Seized Engine

L

Lee29coupe

Junior Member
My 1929 Coupe started to make a squealing noise, sounded like it was coming from the bell housing area. When I pushed in the clutch it stopped but after awhile it still squealed when clutch in, would quite down when I just touched the pedal in about 1/2 inch. Adjusted clutch, was thinking it was my throw out bearing, lubed bearing carrier, sounded better but still aware of intermittent noise.Drove it to listen better, got very noisy and engine stopped, tried restarting and it only clicked starter and heated up starter battery cable to starter. Engine could not be turned over with hand crank in neutral, when in neutral the car is normal to push around, I replaced all bearings in drive train a few months ago and it is all good. ****** and drive train smooth and quite. So now the engine is still seized, drained oil, 10W30 Mobil One synthetic, oil was changed about 20 miles prior. Bought car about three years ago always changed oil well before needed with same oil, always a normal sounding Model A engine. Drained oil was very clean, discolored as normal, no visible particles. Any ideas, plan on pulling oil pan and look at crank babbit on crank caps. I pulled out starter and could not see any problem in bell housing. Am I destined for new babbit?
 
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Jack up a rear wheel and try to rotate a tire with the trans in neutral. If it rotates, all is well up through the trans output shaft. If no rotation in netural, problem is clutch back. Have a pal depress the clutch and check again. for tire rotation to eliminate (or not) clutch/pressure plate issues. If still hung up, I would first pull the shift tower and check the forks are where they are supposed to be,. After that, have to start tearing things down. Good luck. Keep us advised.
 
If you cannot turn the engine over with the hand crank then the problem is in the engine. Do not bother to pull the pan. Instead, pull the engine. You can separate the engine from the rest of the drive train at the bell housing so that the transmission remains in the car.

It can be either the pistons for the bearings or both. Put your name in for a new Brurtz engine. No deposit needed and you can decide later to not buy.
 
OK,
starter is out.
in neutral the vehicle can be pushed around as normal

My first thought was pilot bearing until you mentioned being able to move car in neutral. It does look like the engine needs to be looked at.
 
What about if the transmission is in 3 gear, and you push the clutch pedal down-- can the car be moved then
 
Patrick, with engine isolated by being in neutral or with clutch disengaged engine is locked, I can stand on hand crank and it will not budge. Problem will pull engine to see what’s up. About a yearr ago I lost one of the starter selliniod bolts and replaced it with modern solinode. Not sure if starter is out it would make a difference. Can oil starved rear bearing seize up engine without other noise earlier before seizure, can bearing lock up engine.
 
Recently a members car came to a screeching halt while diagnosing engine tapping sounds. We diagnosed a loosened flywheel bolt and removed the engine. It turned out to be the starter ring gear had moved forward on the flywheel and was catching on something in the housing. Often this is on a starter bolt, but in this case the starter was removed.
We knocked the ring gear back on and pinned it with 4 grub screws.
Had we diagnosed the cause correctly, we could have rectified it through the starter hole without removing the engine.
I have a post with pictures of how I did this on my Roadster.
This may not be your problem, but the engine I am talking about was immoveably seized until we released the flywheel and discovered the real cause.
SAJ in NZ
 
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Lee29coupe said:
Patrick, with engine isolated by being in neutral or with clutch disengaged engine is locked, I can stand on hand crank and it will not budge. Problem will pull engine to see what’s up. About a yearr ago I lost one of the starter selliniod bolts and replaced it with modern solinode. Not sure if starter is out it would make a difference. Can oil starved rear bearing seize up engine without other noise earlier before seizure, can bearing lock up engine.
Click to expand...

After reading above in red; it sounds like maybe that bolt that you lost last year (OR A BOLT previously lost in there) might be jammed between flywheel ring gear and flywheel housing.

If you turn engine backwards it might unjam the bolt temporarly
 
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I thought the starter was out.
Did you find the starter bolt that was lost ? If not, that could be the problem, maybe.
 
SAJ and others have good points. Check the ring gear and see if the engine can be rotated backwards. The engine still may have to be pulled but perhaps not as serious as seized bearings or pistons. A screwdriver in the starter hole against the ring gear might be able to leaver the engine backwards.
 
Pulled out engine, old bolt from starter selanoid and a piece of metal that looks like part of brake pedal stop fell out, the bolt was really worn from what looks like it was stuck in something that was moving, flywheel maybe. Either piece must have jammed up the fly wheel and sounded like the piston or bearings were the source. I have a new style selenoid so it must have been from an old one. Engine out so I pulled oil pan and head to check it out, engine looks to be newly rebuilt and clean so a good clean out and new gaskets, touch up engine compartment and should be on road soon. Thanks for all of the help with my situation, hope I can do the same. Lee
 
Sounds like your problem was in the bellhousing. You will be good to go in no time. Best of luck to you.
 
It sounds like you have located the problem. Glad you didn't have a problem inside the engine. Let us know when you get her back on the road.

Ken
 
The solenoid term or selanoid if you will doesn't quite fit with a model A since it refers an remote electrical operating device. The "starter drive" or "bendix" would an easy way of referring to it so there is no confusion.
 
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