the plugs first to check for water, then crack the oil pan drain to see if water is there. The oil is not milky so this had to have happened overnight. Thanks all for the help and I will let you know the findings here I hope. Ron
 
before you go into a lot of work, put the car in high gear with the emergency brake off and try rocking the car back and forth. if it has water on top of a piston it will turn over backwards and if the starter is the problem it should break it loose.
 
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