Engine binding

[Nlbloch]

I am trying to solve the problem of an overheating engine. One symptom seems to be that the engine is very hard to turn over by hand crank, almost as if something is binding. Too, when using the electric starter, it sounds as if the engine is having a very difficult time turning over. What should I check?

So far I have replaced the head and head gasket. I did not see any visible signs of problem.

[Will N]

Is this a newly rebuilt engine?

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Carrying on with Will's question, it appears you only just replaced the head and gasket, ...why?

And, was the engine running correctly before the gasket & head change?

[Jim Brierley]

Remove the spark plugs and crank it. This takes compression out of the picture but you will still have ring and bearing drag.

[Patrick L.]

Adding to what has been said, if the above doesn't reveal anything, you might try removing the starter and try it. Well, before that, expanding on what Jim said, add some oil the cylinders. If that doesn't do it, I'd remove the front bellhousing cover and look at the flywheel bolts to see if they are hitting the main or block.

[Tom Wesenberg]

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I would check the easy things first as these guys just mentioned. Also need more information as Brent asked for.

I just caught the overheating bit mentioned, and if the hard to turn over happened after an overheat, I'd guess you have a galled piston and cylinder wall.

[700rpm]

If you put one of the long starter bolts into the hole that requires the short one, you might experience this problem. Back out the starter bolts, particularly the one closest to the block, then turn the engine by hand and see if that's the trouble. This probably wouldn't cause overheating, but your two problems are not necessarily related to one another.

[H. L. Chauvin]

Basic questions & comments:

Did it overheat prior to replacing the old head gasket with a new head gasket?

If you "replaced" the head, what did it have before; & now, what does it have afterwards; or should this statement be interpreted as, reinstalling the same head?

Overheating because of a coolant leak up high can mean observing steam whereby the engine still had coolant & ran at 212 degrees; however, overheating because of a leak down low can mean observing less steam whereby the engine ran at 500 degrees or more which can cause far more damage.

A few more details are important just to "guess" what you should check next.

[Nlbloch]

Just before putting car away for winter, car overheated. Left for the winter and then went to re-start. Radiator dry. Plenty of oil. In trying to diagnose problem replaced ignition wire and condenser/distributor. Thought head gasket was leaking; replaced gasket and replaced head with new low compression head (same as before). Binding engine first noticed when trying to set timing after new distributor. Did not observe any damage to block or cylinders.

[H. L. Chauvin]

Thus far, it appears that something happened when putting car away for winter.

Before car left for winter, was radiator drained, or full of coolant; i.e., did coolant leak out over winter?

If coolant leaked over winter, & if head gasket leaked, "some" water may have entered cylinders & rusted rings etc. causing binding.

Did engine run after winter storage?

If not, there may be water at bottom of oil pan, i.e., oil floats on water.

If engine ran after winter storage & water got in oil in winter, oil would look milkey when mixed with water by rotating connecting rods acting as (4) egg beaters.

Model A's are similar to animals in a vets office, they cannot talk & relate details of what happened. It gets even more difficult to diagnose an animal when the vet cannot physically "see" the animal.

More details from Model A drivers & owners are useful when trying to diagnose what is going on.

Usually what happens without details is about 20 or so "guesses" come forward as replies, & because of lack of detail, one or two of the guesses "may" hit Bingo.

You are doing great -- keep giving details -- many here are eager to assist.

[J Franklin]

Did you drain the crankcase?

[Tom Wesenberg]

Also, if the engine was run for a short time just before storage, then the rings are probably locked in place. I learned a tough lesson back in the 70's when I ran two of my cars for only about 5 minutes then let them set for 6 months. Both were seized tight, and now need to be rebuilt.

[Patrick L.]

Well, if it was OK before the overheating and being left for the winter,then I'd add oil[ATF] to the cylinders and let it set for awhile. Then see what happens. Did you drain the coolant or just let it sit all winter with coolant in it ? All the available info would be nice in the original post.

[Will N]

The water in the radiator had to go somewhere. Either it leaked internally into the crank case from a leaking cylinder head or cracked block, or it leaked onto the garage floor from an extenal leak- like a hole in the radiator or hose or a cracked block. The external leak could be slow enough that you might not have noticed a puddle under the car. Checking if it leaked into the crank case is easy. Your oil level would be way up if the radiator went dry and it all went into the oil. If your oil is ok, then you know it's an external leak.

How sure are you that when it overheated when you put it away that the radiator was full? Could be that the radiator was low already, and that's why it overheated? Fill her up with water, and watch for leaks.

[Purdy Swoft]

The problem is probably when you reset the timing, you set it TOO advanced. When the timing is set TOO advanced it will cause starter kickback. Starter kickback has fooled a lot of people into thinking that they had a weak battery or the engine was too tight. Try turning the engine over with the starter while the ignition switch is turned off. If the starter turns the engine without bind while the switch is off, this will confirm that the problem is too advanced timing. All of the timing instructions that I have seen are so unnecessarily difficult that MOST can't understand or correctly time their model A as it should be timed.

[Nlbloch]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

Also, if the engine was run for a short time just before storage, then the rings are probably locked in place. I learned a tough lesson back in the 70's when I ran two of my cars for only about 5 minutes then let them set for 6 months. Both were seized tight, and now need to be rebuilt.

I did not check the water when I put the car away last fall, but I do think the radiator is now holding water fine so I do not suspect that the water is slowly leaking away. The oil level looks correct and the appearance of the oil on the dip stick is not unusual but I have not yet changed it for the season.

I have been able to run the car this spring - so frozen rings is probably not the problem.

The engine was run for a fair amount before storage.

Thanks to everyone for your comments and suggestions...please keep them coming.

What is the correct method and amount of oil to add to the cylinders if I try that?

[Will N]

Ok, so it's running. Is it still overheating now that you have the radiator topped off? If it's not overheating, and the engine is running, I wouldn't be too concerned with the engine seeming too tight when you crank it over by hand. There is a fair amount of resistance that is normal when you hand crank these things. As far as it cranking over slowly with the starter motor, make sure your battery is up to snuff.

[Nlbloch]

Hoe is the ATF added to the cylinders and how much in each?

[Patrick L.]

Just pour a few ounces thru the spark plug holes and let it set overnight. Spin the engine over, put the plugs in and try and start it.