[KGTO]

Pulled my running engine out a few years back so we could do a frame off on the car. I never meant for the engine to be out this long and rather than backing off all the rockers I would just spin the motor over every few months or so.

About a year ago went to do this and it went most of the way around and STOPPED. Roll it back and did the same (about 270°) . So I've yanked the covers, backed off all the rockers (solid cam) still hits. Pulled the distributor, still hits. I'm at the point that the pan or timing cover needs to come off. Any thoughts on what the hell the problem is?

I had maybe 1000 miles on the engine after going through the rods and mains. I did have 150 shot that I'd use once in a while but it ran great. Thought maybe I should bore scope the cylinders first just in case.

[gogtogo]

I had a similar situation years ago. Ended up a fork on the oil pump shaft broke. Was running when removed. All I can figure is a combination of 20w 50 oil, stored on concrete floor in unheard garage in Western NY. I turned it over once a month for over a year and just stopped.

[KGTO]

Interesting...although I drained the oil out of mine. I suspected the driveshaft but pulled the distributor and it turns easy with a screw driver

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by KGTO

About a year ago went to do this and it went most of the way around and STOPPED. Roll it back and did the same (about 270°) .

Maybe a mouse nest inside the engine someplace?

[DOC]

Maybe a rust edge near a top ring and the particular piston cannot go higher than that edge or something got in through the exhuast port/ valve and is sitting on top of a piston.

[KGTO]

Top of engine is sealed via lift plate.. I guess something could be in the cylinder.

Would a rust line feel like metal to metal?

[johnta1]

Top of engine is sealed via lift plate..

Exhaust blocked off too?

Easy for humidity to get in. Spay some oil or something in each cylinder let it sit for awhile then try turning it?

[KGTO]

Hi John

It was taped for a while but been off a while now too. I blew air in cylinders and exhaust and no debris or anything. I sprayed WD40 in earlier and just did again. Man I hate to pull this sucker apart

Whatever it is its solid.

[Scott65]

Check the flexplate area, in case something got wedged in there?

[Scott Stoneburg]

Were the rockers loosened all the way when it was put into storage? If not you may have a valve that is hung open and the piston is making contact

[KGTO]

No the rockers weren't backed off ... they are now and it still hits

[KGTO]

The history with this car is everything ends up being painfully simple stupid. So its gotta be something dumb

[Darren 639]

With all of the rockers backed off are all of your spring Heights the same all the way across on each cylinder head? If one is hanging down obviously that’s the one that is stuck I’ve had this happen to me before in the past. And a one other thing was a mouse crawled up the header tube and put birdseed on top of the piston and the engine stopped dead.

[John Langer]

Fill every hole w wd-40 and let it soak for a day or 2. If that doesn’t work, get a bigger breaker bar.

[Darren 639]

One last thing is you could get those borescope cameras that go down in the cylinder area through the spark plug hole and make sure your walls aren’t rusty or any debris on top of the piston. I bought a camera on Amazon that goes to my smart phone it has a light on the end and it is amazing. it also came with a little mirror that you could screw onto the end of the camera to see the opposite side like your valve area.

[johnta1]

Check the flexplate area, in case something got wedged in there?

I think the oil/WD40 thing will work.
But the quote above would be an easy thing to check. Never know what may have been forgotten or happen during the down time. Flexplate sitting on that cart? Maybe left some bolt in the flywheel for a stop to unbolt damper bolt? Vice grips clamped to flexplate? As said, mice can do some weird stuff.

[johnta1]

Another idea. Are all the accessories on it like in the pic? Maybe one of them is 'sticking'. Try taking all belts off?

[GTO]

Guy posted a picture of a mouse 'stash' in his race car cylinder. Headers were not plugged and a mouse crawled in through the header/valve and filled it with seeds.

[Darren 639]

When a mouse put seed on top of the piston on my motor The cylinder got damaged. most likely the cylinder walls will Be etched with urine. when I went to start my car from winter storage same thing happened to me the engine stopped dead I was able to rotate the engine back the opposite direction and stopped it again finally when I took the cylinder head off it was filled with birdseed from a mouse but his urine damaged the cylinder wall and it only sat over the winter. BASTARDS!!!

[steve25]

I'am not reading all of this thread, but if you have all the rockers backed off which makes for all the valves being closed, then if you do not have all the plugs out then that's what's keeping the motor from rolling over for you.