Engine very sticky

Posted by Sherlock On 2017/5/11 18:13:52

Engine on Super 8 would not turn over, so I separated the flange at the rear of the transmission and rigged some bolts so I could use a lever. Poured WD-40 down the cylinders via a flexible tube and, after a day or so, attempted to turn the engine with the lever. No dice, so I tapped moderately on the lever with a dead hammer to facilitate the WD-40's penetration and added more to cylinders. After a couple days of tapping on and off, I thought I noticed movement, so marked the fan belt and pulley and hammered the lever a few times, more than a tap but not a full blow, from about 8". Sure enough, the engine turned slightly. I was able to get it to turn about 60 degrees with a fair number of light to moderate blows. Put in more WD, let it sit for a couple days and got it to turn back and forth through about 120 degrees, but only using the hammer and lever. This time it seemed like the engine was looser; each stroke moved the engine further than the day before.

If rusty rings were the culprit, I would have thought they would have broken fully loose over this much travel and that would have freed the engine. However, it still cannot be turned by hand even with the plugs out. Something is creating resistance, but the fact it turns through this much arc would seem to preclude a broken part as the cause.

The car was last driven three or four years ago by a mechanic who told me it ran beautifully. It has not been started since. The pan was full of oil. The oil is slightly dirty, but I can see no metal in it. The area under the valve cover, the valve springs and the lifters are oily. The radiator had been drained and the drain valve was open. There is no water in the pan. Is it possible the valves may have gotten varnished up and are so sticky they are inhibiting the engine turning? Any ideas would be appreciated.