engines locked up. is it fixable!!!! help
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 223
Likes: 0
From: Yelm,Washington
I get bugged out sometimes when I read threads like this. Its SEEMS so obvious,to someone who's been wrenching awhile, what needs to be done to a hydrolocked engine and what order the process should follow. The problem is,there is a slight chance to "save" the motor if things are done right. If a person isn't careful,all is lost. Thats the frustrating part. But,we all gotta start somewhere.
When I was young,I "adjusted" the rockers on my brothers hydraulic lifter motor by simply pulling off the valve covers and tighting all the loose ones.
It didn't work out so well. Good thing it was a chev.hahaha
But yeah,everything that needs to be done is already posted here,I just wanted to rant alittle. Good luck with the motor.
When I was young,I "adjusted" the rockers on my brothers hydraulic lifter motor by simply pulling off the valve covers and tighting all the loose ones.
It didn't work out so well. Good thing it was a chev.hahaha
But yeah,everything that needs to be done is already posted here,I just wanted to rant alittle. Good luck with the motor.
Postmaster
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 4,728
Likes: 8
From: Cleveland, TN
If you are so worried about him messing it up,, why not help him instead of bad mouthing his skills!!!!
Super Moderator
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 8,547
Likes: 6
From: MA
Sounds to me like you don't have a clue. It's common sense here. IF you have water in the oil you have to change the oil. You also need to find out where the water came in from. Gosh. This is unreal. Better yet, get rid of the ford and go get a chevy. Leave the real machines to the men.
To the OP:.... hoping for ya, but finding water in the case is never good.
MMNC (SS)(Ret)
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 11,606
Likes: 149
From: SE Georgia
have you pulled all 8 plugs and spun the motor yet? take you about 5 minutes to determine if damage or not.
it could also be something stupid simple.
seriously uncool. you can tell the OP is motor naive...no need to go off the deep end like that
ain't nothing wrong with doing that. you just need a few of the bigger paperclips to keep the oil from spraying you in the face while you adjust them 
it could also be something stupid simple.
your distributor is on the front of the motor. you may have splashed it in the creek and caused it to short out. take the cap off and dry out really good. then take WD-40 and spray inside out. dry out again. make sure to check the distributor really well for water before putting cap back on.
Sounds to me like you don't have a clue. It's common sense here. IF you have water in the oil you have to change the oil. You also need to find out where the water came in from. Gosh. This is unreal. Better yet, get rid of the ford and go get a chevy. Leave the real machines to the men.
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 973
Likes: 0
From: Gatineau, Quebec
Is that not FTE is here for in the first place?
I suspect that no matter how much wrenching we do...one day we will encounter something we haven't before and post our query in hopes that someone else has and is able to point us in the right direction. This would be one of those problems for me as well...though I might have a little more "engine sense".
Besides.....there was no need to go and mention the "C" word.
Elder User
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 500
Likes: 1
From: Angleton Tx.
Sounds to me like you don't have a clue. It's common sense here. IF you have water in the oil you have to change the oil. You also need to find out where the water came in from. Gosh. This is unreal. Better yet, get rid of the ford and go get a chevy. Leave the real machines to the men.
I got in trouble for masking words before, so I figured I would just clean it in the first place.
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,639
Likes: 2
common dude don't let the water sit in there and rust the rings to the cylinder walls! pull the plugs and spin her over a few times!
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Thread Starter
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Junior User
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 93
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naww you guys are great, except for a moron here and there...lol. well anyways i pulled the plugs and spun it a few times not much really happened aside from some oil mixed with unknown fluids coming out. still nothing. but my buddies got a 351c setting in his garage he said he be willing to sell me if i traded him my unworking block? i figured it wouldnt be to hard to do a 302 swap for a 351 i did put my 302 in in the first place. unless theres something that can be done to save my baby i think thats what im gonna do. still though time is short nowa days with me going off to college soon, at leat i still have my f250!
Lead Driver
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,670
Likes: 13
From: Sand Lake, MI
When you say "sill nothing" does that mean it won't start once the cylinders where cleared, the oil was changed and new spark plugs where installed? Does it have spark? Do you hear the fuel pump/s run when the key is turned to the run position for a second or two? (without trying to turn it over/start it)
If so before I called it dead and pulled it out i'd do a compression test next. Doing so would answer a few questions, namely is it salvageable.
Not real surprised you didn't find a lot of water in the cylinders when you did get around to pulling the plugs, sounds like at least a couple days went by, more? Most of the water would have trickled slowly down through the rings ending up in the oil pan.
If so before I called it dead and pulled it out i'd do a compression test next. Doing so would answer a few questions, namely is it salvageable.
Not real surprised you didn't find a lot of water in the cylinders when you did get around to pulling the plugs, sounds like at least a couple days went by, more? Most of the water would have trickled slowly down through the rings ending up in the oil pan.
Thread Starter
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Junior User
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 93
Likes: 0
im going to say it sat in my garage for 3-4 days before pulling the plugs, and yes i changed the oil put NEW plugs in, and yeah i can hear the fuel pump run but all it does is pop like when a battery still has charge but not enough to start, also i put a screw driver on the two nuts on the solenoid and i get spark so i know its not the battery but my mind keeps coming to it because of the sound
Lead Driver
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,670
Likes: 13
From: Sand Lake, MI
Give it a compression test, if it fails you're wasting your time.
If it passes you know its worth the time to trouble shoot for other issues.
If it has a cylinder or two with lower compression then the rest you could find out if a rod is bent easy enough.
Bring one of the cylinders with good compression, (150lbs or more) up to top dead center, the particular "stroke" the piston is in at the time doesn't matter. Use a screwdriver or something to measure the distance from the top of the piston to the top of the spark plug hole.
Then do the same thing on the cylinder, or cylinders, with a lower reading, (say 100lbs) bring that piston up to tdc, and take the same measurement. If the measurement is different, "greater then" the rod in that cylinder is bent and the motor needs repair/replaced.
Take only a few minutes to know what has to happen either way eliminating any guess work, right now the motors condition is still a question mark.
If it passes you know its worth the time to trouble shoot for other issues.
If it has a cylinder or two with lower compression then the rest you could find out if a rod is bent easy enough.
Bring one of the cylinders with good compression, (150lbs or more) up to top dead center, the particular "stroke" the piston is in at the time doesn't matter. Use a screwdriver or something to measure the distance from the top of the piston to the top of the spark plug hole.
Then do the same thing on the cylinder, or cylinders, with a lower reading, (say 100lbs) bring that piston up to tdc, and take the same measurement. If the measurement is different, "greater then" the rod in that cylinder is bent and the motor needs repair/replaced.
Take only a few minutes to know what has to happen either way eliminating any guess work, right now the motors condition is still a question mark.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 247
Likes: 1
From: KY
I am confused on exactly what you have done here to diagnose the condition.
Please answer the following questions.
1. Has the engine ever actually turned over since the incident?
2. Have you tried turning the engine over with a socket and breaker bar on the crank bolt?
3. Have you checked to make sure current is getting to the starter, not just a bad solenoid?
4. Have you pulled the starter to make sure that it is just not trash, it could be locked or seized?
If you can turn the engine with a breaker bar fairly easy then it could just be a starter problem (go ahead and try this with the plugs out). If you can't turn it over with a breaker bar, then something is broke inside and it is time to pull the engine.
Please answer the following questions.
1. Has the engine ever actually turned over since the incident?
2. Have you tried turning the engine over with a socket and breaker bar on the crank bolt?
3. Have you checked to make sure current is getting to the starter, not just a bad solenoid?
4. Have you pulled the starter to make sure that it is just not trash, it could be locked or seized?
If you can turn the engine with a breaker bar fairly easy then it could just be a starter problem (go ahead and try this with the plugs out). If you can't turn it over with a breaker bar, then something is broke inside and it is time to pull the engine.