22re Can't Turn Crank Shaft
 

Doing the head gasket and timing chain/timing chain cover, I'm on reassembly now.

After struggling for a while I've managed to get the camshaft and the timing chain sprocket bolted together, but now my crankshaft matchmark is off. When I go to turn it I can only turn it a little bit and then everything locks up. I've tried turning the crankshaft followed by turning the camshaft in the same direction manually but am unable to do so. I would like to be able to do a full rotation of the crankshaft to get TDC but am unable to.

Will I have to disassemble the timing chain cover again?

You can't do that with the head on, the pistons will hit the valves.

Take the cam sprocket off. Have someone hold the chain tight. Rotate the crank to zero, which ever way is closest (left or right, doesn't matter. Then reset the cam sprocket.

If you need to-do a major cam adjustment. You can set the pistons to mid stroke (put a dowel or straw in number one and two sparkplug holes, and equalize the "lift"). With the pistons at mid point you can rotate the camshaft all the way around.

Does that make sense? Top dead center is set by the crankshaft (pulley mark to zero). The compression or exhaust " tdc" is set by the camshaft (dowel at twelve).

With the timing chain connected or not connected to the camshaft, I have about 10 degrees of play on the crankshaft before it refuses to move. I can not reach TDC on the crankshaft by hand cranking.

The next step I'm going to attempt is popping off the timing chain cover:cry2: (yet again) and trying to see if anything in there is interfering.

Otherwise what are other possible culprits? Bad valves? Bad bottom bearings? In which case I (more or less) need a new head or new block correct?

Dumb question...is the truck in gear?

Timing chain pinched, or cinked, bad tensioner or it slipped. I think the oil pump doesn't rotate if the marks aren't lined up right.

Wrong bolts in the flexplate or flywheel, loose bolts.

Verify the cam sprocket dowel is at the top.

good idea on the flywheel bolts. very plausible.

Update: took off the timing cover and the head, still won't crank.

In an earlier stage of work I unbolted the engine mounts and raised the engine by jacking up the transmission in order to drop the oilpan. Could this have bent the crankshaft or the flywheel bolts? At disassembly I achieved tdc is really the last thing I know for sure about the crank.

Is this a manual or automatic transmission?

Did you do any work on the bottom end?

I did no work on the bottom end besides the oil pan, oil pickup.

Manual trans, its in neutral

Was in apart long, without the head, live the piston rings.

Inspect the bellhousing on both sides, front and rear, for loose bolt or any separations. You may have an issue in there that can't be seen with the clutch alignment.

Did you remove the harmonic damper, front pulley? Maybe you forgot to take the object you used to lock the crank in place out?

What if any parts were changed on the crank pulley ??

I have seen something either installed wrong or left out causing the pulley to be pulled against the block.

When you say move the engine by hand do you mean just that using one hand to turn the engine over ??

There's nothing on the crankshaft, except for the pulley bolt. I'm unable to turn more than 10 degrees or so even with a breaker bar.

Could you go into more detail about bell housing stuff?

it sounds like you need to pull the oil pan again and do a careful inspection. don't try to force the crank to turn!

I'd start with jacking up the rear end and double checking it is actually in neutral and the wheel and drive shaft spins freely.

You had the oil pan off so it's a good idea to get back in there and inspect the bottom end. Iirc, you need the oil pan off to gain access to the inspection hole for the clutch/flywheel assembly anyway.

I don't know why you tryed to take the short cut of removing the engine and jacked it all up from the transmission. It's likely going to need pulled out in the end.

Can you give a better description of the problem. Does it gradually get tighter, or suddenly stop? Do you hear any grinding, clanks, or creaking. How did it move off of tdc in the process.

Again I ask, how did you get the balance pulley off, in what way did you keep the shaft from spinning when you took its bolt off, how did you get the pulley off of the shaft?