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4.0 won't turn

hdis2002

NAXJA Forum User
Location
North Carolina
Project rustbucket continues. I was able to spin the engine with a breaker bar when I purchased the jeep. It turned easily and didnt make any unusual sounds. Fast forward to about a month ago. I removed the engine from the XJ to do some rust repair and other things. The engine has been sitting on blocks in the garage since then. I need to replace the rear freeze plug but the torque convertor and flywheel are still attached. No prob, I'll take them off. Or not. I removed one bolt from the TC and tried to spin the engine to access the other bolts and it won't move. FYI, The engine is partially disassembled, head, plugs, manifolds, etc. are gone. I put the breaker bar on the HB bolt and no go. It won't move in either direction. Am I missing something here?
 
is the flywheel clear ? not hitting anything ?
also DO NOT use dorman freeze plugs, they are not the correct size.
 
"HB bolt"? I would suspect that something either broke inside the engine and is preventing rotation,i.e the crankshaft. Or something broke inside the transmission and is preventing the torque converter from turning easily.

I would start first by pulling the pan and seeing if the crankshaft broke/locked-up,i.e. crankshafts DO break. If you find a broken crankshaft, you may need to cut-out the crankshaft, in pieces, until the torque converter rotates freely so the trans can be removed from the engine. If the crankshaft is OK, then a locked-up transmission is the next likely thing to suspect.

Good luck on your new "Adventure"!

Best regards,

CJR
 
I had issues with one I bought, that the timing chain was rusted up. Would not budge. Also, the tops of some of the push rods were rusted. Anyways a good excuse to do a Mini-Stroker.
 
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