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think it maybe blown

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BLT4FN

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Can somebody help….

Went for a drive yesterday in the Chevelle. While passing a slow Sunday driver the car sounded like it back fired (a pop sound no clanging of parts) :eek: .Lost power from motor (never kept running after). Then it would not start :confused: . Seems like lots of power in the battery, starter just clicks and the fan blade seems to just go back and forth with the click of the starter. Car rolls in neutral and cannot be moved in gear. Got it towed home, and took the valve covers off and could not see anything wrong. Pulled all the plugs, all looked ok maybe a little lean but not bad. Put a bar and socket on the crank bolt and could not move it by hand :confused: .

Tried to turn it over this morning just because, and it went a little further than yesterday but then would just click. Torque converter was hot yesterday when I got it home.

If the tranny has gone would it or could it lock the whole drive train to a point the starter will not turn the motor over? Or have I blown the motor up. ie jammed a valve in the top of a piston. Or something else? :confused: :confused:
 
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#2 ·
Is the battery ground okay?

Ignoring the initial symptoms, it sounds like the starter isn't getting any/enough power...
 
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Discussion starter · #3 ·
just went out and checked grounds. Cleaned them up still nothing BUT it did go a little further and it appears I may have took the timing chain out :eek: . As I can now move the crank but nothing else moves. Distributer does not move nor do the lifters. I have to wait till tomorrow as I now have to get ready for work.
 
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#4 ·
Hey Buddy, Follow these steps...

1. Drink some beer
2. remove plugs
3. Drink some beer
4. Try turning engine by hand
5. Drink some beer
6. Check timing chain, cam, distributor movement
7. Drink some beer.

I'll help from home by doing steps 1,3,5,&7. You do steps 2,4,&6.

Post results, If the cam don't move with the crank, stop there, you don't want to send a piston into a valve if it didn't happen already.

BTW, I don't know how you could have blown it, you usually drive so nice and easy ;)
 
#5 ·
If you can't pull it through with a breaker bar on the crank bolt something is jammed. Try "backwards" a bit. Or jerking it back and forth a bit. Beg/Borrow/Buy a flywheel turner, and try to turn the engine through in either direction.
Moral of this story:
I bought a perfectly running (after I got it) '51 F-1 pickup from a farmer for $35! He hit the starter button while it was running and jammed the "bendix drive" into the flywheel and bent the starter motor shaft. WHAM! It quit running and wouldn't crank after a LOUD noise.

I dropped the starter, got a rebuilt, and had a running truck in 1 hour.

The key to your explanation is you couldn't turn it over on the crank snout with the plugs out. Something is mechanically interfering.
 
#6 ·
Disconnect the torque converter from the flexplate then try to turn the engine over. Hopefully you have a loose convertor bolt that came out and jammed up the flexplate.
 
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Discussion starter · #7 ·
I'll know better in the morning when I pull it apart.

Rob you can start your part anytime you want after about 9:30 in the morning
Image
.

Tom I can now undo the torque converter as I can turn the motor by hand but yestarday thought I would have to pull both together as I was unable to turn the thing to undo all 3 bolts.

For the record before I pull this apart it was a brand new double roller timing chain (brand name one), so I am expecting the worst as I cannot imagine how one of these things can breaks
Image
.

Soon as I find out I'll let you guys know what it was.

Thanks for all the ideas so far.
 
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#8 ·
You may have sheared the lower gear keyway on the crank or maybe even broke a cam. If everything under the covers looks alright then you likely didn't bend any valves as the pushrods usually turn into pretzels if the valves get wacked. Ralph
 
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Discussion starter · #9 ·
well here's the news.

Timing chain
Image
:confused:

pic 1
pic 2
pic 3

Put on a old set of gears to see if I had bust a valve, and it appears I have not. As I can turn the motor over buy hand without it bindding. Hopefully thats good news.

Any ideas why it would break? Pictures don't really show it but the links snaped :confused: .
 
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#11 ·
Shauny, Shauny, didn't I tell you to stop winding that thing to 7500!

Image
Sorry bro', that sucks. Was the block align-bored? If so, maybe they didn't give you the shorter chain required? Other than that, hope some of the pros can diagnose WHY that would happen??
 
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#12 ·
It looks like two of those links were soft.
Did the pin wear a hole in the link, or did the link stretch like that.
 
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#16 ·
Shaun, You 'da man. 'Da man who knows how to break parts that is.

I still remeber your blown apart roller rockers. That chain will look good hanging on the wall next to the rockers.

Kidding aside, Lance is right. Give everything a solid once over. Make sure something else didn't bind, that made the chain break.

I'LL keep doing my part from here, keep us posted.
 
#17 ·
Sorry to see and hear about you bad luck Shaun. Same thing happened to be about 5 years ago, but that was with the stock single roller timing chain in my 307. Damn chain ripped the teeth off the cam sprocket :eek: From your first pic, maybe its just the angle, but it almost looks like the chain also took some teeth with it.
 
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#18 ·
Maybe try a gear to gear this time, wouldn't want that to happen again !!
 
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#19 ·
Wow! :eek: Never saw that coming..
 
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#20 ·
Wowzy thats a new one...i agree check that mill over well to be sure something else isnt at fault. Then call the chain manu. to see if they had any issues during that run of chains. The strength of that chain built properly would blow you away it must have been a chain failure but its definatly a first for me. Ralph
 
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427L88
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