Wont Roll Over..

[Sparky73]

The starter is turning over for sure because for 1. every now and then it doesn't engage..it just spins.. so it is spinning. 2. I have already tried to jump the starter and it does the same thing as if I were turning the key.

Also, I do have the 4-speed, and last night me, my dad, and girlfriend all tried to push start the car. We put it in first, held the clutch and pushed until it was probably going 5 mph or so (we have a long paved drive) then the girlfriend dropped the clutch. Alls it did is lock up the tires and put two like 1' black marks on the cement.

Thanks for all the tips.. anyone got any last idea's?

[spdkilz02]

seems like u got urself a motor that is locked up...try squirting some oil down the spark plug holes and let it sit for a little while and see if that will free it up...and if that doesnt do it, then i would just pull that motor and either rebuild it or replace it with one of the other ones u have...

[Sparky73]

That what I was afraid of hearing..

I have already sprayed a good 1/2 can of WD-40 into all the cylinders, but maybe I'll add a little oil. I guess this GT ain't goin on the road for a while..

[Bill Hoffmann]

I don't think your engine is locked, but if you have to drive the car, you can bump start it in third gear, not first. If you put it in fourth and rock the car by yourself you should be able to get the motor to turn over.

You've said you hear a click sometimes and the starter motor spinning sometimes. These are usually symptoms of a weak battery and/or bad battery cable. When you engage the starter the solenoid does two things: First it kicks the pinion out to engage the flywheel ring gear (operating through a lever). Then it acts as a big relay and connects the battery cable to the starter motor. The solenoid needs a good power supply to kick out the pinion with authority. Without it, the pinion might not engage the ring gear and the motor will just spin. A damaged pinion could also cause this.

Your problem may be a combination of things. Your starter is worn and gummed up to some extent, and then on top of that your battery is low or more likely your battery cables are not making good contact. If you haven't removed and cleaned both the positive and negative battery cables at both ends, inspected them for damage or fraying, and cleaned the battery terminals, don't go any further until you've done that.

If your battery has a good charge that may do it. If not, the next step would be to remove the starter and bench test it. You can also wash down the pinion and shaft, and lubricate it with some clean grease.

It's possible to disassemble the starter solenoid but at some point you have to desolder the solenoid wire to take it all apart. If you can get at the main contacts and clean them, that would be worth doing. You have to be careful when you disassemble it because the copper stud has a rectangular head inside and if you turn it accidentally it will break the plastic solenoid housing.

Good luck.

Bill

[baz]

bill if it wont turn in neutral with a spanner on the pully nut and the plugs out , and when moving if you let the clutch out and the back wheels lock and leave rubber on the ground then sorry but it is not going to be a flat battery

[Bill Hoffmann]

Originally Posted by baz bill if it wont turn in neutral with a spanner on the pully nut and the plugs out , and when moving if you let the clutch out and the back wheels lock and leave rubber on the ground then sorry but it is not going to be a flat battery

From the methods tried (and by the way, the engine turns clockwise looking at the front), I'm not convinced the motor is frozen. It's not easy to get a wrench on the crank pulley with the fan in the way.

Try push starting your car in first gear and you will skid the tires.

That's why I said put it in third or fourth gear and try to bump it over, and I wrote that part first. That way he can determine if the motor is frozen or not, and then go on to check the other things. Troubleshooting is a best done with a plan, step by step. Not taking random guesses.

I know if the motor is frozen the battery is not the problem, but thank you for pointing that out.

[deaner]

I find it hard to believe that after all this person has done. That one can not help but to surmise that there is something wrong with the Engine. I don't care what one say's, pushing or towing a car and trying to bump start it in first gear it should turn over. Especially given that they poured oil through the spark plug holes. Given all this, if the Engine was not locked up or held by some means, it should turn over easy. I would start looking for other problems.

[Sparky73]

Well I have heard stories, and figured it wouldn't hurt to try. I went out and bought a bucks worth of diesel fuel, and poured a fair amount into each cylinder to see if that does anything at all. I poured it in like .. 2 hours ago and tried to start with no luck, but I wasn't counting on anything yet. I will let it soak for a day or so and see what I can do. After it soaks, I may try poppin the clutch again a few times.. just to see if it even free's anything. Can anyone confirm that it has to be in 3rd?? Everyone cross your fingers for me..

[deaner]

If the spark plugs are out, it should turn over very easy in any gear. Has this Engine been sitting long? Did it run before all of this? I've never heard of an Engine being so hard to turn over. I would suspect something else.

[Bill Hoffmann]

Since you have liquid in the cylinders now, you will have to leave the spark plugs out and if you do get it to turn over, be careful because a piston hitting a slug of liquid (which cannot compress) can break stuff.

Let's take a step back. Your first post said you tried to crank it for the first time. First time since what? Did you just buy the car, just have the engine rebuilt? Sorry if there's a background story I don't know about.

When trying to bump start a car, you always use a high gear (usually third). The higher the gear, the more mechanical advantage you have. Think about how fast the engine spins in first gear compared to fourth for a given speed.

[Sparky73]

Sorry, I will clarify more. The car was sitting since 1986.. and hasnt been ran since.. 96? I believe. But it did run before it was parked. I went through the necessary steps before trying to start.

I am leaving the spark plugs out.. I just want the pistons to move, im not really worried about starting as of right now.

[Sparky73]

I am lost now. I am not sure if this means anything but I jacked up the rear end, and tried all gears, including reverse..and the tires both spin..?

[Bill Hoffmann]

If both wheels are off the ground and the car is in gear, they will turn in opposite directions. You're better off leaving the car on the ground for this test.

So if the car is rolling and you pop the clutch in fourth gear, does the car stop immediately or does the engine turn over?

[Sparky73]

I have not yet tried in any gear but 1st. Tonight has been really rainy and nasty out.. so I will try tomarrow in 4th.