Help with stuck engine

[mradovan]

Calling all engine Builders,

I ran into a perplexing problem tonight when I was getting my 3.0SC engine ready to go back into the car. I went to turn it over by hand (wrench on crank shaft pulley nut) an it barely moved and made grinding noises. I now appears to be stuck.

Engine background:

Fully rebuilt by me a few years ago. Driven for 4K miles with no issues. Great leak down numbers. Running flawlessly. Engine an transmission removed a year of more ago in preparation for some major vehicle upgrades including a VRAM 3.6 swap. Along the way I got deep into a full rebuild of the 915. Life, kids, blah blah has made this a low priority.

I pulled the valve cover and timing chain covers to inspect. Everything looks OK. Oiled cam and other moving parts. A few months ago I fogged the engine with fogging oil and turned it over just to be sure nothing was sticking. That all went fine but tonight something is wrong. Spark plugs are out. Nothing looks wrong by inspection with my cheap bore scope.

Engine is on a stand so I can flip it over. I was thing the next thing to do is to look in the sump.

This engine has been in my garage covered. I can imagine how something could have gotten into it. Now for the stupid questions:

1. Is is possible that any of the engine bearing could have seized from sitting?
2. The grinding noise almost sounded like gears grinding. Maybe the intermediate shaft? I guess I could pull the distributor. FYI that was rebuilt by Jerry Woods when I did the engine.
3. My first thought was a stuck ring but the noise is all wrong for that or so I think based on my limited experience.

WHAT ELSE? Any ideas or a sensible way to approach the problem short of tearing it all apart?

Thanks for any ideas.

[faapgar]

If you have clutch and ring gear installed it may be binding on the engine mount yoke making a grinding sound.If it was running well and just sat they are usually fine,Always something simple.Fred

[dannobee]

Go with what Fred said; it's probably something easy (and likely external). Check those FIRST. Something hitting the flywheel on the engine stand.

[mradovan]

Thanks for the suggestion Fred. It would appear that spacer on the engine stud to motor mount moved and is in fact contacting the starter ring gear hence the noise.

I am sure that once I move it I should be fine which is a relief. Now I need to finish the Ring and pinion setup on the 915 and install the Wevo gate shifter and I can drive the car again until I take it all apart for the next round of work.


Matt