VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1912-1928 Stuck ish engine

As the weather warms up here in the middle of the country, I am thinking about my 1928 truck.
It has not run in 40 plus years and I am wanting to get her going this summer.
The flywheel does turn with the hand crank, but reaches a point which it will not turn any more. I would say that it makes close to a full revolution. I am afraid to put too much force on the hand crank so that I dont break anything.
I did take the valve cover off yesterday and sprayed penetrating fluid around the valve springs in the hope that the fluid will penetrate down the guides and into the cylinder.

Do I remove the side cover, or the Cylinder head?
I really don't want to overhaul the engine unless needed.

You hear of people putting the truck in gear and pulling it to break the engine free?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks

Paul

I would check to make sure all of your valve are free, because it sounds like some are not closing and hitting on the piston.
Rust on the valve stem occurs from the lack of oil to the valves, as the oil drains back to the sump.

Have you changed the oil? checked the coolant and have any leaks?

If you find the valves stuck open, it may be best to remove the head and do a service on it.

You might want to pull out the plugs and add some penetrating oil directly to the bores and pistons.

First pull all the spark plugs and try it. There may be one cyl full of somekind of liquid like penetrating oil or old antifreeze or whoknows what. Then pull off the valve cover and tap each valve stem head with a rubber hammer or just push down on all of them to make sure a valve isn't stuck in a guide. If that doesn't do it there may be something in the clutch housing jambing like walnuts or the like. Then I would be thinking a bad cam gear or something jambing the cam gear. I would not think a valve would hit a piston ,because there is a lot of room. Even if a valve dropped it would most likely just push it straight back up in the hole. I would not ever try to pull one of these to get it unstuck. The rods are very spindly and if one of the above conditions is present like a cyl full of water or oil, you will bend a rod or worse. Pulling works ok on old tractors because the rods are very strong and heavy, but not on one of the ol 4 cyl chevys. Bad idea!

An engine that has not been started for an extended period of time would likely have rust on the side of the cylinder walls. It would not be wise to force the engine to make a complete cycle under those conditions. I would recommend removing the head so the head can be inspected and you will have a chance to check for rust in the cylinders, or other problems. You don't want to break or damage the rings.

If you put too much pressure on trying to rotate the engine past a sticky spot you risk bending the crankshaft. It will bend before the ring lands break on the pistons particularly if the problem is near mid stroke. Bending or breaking rods is possible after the crank is bent and if lucky before the crank itself breaks.

Great replys,

This weekend, I will follow-through with the suggestions.

This truck is so sweet, I cant wait to get her running. It is in absolutely great condition and when it runs it will be a show stealer. Wooden cab, straight metal work, paint good, and the bed is awesome.

Thanks

Paul

Paul, we would love to see some pictures of your project. You should be able to post them in the members projects section. Is it the 1/2 ton model or the 1-1/2 ton model?

Not much chance of the valves hitting the pistons in a 4cyl Chev(unless it actually breaks the head off one).The valve lift is only about 5/16"?,and the pistons stop about 7/8"-1" below the top of the block,and this space then becomes the combustion chamber.

Ray is correct. Remove the head and inspect the cylinders. I removed the head of my stuckish motor and found a mouse nest in #2 cylinder. Go ahead and do a valve job while the head is off, a most likely place for problems is in the valve train. A full overhaul will probably not be needed. Drop the pan and wiggle the rods. Loose rods will indicate that bearings are needed.
Hutch

Beachbum

I will take photos this weekend. In my opinion it must be at least a 1 ton truck. It was used on a farm to haul grain from the field. I have photos of this truck being used during a threshing demonstration in the early 1930s.

My grandfather was an impliment dealer and sold everything from tractors to automobiles.

This truck has been in the family for over 80 years.

Paul