72bird

dear people,
as i was trying to get all my old beasts running i tried the travco, and nothing...well we crawled under to try to turn the bolt to make sure the engine was not seized and i saw the bolt turn but none of the belts around it would turn with it...i saw this three times...so my question is this...what does this all mean...i am hopeful the engine is not seized...my mechanic said maybe the alternator is seized up when i mentioned the bolt turned by itself without moving anything else...could someone pls comment or make any suggestions...thanks a lot guys and gals...

78D200

Were you rotating the bolt in a clockwise or counter clockwise rotation? If counter clockwise, then you might have been unthreading the bolt. If clockwise, the bolt may have been loose or the threads are stripped on the bolt or in the crank.

I would remove the belt and try to unthread the bolt to see if it is stripped. maybe remove the crank pulley while you are there and see if you can inspect the end of the crank.

72bird

dear 78d200,
we were rotating it clockwise...when i was under there i heavily doused everything connected to that belt with wd...also put some marvels in the piston holes...will try again soon...thanks for advice, will try if next try fails to turn better

OldMechanik

So if the engine is locked, and the battery/starting system is good, the starter should make a heavy "clunk" sound.
Is the starting system working or is there any other symptom that may be the problem? Sometimes just the bolt will not turn the entire engine over, don't break or strip it!

440roadrunner

You should be able to see the front balancer and bottom pulley turn WITH the bolt. If not, it means you are either loosening or tightening the bolt, depending on which direction you turn it.

On most "normal" engines, IE with typical turning force, the bolt will be tight enough that you can turn the engine either direction

First thing I'd do is loosen all belt tensioners and physically confirm that the belts are NOT "glued" (stuck) to the bottom pulleys, then try it again.

It is very unlikely that the starter is stuck, as it makes sense that the last time it was run, you simply shut off the engine, unless someone could have been "messing" with it. It's not a big job to remove the starter and examine the gear, etc, l but I doubt that is the problem.

How long has the thing been sitting?

Gorts 5th

has this motor been sitting for yrs
you prbly gt some surface rust in the cylinders
try priming the oil system if thats possible might be a pain with your setup
off coarse check your connections you never know with old starter cables

72bird

thanks all for the input, i will try all of these things when i get the chance, i have a helper that i work with and i have to coordinate with him...i will post any updates as i get them, also i have three other project cars im fiddling with 74 swinger 73 scamp 72 rr clone hhh wish me luck ill need it