Hey guys...Maybe someone can help me with what I feel is a very hopeless and depressing situation. What I thought to be a minor starting issue has turned into a major nightmare. A couple of weeks ago I posted a thread about an odd starting issue. Sometimes when I turned the key the truck would start great while at other times you would hear and feel the starter hit the flywheel and yet would not turn the engine. but hen it would always start when I jumped it from th fender mount silonoid. I chased the problem for two weeks. Changed silonoid, replaced battery, checked all connections, even returned the new starter for another one. And still nothing. But the last time this happened which was two days ago. I could not get it to start at all. When I took the starter off I figured I would try to turn the flywheel just for kicks. I was very surprised when it would not budge. Breaker bar didn't work either. That's when I found the the radiator was about 2 gallons low and there was oil in the radiator and water in the oil pan. Radiator was about 2 gallons low. from what I read it sounds like this may have been a oil cooler issue causing it to hydro lock. So I followed the recommendations to remove injectors and glow plugs. But I still can't get any movement. But the part that makes me want to pull my hair out is that I just bought and installed this engine about 3 weeks ago. It was in a rusted out farm truck. But I was able to drive it on 3 different occasions for a total of about 70 miles with no issues. After installed I drove it about 50 miles total and this happens. Any ideas on what may have happened? / whether there is any hope of resurrecting this motor?/ or where I can get a real good price on a rebuilt engine? Thanks very much for your time.

 

Oil cooler leaks should not cause a hydrolock situation. Hydrolock can be caused by blown headgaskets, or cavitation (pinholes) in the cylinder walls where the water can directly enter the cylinder.

Although I suppose if water was sucked up by the oil pump, it could circulate through the engine and cause some rust on various parts that possibly could seize the engine.

Where are you putting the breaker bar to turn the engine over? And stupid question to go with it, auto or manual transmission, and is it in gear? Parking break on? Make sure the transmission is park or neutral for auto, neutral for manual.

 

Breaker bar on the big bolt(15/16) in crank pulley. It is an automatic. I've tried it in park and neutral and have even lifted the rear wheels off the ground in desperation. Parking brake off.

 

I tried turning my engine using a breaker-bar and couldn't budge it until I got on the ground and used both feet to push on it, then it moved...just sayin
mine's a auto

 

It wasn't bad at all turning mine over by breaker bar, only time it took some effort was near the peak of the compression cycles. That shouldn't be an issue with either the glow plugs and/or injectors out though. Mine is a manual, so maybe there is more drag with an auto?

 

I'm with tecgod13. Sounds more like a head gasket. You need to do a compression test and a leak down test on it.

 

He cant turn the engine over to do a compression test, my next thing is this:

Remove all injectors, and take a shopvac, and run it on each injector hole, if you get water to suck out, then your engine is pretty much done in....if not, i would say its something else...an automatic can possibly not get put into gear correctly if the shift cable is worn out causign the truck not to start.

 

I also went ahead and removed the valve covers and found that everyhing was covered in a thin layer of rust

 

Hmm...I would say its a bad oil cooler that let loose and filled the oil pan with water then when you would turn it over....it would pump that little bit of oil water mix into the engine which eventually made its way to the cylinders and hydrolocked it.

 

I have turned my engine over at the harmonic balancer several times and either I am abnormally strong or your engine is seized. Seeing that I weigh 115lbs soaking wet, I doubt I am abnormally strong.

Since you pulled the injectors and GPs, hydrolock should no longer be a concern as far as cranking the engine over and that is why I say it might be seized. If water got into the oil, it could have screwed with the cylinders, etc.

 

I think ur right

 

You could try poring some penetrating oil (coal oil or PB Blaster) into the cylinders in hopes of getting them to free up. Work the breaker bar on the harmonic balancer in both directions. You may have to wait a day for the oil to soak in and possibly multiple treatments. Once you get it unseized, crank the engine over with the injectors and GPs removed a few times to blow out the excess oil to prevent an actual hydrolock.

Once you get the engine freed, then you can worry about why the oil and water mixed. Short of unseizing the engine, anything else done is a waste of your time. I, personally, would be keeping an eye out for a replacement engine while you trouble shoot this one. It's far easier to swap in a known good engine than tear a bad one down and rebuild it. Avoid buying any engines that you have not seen and heard run. Also check all the fluids. Before installing it, do yourself a favor and rebuild the oil cooler while the engine is out.

 

Thanks eaton... Those are great suggestions... Will start working on that tommorrow... Thanks for giving me some hope if nothing else!

 

Remember before doing anythign more to drain all your fluids out of your crankcase....

 

If there's no water in the cyclinders, I bet the crank sized in the bearing. With all that water it probably started with the oil cooler. Should always rebuild the oil cooler if a motor sets for long period of time. I had that happen in my 6.2 years ago, had to fight with GMC to get it covered. Heads were always letting loose and coolant getting into the oil. Good luck and let us know what you find. Couple treads down someone's selling a 7.3 IDI motor. Mit want to PM him.

Chet