[VB] Help! Locked Up Engine that Ran 2 Weeks Ago - Puzzler

[Tom Tarka]

I figured it out!

A couple of the case studs for the head had pulled out when I pulled the head.

I installed them too deep when I put them back in….

Thank you all so much for the ideas and support!

      -Tom

—
“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t cure stupid.” -T. Tarka

> On Jul 25, 2021, at 12:29 AM, cdreike <cdreike at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> Is there a gap between the case and the base of the 4 barrel?
> If the ring came out of the barrel, the barrel should slide forward as you rotate the crank in either direction. 
> 
> Can you post a link to the samba forum post?
> Did you post any photos of what you are seeing?
> 
> Chris
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
> 
> 
> -------- Original message --------
> From: Avocado Tom Tarka <avocadotom at gmail.com>
> Date: 7/24/21 7:17 PM (GMT-08:00)
> To: cdreike <cdreike at gmail.com>
> Cc: VintageBus at type2.com
> Subject: Re: [VB] Help! Locked Up Engine that Ran 2 Weeks Ago - Puzzler
> 
> The cylinder head for cylinders one and two (right side of the engine, RIR) as opposed to the one on the other side (cylinders number 3 and 4).
> 
>>> On Jul 24, 2021, at 10:08 PM, cdreike <cdreike at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>> 
>> What is a 1/2 head?
>> 
>> Chris
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
>> 
>> 
>> -------- Original message --------
>> From: Avocado Tom Tarka <avocadotom at gmail.com>
>> Date: 7/24/21 5:43 PM (GMT-08:00)
>> To: "<vintagebus at type2.com>" <vintagebus at type2.com>
>> Subject: Re: [VB] Help! Locked Up Engine that Ran 2 Weeks Ago - Puzzler
>> 
>> Following up...
>> 
>> I looked at in a little more detail and it's binding between TDC and ~12
>> ATDC, which would seem to point to something binding as the piston is
>> coming back into the cylinder.  And the cylinder seems to be on there
>> pretty well (no wiggle when I attempt to move it by hand).
>> 
>> ---
>>   "We are MoTown.  We are professionals.  We're here to get the job done."
>> 
>> 
>> On Sat, Jul 24, 2021 at 2:58 AM Avocado Tom Tarka <avocadotom at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> 
>> > Greetings Volks!
>> >
>> > I just found myself in a bit of a bind, where my engine which ran when I
>> > pulled it two weeks ago will no longer turn over.
>> >
>> > I'll run through the whole saga for completeness but the basics are that I
>> > pulled the engine to replace the transmission and ended up pulling the 3/4
>> > head as well because the #4 spark plug broke off in the head.  I just
>> > torqued the 1/2 head (I usually torque the heads when the engine's out if I
>> > can), and when I went to set the valves: no go.  The engine doesn't turn
>> > over by hand (with or without the rocker arm on).  The 3/4 head is still
>> > off, as my plan was to put it on tomorrow.  Help?
>> >
>> >     - Tom
>> > (full disclosure: I'm cross-posting this to thesamba because I'm a little
>> > freaked about needing to get this engine back up and running)
>> >
>> > Full Story is as Follows:
>> >
>> > Background:
>> > Bus is 1967 with stock transmission.  Engine is 1600 SP I rebuilt ~35,000
>> > miles ago.
>> >
>> > My plan was to pull and replace the transmission on my 1967 bus.  I
>> > figured I'd do a compression check before I pulled the engine, just to see
>> > if I should be tackling anything else while the engine was out.  I recalled
>> > that the compression on #4 might be low, but my notebook is currently MIA.
>> >
>> > Compression was good on cylinders 1-3 (115, 112.5, 115).  When removing
>> > spark plug #4 to check the compression: it broke off.  Doh!
>> >
>> > [u]The Saga[/u]
>> > 1. Pull engine.  Pull 3/4 head.  Remove broken spark plug base with
>> > extractor.  Take head to the machine shop to check threads and valve guides.
>> >
>> > 2. Clean outside of engine and check endplay.  It's at 0.009" (no surprise
>> > there, I knew it was off).
>> >
>> > 3. Attempt to remove gland nut: no go without the engine being in a more
>> > stable place (instead of on blocks).  Decide to wait until the engine is
>> > back to a longblock, then deal with it.
>> >
>> > 4. Clean off built up carbon from the top of the #3 piston.  Can't recall
>> > if I did the #4 piston or not.  Currently, the #3 piston is close to TDC
>> > with #4 all of the way in. (This seems like it could be important or could
>> > be a red herring...unclear, but I thought I'd call it out.)
>> >
>> > 5. Pull the rocker arm from the 1/2 head and torque the head nuts, first
>> > to ~7 foot-pounds using the initial sequence, then to 22.5 ft-lbs using the
>> > second sequence.  None of the upper nuts move in either tightening
>> > sequence.  The lower nuts, particularly the middle two, do tighten during
>> > the second sequence.
>> >
>> > 6. Reinstall push rods and rocker arm after cleaning. Remove flywheel
>> > lock.  Attempt to turn the engine over by hand from the pulley: engine
>> > doesn't move more than 1/2 inch.
>> >
>> > 7. Remove rocker arm and push rods (in case I screwed something up) and
>> > attempt to turn over engine.  Still no dice.
>> >
>> > I'm at a loss.  If I had adjusted the end play, I could see the engine
>> > being locked up (I've had that happen before).  I can't imagine that
>> > torquing the heads would have any impact though.
>> >
>> > My best guess is that the base of the #4 jug moved a little forward or
>> > that somehow one of the rings on the #4 piston got caught on the edge of
>> > the jug somehow.  It seems really unlikely that that might be the case, but
>> > I just can't think of anything else?
>> >
>> > Any ideas?  Engine has oil in it, and like I said: it ran fine when I
>> > pulled it, has decent compression (for a 7:1 ratio), etc.
>> >
>> > Thanks!
>> >   Tom
>> > ---
>> >   "We are MoTown.  We are professionals.  We're here to get the job done."
>> >
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