Help!!!!

4

4RunnerKyle

New member
helping a friend install a new used motor in his 1997 T4R to replace a motor with a blown head gasket...... got it installed in the engine bay, connected the bell housing to the engine and went to rotate the crankshaft pulley clockwise so we could bolt together the flywheel to the torque converter and it just would not move at all.... I can't think of anything that would prevent it from spinning with a breaker bar so i can line up the holes

it just had a timing belt done by the shop that sold us the motor... could that be the reason why it wont turn as it seems as the timing marks may be way off.... the top two pulleys seem to be aligned with each other but the bottom one seems quite a bit off.... could it be this?

left top

right top

bottom pulley... the white speck on the pulley is the timing mark


if not this... what could cause the crankshaft bolt to not turn at all.... Help... it took us forever to get the motor in and aligned and the transmission on and now we're at a roadblock
 
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no.. but i had never heard of pulling the plugs to do this... is this necessary? the other motor we pulled didn't need to have this done..... all the plugs or just one.... Im new to this 5VZ motor thing
 
Pulling the plugs definitely helps but it isn't 100% necessary. Does it feel like a squishy stop or a solid stop like it's hitting something? If it's a squishy feeling then you're most likely fighting the compression. If it's a solid stoppage then you have a bigger issue.
 
its a solid stoppage.......... could it actually be a shitty timing belt job that causes this stoppage? thats the only thing I can think of at this moment as everything else seems to be correct...
 
It wouldn't be a timing belt issue because this is a non interference engine. Pull your spark plugs and see if you can hear anything in the cylinders when you turn the crank. Narrow down from there if you can.
 
Pull the valve cover(s) and see if you can see the cams moving at all; you may have to remove the Tbelt first.

The marks on the belt are just to aid in initial timing replacement; after that they don't matter.
 
either way that timing job is the worst ive ever seen, its to bad it sounds like you already dropped the motor in, but that has to be redone and it would have been a lot easier with the motor outside. Also if that timing belt is like that id even have to suspect and double check anything else the "mechanic" did and redo it.
timing belt is not something you want to half ass on on, and if its thats bad, who knows what else is wrong and not done right..
 
could a binding torque converter cause the crankshaft to bind?.. none of the 6 flywheel to converter bolts are in yet and so I was wondering if that could be seated unevenly and preventing from spinning..... either way, the timing belt will be dealt with but just wondered if that torque converter is a possibility?
 
awpsome said:
either way that timing job is the worst ive ever seen, its to bad it sounds like you already dropped the motor in, but that has to be redone and it would have been a lot easier with the motor outside. Also if that timing belt is like that id even have to suspect and double check anything else the "mechanic" did and redo it.
timing belt is not something you want to half ass on on, and if its thats bad, who knows what else is wrong and not done right..
Click to expand...

What's wrong with the timing job?? The cam pulley marks are offset by the same amount. That's correct. The lines on the belt are completely irrelevant after the first rotation. There is absolutely no reason to set them at TDC; you have to put the pulley marks at TDC. So you can't really get any info from looking at the bottom pulley pic because that pulley SHOULD be off by TWICE the angle the two cam pulleys at the top are, and they are quite a bit off.

You should not need to pull the plugs to turn the crank. Timing in any case can't affect the ability to turn the crank.

Unfortunately, I have no clue what might lock it up like that. Was it for sure the engine was free before it was put in?How about before the trans went on?

Long shot is pull the starter if it's in. Otherwise pull the TB and see if it is crank or one of the cams. Even possible something got jammed behind crank pulley when it got torqued on. That would do it.

I wonder if somebody did not have a holder tool and used the old rope in the cylinder trick to torque the crank bolt and then forgot to take it out. Pull the plugs and look to check. Thing is, that would only lock up in one direction.
 
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Durk is 100% correct. The marks now are not an indication that there is any issue with the timing belt job.

As for the lock up, it really could be a lot of things. If the trans & motor aren't connected yet, unbolt the motor mounts and physically pull them apart then try spinning the motor again. If it moves, you've found your issue.
 
Thanks for the replies thus far everyone, tomorrow morning I'll be backing off the six bellhousing bolts and splitting the engine and tranny apart and see if that allows the crankshaft to spin...
 
4RunnerKyle said:
Thanks for the replies thus far everyone, tomorrow morning I'll be backing off the six bellhousing bolts and splitting the engine and tranny apart and see if that allows the crankshaft to spin...
Click to expand...

So on a slushbox you bolt the bell housing and THEN you fasten flywheel to torque converter? I had no idea--I'm a MT guy all my life and it's the opposite. Mate splines then bolt. Yes, that's your plan, then. I take it starter is not yet in?
 
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TheDurk said:
So on a slushbox you bolt the bell housing and THEN you fasten flywheel to torque converter? I had no idea--I'm a MT guy all my life and it's the opposite. Mate splines then bolt. Yes, that's your plan, then. I take it starter is not yet in?
Click to expand...

I would assume that's how it's done..... If I'm wrong then that's probably the culprit....it's the reverse of removal..... Dust plate then converter bolts then bellhousing so I would think its bellhousing then converter then dust plate for install...

Starter isn't in, never got to that point..

The center isn't splined like it was on my MT Jeep

Off the point, whereabouts in jersey? I grew up there
 
Before unbolting just try to rotate the TQ, it should spin freely. Kind of like you would do to line the holes up to connect TQ and flex plate. TQ could have moved off the input shaft abit. Just a thought..
 
SST221 said:
Before unbolting just try to rotate the TQ, it should spin freely. Kind of like you would do to line the holes up to connect TQ and flex plate. TQ could have moved off the input shaft abit. Just a thought..
Click to expand...

Disclaimer: I'm the friend Kyle referenced in the OP.

By TQ do you mean torque converter? If so, read on:

The reason Kyle asked if there was any way the torque converter could somehow jam the flywheel is because the torque converter appears to be quite pressed against the flywheel and doesn't spin freely right now.

I can see through two of the holes in the flywheel to see the torque converter. In one hole (in almost the bottom center position) that I can see through completely, the torque converter is completely up against the hole and pushing through the flywheel hole gently but firmly against the torque converter does nothing. No spin, no backing off the flywheel.

In a second hole (towards the middle left) that I can see halfway through, it appears that the torque converter is not completely flush like the other hole.

Thus, we're wondering if the torque converter somehow got angled in such a way to jam the flywheel. We're also wondering if/how that's actually possible with the bellhousing bolted flush to the engine.

We should be unbolting and attempting to loosen the tranny from the engine a bit within the hour, so we'll try to report back soon.
 
Ok, having a bit of trouble visualizing what you are saying. However, if the torque converter does not spin freely then it is not seated properly on the input shaft of transmission and like you said it is "jammed". Looks like you will have to remove engine or trans what ever is less complicated at this time. Then you will have to seat the TQ properly on the input shaft. When seated properly there will be a few millimeters of space between flex plate and TQ that will be taken up when bolted togther.
 
Ok. The TQ has TWO "settings" on it. It has to engage TWO times. If you didn't push the TQ all the way in, that very well could be your problem.

You don't happen to have the rear shaft still attached to the truck to you? That will stop the transmission from spinning. You need to put the trans in neutral as well. That will allow it all to spin freely, the TQ that is.

Unbolt the motor from the motor mounts, raise it up. You should sill be able to have a little bit of leeway with the harness attached. Make sure the TQ set right on the trans.

If you've got any other problems, feel free to give me a call and I'll see if I can talk you through the issues.

Eight twenty eight, 855 sixty one twenty eight.
 
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