Dang .......... She is stuck good

Well I finally got the starter rebuilt and figured I'd go try to get the 352 in my 56 Golden Hawk to turn over. I had pulled the plugs earlier to make the deal a bit easier and since she had been sitting since 1972 I had poured an ounce or so of oil in each cylinder. Installed the starter, installed a new battery, checked the wiring, turned the key, ..... NO DICE. The starter and wiring (despite being original) worked just fine but the engine won't turn.

So I get back under there, remove the starter, turn the flywheel by hand [OK, by tool] and discover I can rotate the engine only about 10-15 degrees. It moves fairly easy in either direction for that amount then ... hard stop.

Yeah, I know I should pull the whole kaboodle out for a diagnostic teardown, but I'm hoping someone will have been there and done that and can offer a potential remedy before I'm forced to pull the old girl apart.

Thanks in advance ...... Rocky

 

If it moves that much then quits, you probably have something like a hard rust ridge or broken part and it needs to be tore down to find it.

 

I love those Golden Hawks. Brother-in-law had one fairly new. Man it was full of gauges!
Too bad you don't know why it was parked in 1972. Might be because of engine trouble then. Looks like it's time to start yankin big parts off and looking inside. If you don't you could hurt something that is not broken but stuck. Good luckj.

 

it could be a stuck valve. pull valve cover.

 

try pouring some more oil in each cylinder untill it runs out and let it sit like that for a few days and then give it another shot.

 

I would go with the stuck valve theory. Stuck open hitting piston. Take off rocker arms. See if valves open and close.

 

The car was truly a barn find. A friend purchased a trust held by a bank from a older gentlemen that deceased without heir and a polebarn on a small property in a small town nearby was in the trust. Lucky Guy I Swear ..... opened the doors to find approx 25 vehicles. Including an early Mercedes gull wing, couple of early Camaros, 3 Early Mustangs, 3 early Jeeps, 2 Lincolns, 2 50's T-Birds, a 56 Packard Panama Caribbean and this Hawk. Many just needed minor cleanup and fresh fuel / batteries / etc. Most went to auction but I was fortunate enough to get the Hawk. Now the fun begins. Pictures to follow when I figure out how.

 

If it was just another old klunker I might say take a chance but in this case, no.

Your first move should be to take off the heads. You may get lucky and find some easy to fix fault, more likely the engine will need to be taken out and rebuilt or at least the heads done.

If everything is fine up top, you could put it back together then take off the pan and scrape out the sludge, make sure the oil pump is not plugged up, and try to get it going. You should know that the oil pumps on your motor have a well known bug. Some of them suck air down the shaft and mix it in the oil resulting in haphazard lubrication and clacking lifters.

Check this web site for more info on the Packard 352 engine.

Packard Motor Car Information - Packard Forums

 

"Rusty" thanks for the oil pump tip and the link to the Packard site. A quick check shows your presence there as well. See on the boards.

 

I've had mice crawl in and drop seeds and stuff into the cylinder through open valves. Just a thought.

 

Knowing at least that much of the history I'll bet it was running when parked. Be gentle and get it unstuck.

 

Fill the cylinders COMPLETELY up with 50% ATF and 50% acetone. Let it sit. It will unstick.

 

might be hydro-locked. pull the plugs.

 

I'd fill the whole damn thing ,

 

rite here is what i do. has worked every time so far. make sure you have a strong bat.good luck and let us know!

 

I had the same problem in a 66 olds 400. turned out # 8 cylinder got water in it, and had a hard rust ridge, as mentioned earlier

 

wait....small pole barn and a bunch of cool cars ? ......is this the same guy that found CSX 00003 ?

 

If you're going to tear into the engine anyway, what's the worry?

 

i had a 413 chrysler that was stuck pretty bad. tried oil, trans fluid, etc. etc. etc. nothing worked. for some reason the idea of trying boiling water came to me. i thought water stuck it water might unstick it. pulled the carb, dumped a big pot of boiling water in the intake. let it sit for about 10-15 mins. and nothing. however tried it about 2-3 more times and the thing came free. got it running, it smoked bad for about the first 3-4 hours of running time. but did mostly clear up.

 

Ive heard that kerosine works as well

 

Not sure? What is CSX 0003? In Wyoming?

A health dose of PBR Rust Penetrant in each cylinder, removed the rocker assemblies on both sides, found 4 stuck intake valves, soaked all valves with penetrant, couple hours later a good whack with a deadblow on a wood block and all valves came free. Still no glory in full rotation.

Decided must be a ridge somewhere. Went to work with a socket on the harmonic balancer plus a box end on the PS pump pulley, many - many back and forth motions later I got everything freed up and achieved 360degs of movement. Kept turning for a good while and things loosen up quite nicely. Another good dose of penetrant and good night Irene.

Next morning cleared the cylinders, put it all back together, installed a good battery, and hit the key. Success, accept that it now appears my newly rebuilt starter is not as strong as it should be. I am able to turn the engine over by hand quite easily but the starter can't handle the load well enough when under compression. Ugh ............. now what?

Tomorrow will see the starter coming back out for an inspection and bench test. Hope springs lightly. ............ but eternal.

 

Honestly, I want to try and drive the old girl in all her ragged glory for a while before I pull her down completely for the rebuild, rehab, restoration. Several other things are begging my attention( ie. a 28 Chevy pickup getting stretched, chopped, and channeled) and when she goes down it will probably be for a good long time.

If I can make her go and woah without too much work or too much money I'll be a very happy guy. If not, winter is arriving quickly around here and I guess my shop hours will depend on my mood ....... LOL.

 

Well, good luck. Sounds like you've got it handled.