Engine won't turn

[lstude]

Today was discouraging. I got all the components on the 1960 Lark 259 engine that I put in my 52 Studebaker. I put the battery in and then Tom Covington came over. The starter just clicked but the engine didn't turn over. We thought my battery was bad even though I had charged it this morning and I have a volt meter on the dash that registered 12 volts. We took the battery out of Tom's car and it did the same thing.

Tom thinks that I either put the main bearing caps in backwards or I torqued them too tight. I torqued them by the shop manual which calls for up to 93 lbs. I torqued them at 90 lbs.

The engine turned easily before I took the main bearing caps off, because my son and I had to turn the crank in order to get the longer flywheel bolts in the flange. We took the back 3 rear main bearing caps off so we could lift the crank up slightly to replace the rear main seal. We put them in a place and labeled them, but when he handed them to me, I may have gotten confused as to the direction that they went.

We tried to turn the engine by hand with a long bar on the crankshaft nut, but the nut just tightens.


Any suggestions?




Leonard Shepherd
http://leonardshepherd.com/

[DEEPNHOCK]

Back to basics...
When you initially snugged up the main bolts...
Did you check rotation after each torque range snug up (ie: 20, 40, 60 ft.lbs, torque?)
Did you put new bearings in?
Plastiguage (or mic'd)?
Did you do the same with each rod bearing?
(If you even had them loose)
If not...
Back way, way up and go back and do them one at a time.
You may well have one pinched a bit and you will wipe out a bearing ASAP if you don't identify and fix the pinch.
Hope the info helps.
Jeff[8D]

[Studeman]

Is the transmission bolted up? Is it a Manual? If so, be SURE the clutch isn't frozen to the flywheel.
Unbolt the tranny (from the bellhousing)move it back a bit, and check again to see if it will spin- before you remove the engine completely.
Worth a shot- but I fear you may be pulling it and checking the bearing caps..

Ray


Specializing in Studebaker Restoration

[StudeRich]

Leonard; the part numbers on the three intermediate main bearing caps that are Identical, read from the rear and are normally numbered 2,3, & 4 that is the way to correctly orient them to the block. The front Main has the shoulder on it for front/rear thrust and the spacer washer and shims on the front adjust the end play, if you tilt the crank without loosening all the mains and removing the pulleys, hub and timing cover there could be damage up there in front as well.

If there is not .003-.006 end play and the front main bearing cap installed the right direction, the crank will not turn.

StudeRich
Studebakers Northwest
Ferndale, WA

[lstude]

I am beating myself up for not checking the rotation as I was installing the caps back on. I didn't do as Jeff said. The clutch was just installed last weekend. I don't think that is the problem, and the driveshaft is not hooked up.

I did not loosen the front cap and I checked the numbers on the caps. They were right.


I looked at the bearings, but did not plastigauge them. I guess I have to go back and do it all over again, but right this time. Hope I can pull the oil pan without lifting the engine out again.

I had plastigauged the rod bearings about a couple of months ago, so I didn't loosen them this time.

Here are the main bearings & caps. We numbered them so they would go back the same way they came out.



Leonard Shepherd
http://leonardshepherd.com/

[StudeRich]

Was there dirt stuck in the scored left hand one? Other than that, they look good!

Wait a minute, the first one is backwards, if that is the order they came off, the lock tab is opposite to the others! If that is how you found it, someone else reversed it.

StudeRich Studebakers Northwest Ferndale, WA

[tbredehoft]

It appears that NO. 1 (left) and No. 2 (middle) have the bearing notch on opposite ends. I hope the middle one is only a print from the one on the block. No. 1 bearing looks damaged.

[img=left]http://www.alink.com/personal/tbredehoft/Bothcars3.jpg[/img=left]
Tom Bredehoft
'53 Commander Coupe
'55 President State Sedan (Under Construction)
'60 Lark VI (Sold, delivery in early Jan.)
'05 Legacy Ltd Wagon
All Indiana built cars

[lstude]

There was a groove in the number 1 bearing. Here is what the bottom end looked like.



Leonard Shepherd
http://leonardshepherd.com/

[mbstude]

Wow Leonard, I'm so sorry to hear this.
One day soon you'll be cruisin' in that '52 again! [^]

Matthew Burnette
'59 Scotsman
'63 Daytona
Hazlehurst, GA

[lstude]

quote: Wow Leonard, I'm so sorry to hear this.
One day soon you'll be cruisin' in that '52 again!

I hope you are right Matthew. This was a setback, though!

Leonard Shepherd
http://leonardshepherd.com/

[mapman]

Sorry to hear about the glitch. As you take it apart check at each step to see if it turns. also make sure the flywheel bolt heads are seated properly and aren't catching or that the flywheel isn't somehow caught on the bellhousing. Hopefully its something simple.
Rob

[StudeRich]

Is the cap orientation as in my post # 5 above?
casting numbers read from rear?? If so, all the bearing lock tabs should be the same way.

StudeRich
Studebakers Northwest
Ferndale, WA

[lstude]

quote: Is the cap orientation as in my post # 5 above?
casting numbers read from rear?? If so, all the bearing lock tabs should be the same way.

StudeRich

Looks like I may have gotten them mixed up.

Leonard Shepherd
http://leonardshepherd.com/

[bams50]

As I stated in Anne's thread, this is why I'm afraid to mess around in this area- too easy to miss something or screw something up[B)]

Hang in there Leonard!

Robert (Bob) Andrews Owner- Studebakeracres- on the IoMT (Island of Misfit Toys!)
Parish, central NY 13131

[Roscomacaw]

Some years ago, I put an engine together and since the bearings all came in a set, I didn't do a check of EACH bearing as I installed it. BTW, the crank had been turned .010/.010 and the boxes said that that's the size bearings that were inside. 10 under mains and 10 under rods
Welp! Got em' all torqued down and everything looked good! Crank would turn nice and smooth and everything buckled up just fine.[^]

Sadly - once in the car and started... knocka-knocka-knocka-knocka.
Pulled the pan off and rattled the rods, one by one. #1 rod was floppy loose![xx(] Come to find out - even tho the set of bearings was all in one box - with shrink warp on it no less - one pair of shells was standard size.[B)] Thank god the journal wasn't screwed up!
If I had just plastigaged EVERY bearing as I assembled them, I'd have caught the goof. [:I]

Here's hoping your fix is as simple, Leonard.

Miscreant adrift in
the BerStuda Triangle


1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe