[maddogmodl]

I pulled the 327 out of my '67 chevy wagon about 2 years ago. It ran OK when I pulled it out, but I wanted to put in a built 350 that I had. Do to the economy and kids in college, it's time to sell the beast. Before throwing the old 327 back in, I rolled it over and installed a new oil pan gasket (the old one had about an inch missing by the fuel pump from before I owned it). It was upside down on the engine stand for 3 days. Now that it's in the car, I can not get it to start. The timing was never changed and the carb is still able to pump in fuel. So I did a comprission check, and found 0 in the 4 cyclinders I checked. Could the oil have drained out of the lifters so the valves are not opening? If so, is there an easy way to pump them back up? I hate to sell it with a non running engine. Any help will be appriciated.

[matt167]

prime the oil pump, then try it again... but really 0 on 4 cylinders sounds more like a broken tester

[maddogmodl]

I have a mechanical gage I am going to hook up in place of the sending unit. A friend loaned me a shaft to drive the pump. That will be my project for tomorrow. And I guess I will be buying a new gage. Thanks

[fast68]

cna you feel air sucking in or pushing out of spark plug holes when you turn the engine over by hand ??

you should do that simple basic check then to see if there is any compression at all and tell you if your tester is good or junk

an engine sitting over many years is no reason for it to lose compression

i have fired up a billion engines that sat dry untouched for over a decade or two, and never once had an issue like this.

so its no excuse IMHO

change the oil put a new filter on and new gas maybe new plugs and a good carb put gas down the carb and fire it up

i never prime the oil system either.

theyve always fired up and run just fine, if they ran when last shut off

unless timing or order is wrong or carb is locked up


most of the time they smoke kinda bad or pretyt bad for a while initially but that goes away after a little while running


if it was known good running last it ran and you didnt mess with firing order or timing etc and it has a good carb on it for sure then you shoulkd be able to pour some gas down the carb throttle and fire it right up



only 2 years ago is no excuse

it should fire right up

the lifters will pump right up when it fires up if the oil pump works

no worries there.,



good luck

[curtis73]

If the hole in the pan happened two years ago, it could be a real problem. Humidity has had free access to the cylinders for two years. My guess is that a few cylinders (the ones stored with their pistons up) let rust run rampant in there and destroyed ring seal the first time it was cranked.

The other possibility is that you didn't lube the cam lobes before you turned it and they wiped flat... but that typically takes a while. You should get SOME compression in those cylinders even if they're almost completely flat.

Even a completely dry lifter will open the valves. The lifter's piston travel is far less than the lobe lift of the cam. Even if you removed the spring from the lifter, the piston travel would be taken up in less than 10% of the lobe lift. Its not possible for even a completely collapsed lifter to offer no lift.

[DoubleVision]

If you get the engine to start make sure you cycle it as you would a new engine, if not your asking for the cam to be wiped out. In many cases over the years when engines sat and were later restarted and weren`t cycled it wiped the cam out in a short time, especially in small block Chevy`s.
There`s also the possibility you may have some stuck rings, you may want to pour some marvel mystery oil in each cylinder and let it soak overnight.

[k-star]

The very first thing to do is, put that tester in a engine that runs and make sure the compression gage is working.

Is it possible that you backed all the rockers off when you stored the engine??? And forgot that you did it??

I have been around some busted up engines and i can't say that i have ever seen zero compression in one cylinder let alone 4.

Priming the oil system is a good idea but thats not the problem, even if all the lifters are out of oil ( and i doubt they are) they will still open the valves enough to start the engine/have compression.


Keith

[cobalt327]

Originally Posted by maddogmodl

I did a comprission check, and found 0 in the 4 cyclinders I checked.

A piston and cylinder on its last legs will pump something- even w/o rings you should get 10-20 psi.

So I'm agreeing w/it being a bad gage.

Like DV said- MM oil will loosen those rings up, should they be varnished/gummed up some, plus will provide some top-end lubrication for the initial start-up, before the oil gets circulating and the engine is running fast enough to "splash lube" the cylinder walls.

MM oil can also help if there's some surface rust on the cylinder walls. "Sanding" it off w/the dry rings isn't a good thing. The gasket missing for a couple inches on the pan rail might not have been the best thing, but IMO, unless there was water getting right on it (rain, etc.) there might not be too much internal rust. At least for your sake I hope not!

Changing the oil and filter and priming the engine before starting is always a good idea, but I too, have started engines up after years of inactivity w/o priming them and have (so far) gotten away w/it.

Usually, what will happen (if anything) when starting up an engine that has sat, is the valve stem seals will have dried up and become brittle- so they will fall off shortly after restarting the engine. Later on, you may notice the timing chain cover seal and the rear main seal seeping some (more) oil. The mechanical fuel pump diaphragm can become brittle and stiff and can fail, along w/any other rubber seals/diaphragms (carb, etc.).

A tune-up, fresh fuel and replacing maintenance items like the PCV valve, fuel and air filters are a given.

[maddogmodl]

Thanks guys for all of your info. The shop I went to for a new compression gauge had me talk to there machine shop (this is a true old parts house with a shop for rebuilding anything). The old guy that only rebuilds heads told me it's a rare one, but pull the valve covers and check the push rods. He was right! After pulling them I found 14 were bent. A good tap with a brass hammer on each valve (2 were a bit more like a smack) and the valves are loose. I installed new pushrods a what a surprise, the old compression gauge shows 80-85 lbs on all cylinders. The engine fired up and sounds great. I do have a leak in the side of the carb though. A rebuild of that and she should be a great find for someone wanting an old long roofed rod.
Thanks again
Bob

[Deez]

Nothing like a good wackin'

[k-star]

Originally Posted by maddogmodl

Thanks guys for all of your info. The shop I went to for a new compression gauge had me talk to there machine shop (this is a true old parts house with a shop for rebuilding anything). The old guy that only rebuilds heads told me it's a rare one, but pull the valve covers and check the push rods. He was right! After pulling them I found 14 were bent. A good tap with a brass hammer on each valve (2 were a bit more like a smack) and the valves are loose. I installed new pushrods a what a surprise, the old compression gauge shows 80-85 lbs on all cylinders. The engine fired up and sounds great. I do have a leak in the side of the carb though. A rebuild of that and she should be a great find for someone wanting an old long roofed rod.
Thanks again
Bob

Help me understand this, stuck valves caused bent push rods???

Keith

[bobjob]

try squirting a little penetrating oil in thru spark plug holes.. turn over and check again.. rings stuck..

[T-bucket23]

Originally Posted by k-star

Help me understand this, stuck valves caused bent push rods???

Keith

14 of them no less.

[joe_padavano]

Originally Posted by k-star

Help me understand this, stuck valves caused bent push rods???

Keith

What's not to understand? If the valve is stuck and the lifter pushes up on the pushrod, SOMETHING is going to bend or break.

[k-star]

Originally Posted by joe_padavano

What's not to understand? If the valve is stuck and the lifter pushes up on the pushrod, SOMETHING is going to bend or break.

Glad you pointed that out...now it's clear to me..

Keith