2002 V6 Manual

Not sure what went wrong but I was on my last cylinder of a valve seal replacement and tried to rotate engine by hand to get that last piston up top and it just would not budge past a certain point. In fact, it felt as though the crank bolt actually tightened slightly.

It's in neutral, all rockers, push rods and spark plugs are removed. There is 1 keeper unaccounted for but I'm having a hard time believing it could have fallen down and caused this.

Thanks!

 

Probe to see which piston(s) are in the up position, then reverse the pistons a bit while running a magnet around through the spark plug hole on the cylinder(s) that are up.

If a keeper is missing, it very well could be in a cylinder.

 

I'll give that a go.

Is it even possible for a keeper to enter the cylinder from up top? Aren't the openings in the head just oil passages?

 

It may have popped in the spark plug hole after bouncing around elsewhere.

 

I went fishing in the cylinders with a magnet at pistons in the up position and came up empty. I even gave each a shot of compressed air while the magnet was in there.

I did however rotate the engine counterclockwise and the same hard stop occurs almost 360 degrees the other way, maybe 20 degrees short of it.

 

It does sound like something fell down a plug hole and is blocking a piston. I would have a look with a borescope. Amazon has them for $20-30.

 

I think I have access to one. I'll give that a shot when I have it.

Thanks!

 

Could be something non-magnetic that fell in. I've taped a 3/8 vacuum hose to a shop-vac before and used it to suck a cylinder clean. Turn the engine 180 degrees to get the piston to the bottom and make sure the shop-vac is empty and clean before you start so you can see what it sucks out of the cylinder.

 

That's another good suggestion, thanks!

I had surgery today and once I'm able I'll give this a go.

 

First, I'll say I don't know much about this engine. If this is your engine in pic; Is it possible the valve keeper fell down one of the push-rod holes and is now laying in the lifter gallery and the counterbalance shaft is jamming on it when you rotate the engine? I don't know the clearance from counterbalance shaft to block.

 

Looks like mine. I'll certainly take a look at that possibility.

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

the top of your motor without the intake manifold looks like this... the better possibility is that the keeper fell down the spark plug hole ....... with the valve cover off, if you dropped it onto the head, all I can imagine is it falling down the drain hole into the pan.

 

Yeah, that's what so confusing. It would have really taken some ricocheting around for a keeper to find it's way into the spark plug hole since those plugs are pretty much horizontal into the engine.

I hate having to do it now since the intake gaskets are not that old but I may just have to pull the heads.

Thanks!

 

I thought your engine was a v6 not the v8 Steve(ill) is showing.

 

Yes, it is a V6. I think either way, V6 or V8, a valve spring keeper seems unlikely the culprit since the chances of it finding it's way into the cylinder are very small. It seems more likely the keeper either fell down a oil passage hole or made its way to valve spring keeper oblivion.

I thought of something else. In tapping on the tops of the valve spring retainers to loosen the keepers before compressing the spring, would it be possible to break off a piece of the valve head? I guess I could introduce compressed air again into the last cylinders i worked on and see if much air escapes. It shouldn't since all the valves should be closed now.

Thanks!