I finally started the 427 engine in my 69 i rebuilt in 2011.
I put 4 fans in front of the car and at 2:44 today i had it running at 2300 RPM to break in the cam
by 2:48 the water temp was at 240 so i shut the engine down to let it cool and make sure i didn't have to add more coolant.
the engine was running great by the way.
went to restart 10 minutes later....the engine is locked up.
pulled belts,spark plugs(all dry),removed coil wire put charger on battery...engine will not bugde.
put a breaker bar on crank bolt, cant get it to move.
removed valve covers, all push rods not in action can spin by hand
what a kick in the *****, def took the wind out of my sails, any ideas on whats going on?
the oil has a black tinge to it on the dipstick, im guessing from the break in additive, does not seem like metal but who knows.
i hate to pull the engine out and tear it down but anyone got any ideas on whats going on? thanks

 

Get a bore scope, I wonder how much rust was built up in the cylinders before you started it. Friction equals heat, if it had good oil pressure it’s probably not the bearings.

 

A similar thing happened to me...the carb rear float stuck/stalled the engine/the electric fuel pump filled the two rear cylinders with fuel before I realized what was happening-------it caused a hydraulic lock.
Let's hope your problem is that simple.

Buy a $40 bore camera that plugs into your cell phone(as members suggested)
Drain the engine oil into a clear container/let it sit for a couple hours/see if there is any metal "glitter" or particles in the container after you drain off the old oil.
CHANGE THE OIL FILTER/ADD NEW OIL.
Squirt/mist new oil into each cylinder after you inspect the spark plugs & cylinder walls before trying to crank it or turn the crankshaft.

 

Let's break this down in bite size chunks.

What we know
1) Engine set of 12 years
2) Upon first start the coolant went from ambient temp to 240 deg in four minutes
3) Engine now appears to be locked up and will not rotate
4) Valve train not in proper adjustment

Primary facts based on what we know
1) You can rule out any type of hydraulic lock given you have removed all the plugs.
2) You can rule out the starter given you have used a breaker bar on the crank bolt.
3) Improper adjustment of the valve train will not have any effect on engine rotation.
4) Coolant going from ambient temp to 240 deg in four minutes is very unusual.
5) We can assume based on what you stated none of the valves have dropped into any of the cylinders.

First step is to forget the breaker bar on the crank bolt, go buy a Proform Engine Rotation Adapter PN 66782 and bolt that to your harmonic balancer. Assuming a correct 50/50 mix of antifreeze, 240 degrees for four minutes will not damage an engine. My first thoughts or question right out of the box is did you pre-oil this engine before the initial startup? Assuming no external issues preventing this engine to rotate the only thing that will cause an engine to not rotate is the rotating assembly itself (crankshaft, rods, pistons, bearings). I guess if the cam was seized in the cam bearings this could prevent the engine from rotating but never in my 50 plus years experience have I ever seen this happen.

If after installing the Proform Engine Rotation Adapter and you still can't get this engine to rotate you have no choice but to pull it and start the teardown process to see what went south on you. Sounds like a classic case of a seized engine due to lack of oil at initial startup and the temp was a contributing factor or a result of excessive heat during rotation.

For all of this to happen in four minutes is also very odd. Keep us updated on where this goes.

 

I am thinking outside the box.
What tranny is in this?

Locked up torque converter or input shaft?
Clutch / disk?
Trans?
Oil Pump?

 

Here's a update,
let the engine sit overnight. went to crank it this morning and the engine turns over now. before it was locked up so tight it was like a hydrolock, that's why i pulled the plugs to rule that out.

The valves appear to be in place still, no loose rockers, so i don't think the cam has went flat on any lobes.. at least not yet.
the cylinders were oiled and fogged during storage, and engine was cranked over many times by hand through the years

I wonder if the starter gear got stuck to the flywheel from the heat cycle?
or did the rotating assembly get that hot to lock up?
very interesting problem
The trans is a muncie 4 speed.
oil pressure was at 60 pounds during my 4 minute break in.

 

Ring gap too tight?

 

You absolutely need to verify timing on this engine before you go any further.......if the engine timing is severely retarded, the engine could heat up that much in 4 minutes.

Put the engine on verified TDC #1.
Pull the cap.
Loosen the distributor and line up the #1 terminal on the cap with the tip of the rotor.....use a mark on the distributor base to do this, line this mark up with #1 on the cap, remove cap, and line up. Now turn the distributor counter-clockwise until the rotor tip is just out of way of the terminal on the cap inside.....about 3/8" clockwise....this will be about 15 degrees initial......post your finding as to where yours was set.

If the engine was locked then now not......drain the oil and smell it....does it smell like gas? An old Holley carb (not sure that is what you have) when the gaskets dry out will just dump fuel out of the boosters.....this could potentially cause a hydrolock condition but only if they were dribbling after the engine was stopped.......

Does the engine feel nice and smooth turning it over with a bar?

Jebby

 

I will check this in the evening.
what's the thought on leaving the vacuum advance hooked up while cam break in, or does it just get plugged during this time?
I did look down the carb and did not see any fuel dripping,
Maybe tonight I can drain the oil.
The rings were filed, i don't recall what they were filed to. I would think I did it right.
ill try turning the engine tonight by hand also and see if it feels smooth.

 

It makes no difference on the vacuum advance as there is insufficient vacuum with no load at 2000-2500rpm during break-in....

Jebby

 

I disagree. Hook up the vacuum advance. And yes, it will activate at idle, at 2,000 RPMs and even at 3,000 RPMs. Just not at full throttle which O.P. is not running anyway.

Lack of vacuum advance causes excess heat.

 

I dont understand whats going on,
the car cranked over with no plugs in after sitting all night, i installed the plugs today, then it wouldn't crank, acted hydro locked.
drained the oil, pictures attached, did not see any metallic really, looks like a mixture of the break in lube and cam oil etc.
after draining the oil i tried to crank the engine again, and it cranked good, got excited.
added oil and filter, hooked up everything, fired right up and ran for 5-6 seconds, stalled, tried to restart and acts locked up again.
removed coil wire to rule out timing,same issue.
put a breakerbar on crank and it does not want to turn.
what is randomly holding this engine back i wonder, im guessing once it built oil pressure up in that quick start thats what puts the rotating assembly over the edge? very confusing.
the mark i made on the dist at TDC, the rotor was pointing right at 1. i backed dist 3/8 CC.
any other ideas?
thank you

 

Had one years ago where the bellhousing was screwed up and when clutch & trans was bolted on it drove the crank forward and used up all the crank end play and acted like it was locked up.

 

interesting, i did just replace the clutch and reinstall the trans, everything went to good great. what was the solution to your issue?

 

sorry to read this

piston expansion hitting cyl?

 

So sorry you're having this problem, but we're all hoping to learn something from your experience. I don't think this has anything to do with timing or fuel delivery. This has to be a mechanical problem. I like the suggestion about the clutch - that's worth considering. The other possibility I see is an internal problem, probably with clearances somewhere. The engine seems to turn when it's cold, but not when it gets hot. Hence my suggestion about the ring gap. I would suggest you cut that filter open and see if there is any metal in it. There is something shiny in the oil in your picture. I would like to rule out major internal wear or breakage. If there is no sign of signiicant metal in the filter, I think it's worth looking into the clutch. I would start removing the trans, clutch, etc. piece by piece until the engine starts to turn smoothly. Keep us posted on your progress. This is an interesting one.

 

I agree with dewet, this has to be a mechanical interference problem somewhere between the transmission and the front of the engine. All you can do at this point is start at the rear and work your way forward removing stuff until you find the problem. If you remove the trans & clutch and still have the problem I would next drop the oil pan.

 

Bear with me, this was 30 years ago, but I think I ended up shimming the bellhousing. This was on a race car. The bellhousing was used, and I don’t know if someone tried milling it or something, but it was too short front to back.
Maybe check your pilot bushing too.

 

todays update, charged the battery over night, bought a new starter just because i wanted to rule that out. changed starter, engine still locked up.
removed belts and spun water pump alt and ps pump all good,engine still wont crank
unbolted trans and slid it back about 3\8 inch between trans and bell housing. still locked up.
at this point im guessing its something in the engine but confused on why it spun randomlly a few times and even started up yesterday for a few seconds. and what could be holding the engine back?
i think im going to be pulling the engine this weekend and tear down which i really do not want to do.

 

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