engine help

[luxeryvic]

i just finished reviulding the 305 in my 77 monte carlo

i used new sealed power rings and bearings
i honed the cylinders and used assembly lube on everything

the engine is back in the car but it is very difficult to turn over

i dont want to strip the crank bolt by the balancer and the only way i can turn it over is by using a prybar on the flywheel

can anybody help?

[randy78]

thats too tight

did you check ring end gaps before installing ?

there needs to be a certain amount of gap between the ends of the rings as installed in the bores

if too littlethen file an end down to inscrease te gap so they dont bind in the bores and especialyl when the engine warms up

was the crank hard to turn by itself or only after the pistons were installed ?


if the latter then you need to pull all pistons and modify ring gap, or you have the wrong bore size for the pistons
the machine shop should ahve set you up correctly with the correct pistons and rings for the bore it is finished to

if you didnt take it to a shop and are simply sticking stock rings into it without any workto the bores then this will not work

good luck

[silicon212]

Originally Posted by luxeryvic

i just finished reviulding the 305 in my 77 monte carlo

i used new sealed power rings and bearings
i honed the cylinders and used assembly lube on everything

the engine is back in the car but it is very difficult to turn over

i dont want to strip the crank bolt by the balancer and the only way i can turn it over is by using a prybar on the flywheel

can anybody help?

First off, fastr68 has some awesome advice regarding piston ring gap clearance. Now,

What size bearings did you use? Did you have the crank turned? My guess is the bearings are binding somewhere. Did you pay close attention to connecting rod orientation and location? Are all the pistons installed with the arrows pointing to the front of the engine? Are the main caps installed with the arrows pointing at the engine front, and are they back on the saddles they came from? Did you mix connecting rod caps with other rods?

If you mixed rods and caps, you will have to have them resized. If you didn't mark the main caps when you took it apart, and have them in locations other than where they came from, you will have to have the block alignbored or alignhoned. There's just no way around this - which is why it is important to have everything marked before you break it down.

Do not attempt to start the engine until you have determined and eliminated the cause of the binding. It will not survive the startup if you do - that is if you can get it started. Yes, you will have to pull the engine if you have it installed, but consider it a learning experience and that way, you won't repeat the issue later. Don't worry, I did this once, too and was fortunate to find the problem after grumbling about having to take it out again - turns out I had a main cap on backward.

[luxeryvic]

the arrows on the pisons are facing the front of the engine, and i used stock direct replacement bearings, ill have to pull the engine and check the main caps, thanks for all the help

[luxeryvic]

i pulled the engine and loosed the main caps, it still still didn't turn

so i started loosening the connecting rod caps and then it started to turn

then i tightened the main caps back up and it still turned

i think i have a connecting rod cap on the wrong way, figure it out on monday

i have a question for the gaskets, i torqued the head on the gaskets, i tokk the heads off again when i was tryin to figure out the problem, should the gaskets be fine to use again or do i need new ones

same with the intake manifold to head gaskets, should i replace them?

[MrPbody]

Depends on which gasket type you used. The Felpro "blue" gaskets can be reused, usually without issue. The graphite-coated gaskets cannot be reused. The thing to do is look at both the head surface and the block deck. If there is ANY gasket stuck to either surface, you need new ones. I sure hope you didn't waste a whole bunch of money on MLS or other "high tech" head gaskets. they're fine (and sometimes REQUIRED) for the modern engines with aluminum heads and higher operating temperatures, but completely unnecessary in a traditional V8 build. Felpro is the best, has been for many years, and will continue to be.

For the $20, I'd replace the intake set unless it's absolutely perfect.

Jim

[luxeryvic]

ive got felpro gaskets, i just put the engine together and then took it apart when i found out it wouldnt turn over, nothin stuckto the engine surfaces and they r in perfect condition

[randy78]

Originally Posted by luxeryvic

i pulled the engine and loosed the main caps, it still still didn't turn

so i started loosening the connecting rod caps and then it started to turn

then i tightened the main caps back up and it still turned

i think i have a connecting rod cap on the wrong way, figure it out on monday

i have a question for the gaskets, i torqued the head on the gaskets, i tokk the heads off again when i was tryin to figure out the problem, should the gaskets be fine to use again or do i need new ones

same with the intake manifold to head gaskets, should i replace them?

make sure your rod caps are facing each other the right way

flat sides of the caps and rods need ot be atgainst each other on each rod bearing journal of the crank


check and be SURE of this

this is a common issue and happens if you dont know what to look for when assembling

especially if the machine shop replaced pistons or replaced even just the piston pins

i had this issue with the 305 in the 85 elky when i sent the block and heads and rods and pistons to him to have everything done and the crank turned .010 as well

he mixed up my pistons and rods and i ended up not being able to put some fo the rods back on the same journals altough in my case it didnt matter anyways because he bored the block .030 and so we had new pistons and the crank was turned .010 under on the rod journals

when correct and everything torqued and in place the crank will turn smooth and not a lot of force

will be perfect and pretty and nice

check your rod caps orientation

good luck