Stuck Motor

[Hairy Moose Knuckles]

Thank you, Chase! I'll keep you updated.

[Hairy Moose Knuckles]

Ok, been busy last two days. I move slow, so don't laugh. With all the encouragement you guys have been giving me, I decided to see what I could do.

I took off valve cover and removed rocker arm and push rods.

I tried once more by jacking up the right side and put it in 4th gear. Tried to move wheel, but the motor was still stuck. So I began spraying every nut and bolt I could see with WD 40 specialist.

I was really blessed. I got the the nuts off the head, I got the exhaust manifold off, loosened the thermostat housing from the head, and if I didn't miss anything, the head should be ready to come off.

I've got to be honest, I put this off for a year because I was afraid I would break a bolt. I knew if I did, I would probably never be able to fix it. I'm glad you guys encouraged me to dive in. Not one single nut gave me any trouble!

It was close to dark before I was able to get close to removing the head, so I stopped right there and put away my tools and all the parts I had removed. My wife labeled all the zip lock bags and put all the nuts in the bags.

Tomorrow is another day, but they say we have rain coming.


Oh I did find one odd thing. One of the nuts of the exhaust manifold was a different size. Someone put a 13 mm nut on. I kept scratching my head trying to figure out why my 9/16 wouldn't fit the thing!



Oh one more thing. I haven't been able to check them close, but the push rods don't "appear" to be bent. When I get time, I'll roll them across a piece of window pane to make sure they're straight.

One question, I was reading on here and I noticed that someone recommended replacing head bolts during a rebuild. Is that correct?

[Don McCombs]

One question, I was reading on here and I noticed that someone recommended replacing head bolts during a rebuild. Is that correct?

Yes. Especially since you probably don’t know how many times they’ve been on and off previously.

[Slim140]

Here's one I tried to reuse, it was an original and stretched. Luckily it didn't break.

[Hairy Moose Knuckles]

Got the head off. I have several pics. It's giving me a rough time trying to find an easy way to post. I'm not smart enough to get them all on one post.

Does anyone have any ideas from the pictures? Any help advice is much appreciated.

[Hairy Moose Knuckles]

If you look directly under this picture, I posted another once I got all the fluid soaked up. This seems to be the cylinder that's stuck.

[Hairy Moose Knuckles]

[Hairy Moose Knuckles]

[Hairy Moose Knuckles]

This Head bolt looks pretty rusty too.

[Hairy Moose Knuckles]

I stood there yesterday trying to figure out my next move.

1. I know those head bolts need to come out. How do you guys normally try to remove them? I could try to back them out with a pipe wrench? Is there a better/easier way? Is there some type of specific tool?

2. I assume that weeping head gasket caused this mess. Why was only 1 cylinder affected?

3. The head was pretty carboned up. Is that normal?

4. From my reasoning, it looks like I could try a couple of things. I can continue to try rocking wheel to get it unstuck or I can drop the oil pan and try to get the piston out.

I'm sure open to anyone's ideas.

[Dale Finch]

To get the bolt out, you might try double nutting them, using the inside nut to remove the bolt after jamming the two nuts together. Using a penetrating oil, alternate between the two nuts to work the bolt back and forth in very small increments. Good luck.

[Indy4570]

no pipe wrench! not yet at least, a sure way to break those bolts. patience is key right now and lots of penetrating oil applied many times. heat can help if it doesn't budge. I heat the bolts to make them expand then let them cool completely. As Dale said, back and forth a tiny bit to persuade the bolt it isn't part of the block a gentle tapping on the bolt can help the oil to work into the head. I like to clean around the bolt as much as i can to remove the crud and give the oil a place to seep into.

[Hairy Moose Knuckles]

Thanks Dale and Indy. I appreciate your wisdom. I didn't think about jamming two nuts together.

I'm not sure if new nuts will come with new head bolts, so I'll just go get a handful of nuts to use.

I'm pretty excited about this project. I haven't been excited about anything in years. It's given me something to look forward to each day.

[Jim Becker]

A couple comments on the head bolts.
First, they are studs, not bolts.
Second, people routinely replace head bolts, but not so often studs.
Third, I haven't seen the studs first hand and could be totally off base, but I haven't seen anything to convince me the studs need replacing. I just see some minor surface rust that needs to be cleaned off to see how much damage is really there. That rust could be mostly from the head.
Fourth, if a head stud fails during reassembly, it will probably strip the threads or break off near the nut. You are not likely to be in a worse position than you are now for removing the remaining portion.

[Dale Finch]

Actually, he's right. I agree with Jim...forgot we were talking about studs!