DavidS
Registered User
Oh also, Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
Sloooow crank, tried everything!
- Thread starter DavidS
- Start date
Simple test to find root of cause, pull engine and replace with used Craigslist engine, then tear the old engine apart and find the problem....
pafixitman
Registered User
David,
If the motor is free it should be able to be turned by hand. Any indication that it was exposed to the elements? Was the turbo etc on the motor? On NA trucks the cowl seal sits above the center of the air cleaner and they can ingest water (mine did). Turbo motors seal up better.
With GP's out, take 1/2 Marvel Mystery Oil and 1/2 AFT and squirt it into each hole. Let it sit 24 hrs and try to turn the crank a bit each direction. In my case I drained 2 qts of water from the oil pan and had to do the above routine for a week before I could get the motor to turn freely complete revolutions. If you force it (in my case against what was assumed to be surface rust on the cylinder wall) you run the risk of rolling a ring.
If the motor is free it should be able to be turned by hand. Any indication that it was exposed to the elements? Was the turbo etc on the motor? On NA trucks the cowl seal sits above the center of the air cleaner and they can ingest water (mine did). Turbo motors seal up better.
With GP's out, take 1/2 Marvel Mystery Oil and 1/2 AFT and squirt it into each hole. Let it sit 24 hrs and try to turn the crank a bit each direction. In my case I drained 2 qts of water from the oil pan and had to do the above routine for a week before I could get the motor to turn freely complete revolutions. If you force it (in my case against what was assumed to be surface rust on the cylinder wall) you run the risk of rolling a ring.
Pafixitman is right. The mixture he is recommending down the glow plugs has helped me break cylinder rust on a couple engines that sat too long.
DavidS
Registered User
Well sounds like something to try this weekend! Are we talking like a teaspoon of the marvel/atf mixture in each cylinder? Or just a few drops?
Pafixitman, the turbo was installed when i got the truck, everything upstream from that was off.
Pafixitman, the turbo was installed when i got the truck, everything upstream from that was off.
I ended up using about 1 to 2 oz per cylinder, though my experience has bee with freeing gas engines. I would guess an ounce won't cause an issue, especially if you let it sit for 24 hours to really run down the cylinder walls.
I cant give any part numbers but when my starter literally broke (the wire on the side) the shop I had the truck towed to I trust, they couldn’t get the open style of starter (your first pic) to fit. It just plain didn’t work. They had another sent and it didn’t either. I finally helped look up part numbers too and the semi closed cone one fit.
Joseph Davis
Full Access Member
Take Glow plugs out and crank it over with a torque wrench. It should spin pretty easily; and if it does, Replace starter if not pull motor?
Post #30 he did just that and couldn't get it to budge.
Joseph Davis
Full Access Member
Sorry to here that 
Cranks fried?
Cranks fried?
Joseph Davis
Full Access Member
Might also check timing gears for broken teeth. Was there any metal in oil pan. Bad Cam if no knocking. Bent Rod will slow down the cranking a lot. But I would just pull the motor out because most of the problems are fixable or visible so you can make an informed decision. If your going to pay for someone to pull the transmission Why not both?
Knuckledragger
blowing chunks and grabbing porcelain
Kinda sounds like hydrolock. When the starter did work, it was slow, and no amount of battery/cable/ground fussing has helped.
If your engine has block worm (cavitation), it will do as you have described when trying to crank. If the affected cylinder is left in such a state that the hole is exposed, it will fill the cylinder with coolant and lock the engine.
It still may be a ground or starter problem, but you have already done enough there to feel some sort of difference. If you pull the GPs and can turn it at all, watch for coolant to come out of one or more cylinders. OR- a spun main bearing will do a similar thing. But these engines are known for block worm, not spun main bearings.
If your engine has block worm (cavitation), it will do as you have described when trying to crank. If the affected cylinder is left in such a state that the hole is exposed, it will fill the cylinder with coolant and lock the engine.
It still may be a ground or starter problem, but you have already done enough there to feel some sort of difference. If you pull the GPs and can turn it at all, watch for coolant to come out of one or more cylinders. OR- a spun main bearing will do a similar thing. But these engines are known for block worm, not spun main bearings.
DavidS
Registered User
Well I got the MMM/ATF cocktail dosed into the cylinders Saturday, but then didn't have time Sunday to mess with it. I'm hoping to get some time with it after work one evening this week. So I can lie on the dirt in the dark trying to move the engine in a 23 yr old truck and wondering why I don't take my neighbor's advice and sell all my variously broken vehicles and buy just one that works lol...
I thought about the hydro lock but wouldn't that go away once the glow plugs are out?
Spun main bearing is something I know happens but I've never dealt with an engine with that affliction so I wasn't sure if that would cause this much resistance to turning.
On the oil pan, I haven't pulled it down yet, but when I bought the truck the PO had just changed the oil so the oil on the dipstick looks great. At the time I thought it was a bonus, but at this point, though he seemed like a decent guy, I wonder if that was to hide something...
Definitely keeping an eye on the Craigslist for a another motor, but so far nothing in my area. Need to check the junkyards though.
I thought about the hydro lock but wouldn't that go away once the glow plugs are out?
Spun main bearing is something I know happens but I've never dealt with an engine with that affliction so I wasn't sure if that would cause this much resistance to turning.
On the oil pan, I haven't pulled it down yet, but when I bought the truck the PO had just changed the oil so the oil on the dipstick looks great. At the time I thought it was a bonus, but at this point, though he seemed like a decent guy, I wonder if that was to hide something...
Definitely keeping an eye on the Craigslist for a another motor, but so far nothing in my area. Need to check the junkyards though.
He already pulled the glowplugs and tried to bar the engine over manually and it still is locked up, so that rules out hydrolock
For what it's worth, I'm siding on surface rust hanging on to the pistons. I helped resurrect a '90 Bronco with a 5.0 EFI and it was so tight I couldn't spin it with a 4' cheater bar on a 3/4" ratchet. Let it sit with ATF in the spark plug holes over night, and suddenly just the ratchet was enough. Then we tried bumping the key and she cranked nicely. That is not the end of the story, but it is all the relevant info for this story.
