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M813 Seized Engine

MilesWorx

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37
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Location
Montana
Hello all,

Another member and I finally got to spend some quality time with an M813 that sat for 2 years and didn't want crank over. Regrettably the engine is seized. It will quiver and try to move when the starter is engaged but won't turn over.

Can someone reference the TM that shows easiest way to get at cylinder? I want to pour Marvel Mystery Oil in each cyl to try to get it loosened up. My next attempt will be trying to pull the truck with another truck and use the transmission to free the engine.

Pictured: Front tore apart to try to spin over manually as we thought the starter was bad. That radiator weighs a ton!!
 

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serpico760

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San Diego, CA
Hello all,

Another member and I finally got to spend some quality time with an M813 that sat for 2 years and didn't want crank over. Regrettably the engine is seized. It will quiver and try to move when the starter is engaged but won't turn over.

Can someone reference the TM that shows easiest way to get at cylinder? I want to pour Marvel Mystery Oil in each cyl to try to get it loosened up. My next attempt will be trying to pull the truck with another truck and use the transmission to free the engine.

Pictured: Front tore apart to try to spin over manually as we thought the starter was bad. That radiator weighs a ton!!
The heads looked very nice under the valve covers, almost like new!
Unfortunately, the Cummins laughed at us when we tied to rotate the crank with the giant torque wrench!
IMG_20230610_151330.jpgIMG_20230610_164748.jpg
 

M35A2-AZ

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You can pull the injectors and put oil down the cylinders. If you remove the adjusting screw all the way and move the push rod over you can remove the injector. It is the rocker in the center. You will have to set the injector when you put them back in.
 

MilesWorx

Member
16
37
13
Location
Montana
You can pull the injectors and put oil down the cylinders. If you remove the adjusting screw all the way and move the push rod over you can remove the injector. It is the rocker in the center. You will have to set the injector when you put them back in.

Is there a video on how to do this and what is the "setting" process? I'm trying to get the truck to at least move under its own power to trailer it to a place where I can tear down the engine and over haul it. Push comes to shove I'll get old timey, using winches and pullies to move this beast around.

Thank you for the advice!
 

M35A2-AZ

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Here is a link to a good write up on setting the valves and injectors. I think you would use the OBC method.
Go down to post #8
 

MilesWorx

Member
16
37
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Location
Montana
Here is a link to a good write up on setting the valves and injectors. I think you would use the OBC method.
Go down to post #8
Ah perfect! That will come in handy when the day comes to get this bad girl running properly. Thank you! :)
 

MilesWorx

Member
16
37
13
Location
Montana
I had a Ford FE that was siezed up and it turned out to be a needle bearing jammed between the starter teeth and the flywheel teeth. Just saying...there could be multiple possible causes.

I took out what I believe to be cyl. No. 1, 2, and 3s' injectors today. They seemed to be filled with oil. I think somehow the cylinders got filled with oil. Posted on that 30mins ago or so.
 

serpico760

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You can pull the injectors and put oil down the cylinders. If you remove the adjusting screw all the way and move the push rod over you can remove the injector. It is the rocker in the center. You will have to set the injector when you put them back in.
What size and length tube would you say would fit down that hole all the way to the top of the piston? When he checked them there was oil already in there seemed full. When I checked the oil level from the dipstick it was way over filled so I think somebody jumped away too much oil in there and it went on top of the Piston somehow I don't know. Anyway that's an hour drive for me to get there and I want to be prepared with the appropriate size and length tube and suction device to reach through the hole to the top of the piston and suck out everything I can from each cylinder. I'm also going to drain the oil from the oil pan and see how much there was.
 

Jbulach

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Loosen the oil drain plug almost all the way and see if there’s water, or antifreeze in the pan, it will be settled to the bottom below the engine oil. If so, drain all the water, or antifreeze out in a bucket and see how much you get, tighten the plug back up as soon as you start to get pure motor oil out. Then roll the motor over to push the oil in the cylinders out the injector holes.
 

98G

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AZ/KS/MO/OK/NM/NE, varies by the day...
Loosen the oil drain plug almost all the way and see if there’s water, or antifreeze in the pan, it will be settled to the bottom below the engine oil. If so, drain all the water, or antifreeze out in a bucket and see how much you get, tighten the plug back up as soon as you start to get pure motor oil out. Then roll the motor over to push the oil in the cylinders out the injector holes.
This` Just remove the injectors and allow the oil to squirt out.

Like jbulach I also think there may be water in the pan.
 

serpico760

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I was wondering if that's the case. When we tried to start it the flywheel would attempt to rotate just a little bit but would be stopped. However if there is that much water perhaps the cylinders have rusted and it will be very difficult to rotate the crank. When we did try to rotate the crank via the flywheel bolt, it just started tightening the nut! When I checked the oil I didn't see anything that wasn't oil on the dipstick. It didn't look like any foam or milkshake looking stuff or water drips or anything else
 

serpico760

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Location
San Diego, CA
I was wondering if that's the case. When we tried to start it the flywheel would attempt to rotate just a little bit but would be stopped. However if there is that much water perhaps the cylinders have rusted and it will be very difficult to rotate the crank. When we did try to rotate the crank via the flywheel bolt, it just started tightening the nut! When I checked the oil I didn't see anything that wasn't oil on the dipstick. It didn't look like any foam or milkshake looking stuff or water drips or anything else
Could water have come in through the air cleaner or exhaust stack and filled up the engine through the intake and exhaust valves?
 

HDN

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Location
Finger Lakes Region, NY
I'm curious - how could oil get into the cylinders like that? Maybe someone was running it on some kind of oil and created a hydrolock condition? Or someone intentionally filled them with oil in an effort to preserve the motor while it was just sitting?

Surely that much oil doesn't just sit in the valve works and find a way into the cylinders, right? Though I ask that having not actually pulled any overhead valve covers off anything to take a look.

I hope none of the piston rods look like this:

1686607115003.png

I wonder about water in the motor too. It's not always a bad omen - a fellow here (@Falconair07 ) brought an M35A3 back to life that was in a flood deep enough to drown the Cat diesel. A fluids change is all it really took to get it going. Existing motor oil presumably prevented anything in the motor from seizing up.
 

87cr250r

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In my experience, rolling on the starter won't bend a rod. I'm sure it can but this has not been my experience. If it rotated at all it probably was the hydrolock that stopped it. Rusty cylinders seize solid.

Does the engine have fuel passages in the head casting? If this is the case it's normal for them to drain into the cylinder when the injector is pulled.
 
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