a4 - Won't turn over, head off / valves out?

[CamaroMan]

Hi all - working on an A4 - motor seized up.. got head off and valves out.. lifters are all spinning - but for the life of me cant get her to turn over.

Could the transmission be @ fault, and how hard is it to remove the transmission?

Also - how do u get this on an engine stand? not sure if those thing bolts by fly wheel will hold her up?

[MLW]

Rebuilt on a table and sat on oil pan or inverted. No stand. I wasn't too happy with options to bolt up to my Harbor Freight stand. Maybe others have suggestions but I didn't feel like spending time fabricating a bracket.

P.S. During my rebuild motor was super tight. I stripped back down and took my time and everything worked well after. Sadly I'm not sure what problem actually was.

[sdemore]

I used a cheapo harbor freight stand with some longer bolts and spacers through the flywheel end (the flywheel housing wasn't there yet). I could only connect 3 of the 4 arms, but it worked fine. My engine came disassembled and as I put it back together and it got heavier, the stand did start to sag a bit. I just kept a close eye on it and didn't have any issues at all. It was really handy to be able to spin it over frequently.

[CamaroMan]

gr8 - i have the same stand.. ill remove the flywheel cover and see what behind there.. drive is off so alot less weight on the other side - will see- not sure about those dinky 7/16 bolts - plus i would leave it on gantry overnight so it doesnt stress anything (if i find a way to do it ok).

I think its the pistons that are slightly seized up in the bores..

[joe_db]

I would fill the cylinder bores with MMO and let it sit or perhaps a mix of acetone and ATF fluid. Many an old engine has been saved this way

[Dave Neptune]

CamaroMan, I think your pistons are stuck and soaking will help, but only so much. Let the oils soak for a day or two.

If the flywheel is still in place you can pry carefully against the teeth IN BOTH DIRECTIONS with increasing pressure and often the back and forth will free the rings. Remember BAGK AND FORTH not one direction even when/if she brakes loose.

If the above does not wo0rk or the flywheel is off see the following.

Do you have a "dead blow" hammer or access to one? If you do let us know and directions will be posted.

Dave Neptune

[Al Schober]

Keep in mind that it's the rings that are stuck - not the pistons. Beating on the pistons to loosen the rings risks damaging the lands between the piston ring grooves. So, check the price of new pistons - this will tell you how hard to beat on them.
Time is your friend here. Get some penetrant in there and let it soak. Might take two weeks or more - as time goes on, you can hit it harder. I've only had one engine that I gave up on (old Fiat 600).
I don't recommend beating on the teeth of the flywheel. Those teeth tend to be rather brittle. Better going at the piston crown with a piece of 2x4 and a 3# hammer. If you can get the crankshaft out, you can work on the pistons one at a time.

[Ram41662]

CM, what we all call a "transmission" is really a reverse gear assembly. In a direct drive it's a simple gear fitted onto the crankshaft that transfers the power a set of pinion or propeller gears to an output shaft, depending on whether you are in forward or reverse. Unless you see a an obvious sign of damage or sever rust causing a problem, its unlikely your problem is in the reverse gear.

As for engine stand mounting, you can remove the flywheel cover and use a set of bushings as stand-off with longer bolts; remember this little engine only weights 300+ pounds, which is WAY less than even a Chevy small block. As an alternative, you can build a frame as an adapter like I did. This worked great for me and my engine starts instantly and runs fine now.

[sdemore]

I did the long bolts and spacers, but this setup would have been much nicer!