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Engine seized 2 miles after rebuild

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Merc cruzer, May 30, 2011.

  1. Pull starter before pulling pan. Check easy stuff first.
     
  2. Merc cruzer
    Joined: Feb 26, 2009
    Posts: 286

    Merc cruzer
    Member
    from Colorado

    A couple months ago I had a flatty in the shop for a rewire, the first time I tried to start it the starter gear bound up in the flywheel and everything froze up. I was thinking the worse till I checked the starter engagement and after installing a healthy 12V battery al is well again. Simple things first..........................


    Sorry, I should also have mentioned that the first thing I did was to pull the starter.....I still can not turn the engine over by hand even with a 3 foot breaker bar....on the front of the crank.
     
  3. brigrat
    Joined: Nov 9, 2007
    Posts: 5,615

    brigrat
    Member
    from Wa.St.

    OK, now take the torque converter loose, report back...................
     
  4. sircampsalot2
    Joined: Mar 9, 2011
    Posts: 66

    sircampsalot2
    Member

    I would check the timing chain also before taking the engine out.
     
  5. Destralo Roach
    Joined: Mar 27, 2006
    Posts: 521

    Destralo Roach
    Member

    Flat head V8, Gears, no chain, But I suspect the Main bearings seized.....Roach.
     
  6. George/Maine
    Joined: Jan 6, 2011
    Posts: 949

    George/Maine
    Member

    I would start with the rod bearing just loosen one at time until it turns.Then to mains,Is this a auto trans,Some times you can shim a rod bearing run for while then remove shim.check oil pressure when you get it to turn.Some times all carbon is not removed for piston groves and the rings have no movement.
     
  7. american opel
    Joined: Dec 14, 2006
    Posts: 1,222

    american opel
    Member
    from ohio

    keep us informed,and good luck.
     
  8. If the torque converter and starter investigation is a bust, once you drop the pan loosen up all the mains and see if it spins. Just crack the bolts and back them off a 1/4 turn.

    It does sound catastrophic and a definite bummer since it sounds like you did a lot of good things there. The only 2 things I can think of are the bearings or a piston pin retainer let go and you have a pin gouged into the cylinder wall.

    Bob
     
  9. Willy301
    Joined: Nov 16, 2007
    Posts: 1,426

    Willy301
    Member


    Your not reading either, he said it won't turn over with a breaker bar either, very little battery power is required with a breaker bar.
     
  10. will the crank rock at all or is it just solid? had one piston seize in a bore once and you could rock the crank a little each way.

    Good advice here even though it is not a good place to learn :rolleyes:

    be methodical and start at the periphery as said above - Starter, torque converter, oil pan, - and look for anything that may cause the seizure.

    Good luck, I know what a bummer this is for you.
     
  11. badlefihand
    Joined: Apr 20, 2007
    Posts: 318

    badlefihand
    Member

    No squeal,no knock, no thump, no rattle, no noise, no metal, oil clean. run good. Bearings will squeal,Piston pin or rods will knock, converter will rap, fly wheel will tick,just about any thing will give a warning.My bet is something was left in the engine that wraped up. Pay no attention to the H.A.M.B police,we all go through it. Most of us are interested in cause and try to help.
     
    Last edited: May 31, 2011
  12. OldBuzzard
    Joined: Mar 8, 2008
    Posts: 878

    OldBuzzard

    If the pistons were fitted to the bores in the old block the .060 may not mean a whole lot as far as clearances in the new block.
     
  13. JC Sparks
    Joined: Dec 8, 2008
    Posts: 733

    JC Sparks
    Member
    from Ohio

    You tells us you drained the oil and there was nothing in it. I'm sure you mean there was oil in it but no metal or trash. It's hard to imagine a engine seizing up and not putting some metal in the oil. We will know when he pulls it apart. JC
     
  14. RichFox
    Joined: Dec 3, 2006
    Posts: 10,020

    RichFox
    Member Emeritus

    Once some guys gave me a new rebuilt 374 Packard V8 that seized. I pulled the pan to find everything inside squeaky clean with new clean oil. New rod and main bearings crank ground -.020. One new replacement connecting rod and no oil pump. They put the damn thing together without an oil pump. Put it in the car and tried to run it. Didn't last. Except for #1 main and #5 rod journal it all still looked new.
     
  15. Von Rigg Fink
    Joined: Jun 11, 2007
    Posts: 13,418

    Von Rigg Fink
    Member
    from Garage


    but would it have oil pressure?

    He said he had 45#....that would be hard to do with no pump...just sayin
     
  16. RocketMan
    Joined: Jun 1, 2006
    Posts: 40

    RocketMan
    Member

    Let me add that if you check for a timing chain and find one in there...that's the problem! He-he.
    Please excuse the feeble attempt at humor.
    I agree with the suggestion that you should disconnect the torque converter before doing a teardown
    Another good thought was offered before...maybe a foreign piece went down the intake and is on
    top of a piston. Seems like that would have made a noise though. Can't rotate it backward either?
     
  17. RodStRace
    Joined: Dec 7, 2007
    Posts: 3,911

    RodStRace
    Member

    Okay, the plugs are out, nothing found.
    The starter's out, nothing found.
    As said, this is really sounding like a complete teardown, but also as said, pull the converter bolts (part of the removal anyway), and see if it frees up.
    At that point if it's still solid, I would not bother with the pan in the car, I'd go straight to removal. Time to recheck it all, not try to do a little.
    That's my 2 cents.
     
  18. Larry T
    Joined: Nov 24, 2004
    Posts: 7,875

    Larry T
    Member

    Pulling the converter bolts without pulling the engine with the converter attached can be a trick in itself, when the engine is locked up.
    Larry T
     
  19. Hi!
    Joined: Oct 4, 2006
    Posts: 731

    Hi!
    Member
    from SoCal

    Just pull it it out. Trying to turn it over with a breaker bar isnt good either.
    Plus another vote for the timing chain:D
     
  20. Merc
    I actually had a suggestion run through my head but it would be just plane mean to make it. So I'm not going to do it. Trying not to be mean to anyone today and you haven't earned meaness from anyone yet.

    The only thing I can suggest is that you tear it down and see what didn't hold up. Don't beat yourself up over it when you find it. just chalk it up to murphy strikes again and build it better the next time.

    It happens man. A few years back, actually quite a few now I put a banger together for a lady we knew. She needed to get herself from point A to point B and had zero cash in hand.

    Anyway about 2 weeks after I gave her car back to her I get this call. it started hammering so she shut it off and what should she do. I got an all expensed paid trip to pig snarf over the deal. I knew I had done everything that i knew was correct when I put it together for her. Sized the rods, new rod bolts, slight overbore to clean it up, new head bolts, the list goes on.

    Took it down and discovered that on new rod bolt had broken. Maybe I over torqued it or maybe it was just defective. Wnet trough it again this time it was a little more costly. It went back toggether and she drove it like she srtole it until she could afford a newr nicer car.

    Stuff happens man.
     
  21. Merc cruzer
    Joined: Feb 26, 2009
    Posts: 286

    Merc cruzer
    Member
    from Colorado

    The answer is Main bearing: the rear bearing was fine, the center bearing was toast and the front bearing was about to go.
     

    Attached Files:

  22. pwschuh
    Joined: Oct 27, 2008
    Posts: 2,827

    pwschuh
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    That shoulda left some traces in the oil...
     
  23. Merc cruzer
    Joined: Feb 26, 2009
    Posts: 286

    Merc cruzer
    Member
    from Colorado

    Bottom of the pan had some, not much...looks like most stayed in the bearing and cap.
     
  24. RodStRace
    Joined: Dec 7, 2007
    Posts: 3,911

    RodStRace
    Member

    Merc cruzer, thanks for the results, and Larry T, you are right, the converter bolts are hard when the crank is locked. Sorry.
     
  25. outlaw256
    Joined: Jun 26, 2008
    Posts: 2,022

    outlaw256
    Member

    now that we know what caused the thing to lock up,what caused the mains to fry?
     
  26. 50flathead
    Joined: Mar 8, 2005
    Posts: 1,167

    50flathead
    Member
    from Iowa, USA

    Sorry for your bad luck-chalk it up to experience.
     
  27. LAROKE
    Joined: Sep 5, 2007
    Posts: 2,079

    LAROKE
    Member

    Oil gallery plugged?
     
  28. ouch that should not have happened did the shop who did your boring clean the block after machining?
     
  29. Larry T
    Joined: Nov 24, 2004
    Posts: 7,875

    Larry T
    Member


    Bottom line is that whoever assembles the engine (around here, me) is responsible for the final cleaning and inspection of all the oil passages and such.
    Larry T
     
  30. RichG
    Joined: Dec 8, 2008
    Posts: 3,919

    RichG
    Member

    Did you check the bearing with plastigauge when you assembled the engine?
     

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