Engine locked up from sitting ?!?

[BattleHall]

My '87 FJ60 had been sitting for a couple of months (was running fine last time I used it). Wasn't able to start it, though it was the battery, but I ruled that out. The starter was making a noise like a stalled electric motor (no clicking or grinding, voltmeter dropped all the way to 8 volts on the fresh battery). Thought the cylinder walls might have some surface rust from sitting, so we hooked up the tow straps, pulled at very low speed (walking pace), put it in high gear (like for a pop-start), and slowly let out the clutch. Result: a heavy "chunkchunkchunk" from somewhere in the engine/drivetrain, even though the engine appears to be turning (witness marks on fan belts and engine pulley wheel). Pulled plugs, squirted some oil in the cylinders, tried again: same, no change in chunking sound, engine still appears to be turning. I'm testing/replacing the starter tomorrow, but I have a sinking suspicion that it's something else (and worse).

Any ideas?

 

[fliphkd778]

Maybe try pulling it with the plugs out, engine should be very easy to spin then.

 

[Butt Ugly Chuck]

Your engine won't lock up from sitting a while, certainly not for a couple of months. I'd bet that on flat level ground with the enging off you can put it in fourth and get it to spin by pushing back and forth on the rig (a trick sometimes used to find the timing mark or TDC).

I think you're on the right track having your starter tested. Double check your battery too.

Butt

 

[BattleHall]

Your engine won't lock up from sitting a while, certainly not for a couple of months. I'd bet that on flat level ground with the enging off you can put it in fourth and get it to spin by pushing back and forth on the rig (a trick sometimes used to find the timing mark or TDC).

I think you're on the right track having your starter tested. Double check your battery too.

Butt

Well, that's kind of the issue. We were pulling it with a tow strap (walking speed). Without trying to turn it over, I would push in on the clutch, put it in 4th, then slowly let out on the clutch. Right at the point where the clutch would start to engage, a loud, heavy "kachunkkachunkkachunk" sound would come from the engine (again, engine is off) and would shake the cruiser. It rolls fine with the clutch in, or with the clutch out and the transmission in neutral, which tells me it's not in the transmission. The engine is turning at least some, based on witness marks on the belts and the main crank pulley. I pulled the starter, and other than some normal-appearing wear on the end of the engagement gear, it appears fine (gear retracted, nothing broken off on the flywheel). I'm getting the starter tested/replaced tomorrow, but I'm really worried about that sound, it's the kind of sound that one hears before something expensive and/or hard to fix breaks, but I have no idea what could be causing it. Next step is to try the same test as above with the plugs out, but I can't imagine compression causing the shaking and noise I was seeing. I'm really stumped.

 

[Butt Ugly Chuck]

The problem with diagnosing from the computer screen here is the "kachunkkachunkkachunk" sound could be interpreted many ways. Pulling a truck with a perfectly good engine in gear and ignition off will cause the motor to spin resulting in a sound that could be described a bit "kachunkkachunkie" just from the four stroke cycle alone. Walking speed in fourth gear spins the motor pretty slow and I wouldn't expect it to sound smooth. Too bad we can't hear a sound file.

If you park on flat and level ground, fourth grear no e-brake, and can't push the truck by hand enough to bump the motor (even with plugs in), then that would indicate more than normal resistance to rotation and be cause for concern.

Here's to hoping you get it all sorted (and inexpensively) tomorrow

Butt

 

[Mace]

At a crawl, in 4th gear, you are not spimnning the motor very fast at all. Better to try second.

The kachunk/kachunk could easily be the valves opening and closing releasing the compression and making the motor turn easier.

 

[2mbb]

x2 on pulling the plugs. Then you can try pushing the truck in gear, or slowly towing it, or even turing it over by hand. With the plugs removed and a tight alternator belt I can turn the engine over by hand using a wrench on the alternator pulley nut. Turn the nut clockwise. Of course, the transmission should be in neutral. With the plugs removed you will have no compression and if you still hear your noise then it might be something mechanical.

 

[SDFJ60JFK]

Butt said:

"If you park on flat and level ground, fourth grear no e-brake, and can't push the truck by hand enough to bump the motor (even with plugs in), then that would indicate more than normal resistance to rotation and be cause for concern."


Many use this method to rotate the engine for things like vale adjustment. Plugs in all the time.

If the engine does spin using this method get it rolling and pop start it the battery will need some voltage but if you turn the key on and spin the engine, whether with the starter or by rolling the wheels it will start it it is in running condition.

Good Luck, John

 

[BattleHall]

Update: Good News, everyone! Took the starter in and had it tested. At first, it failed on the bench the same way it had in the '60: the gear extended but didn't turn, motor stalled (was drawing current). Then, after hitting it a few more times, it started working. However, without knowing what was jamming it up (something in the gears? bearing going out?), I decided not to chance it and went ahead and got the new starter; only thing worse than busted is unreliable. Got home, installed it, crossed my fingers, said prayers and made sacrifices to all the various Cruiser deities, gave it a shot of gogo juice, and turned the key: Success! Started right up. Guess the thumping sound was just cylinder compression. So now I'm fumigating my yard from the oil I squirted in the cylinders doh, although it did show me that I also have an exhaust leak in the engine bay; looks like a broken EGR pipe. Thanks everybody for the observations, the advice, and the shoulder. Now I just need to figure out how I'm going to fix the dozen or so other non-critical things going on with the ol' beast...

 

[sirenmoses]

congrats on getting the ol beast running. mine sits for months at a time during the summer, and after choke n skinny pedal pushing, eventually starts.

yr next stop should be $50 mods. linky https://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wagons/22956-best-mods-under-50-a.html
then "search" for each issue you find.