Yes, what Larry is telling you is very important. You will want to get to the point where you can turn the engine over with the starter - the whole time with the injectors out. Make sure too that you are not standing on the drivers side of the engine when you crank it over with the injectors out and the starter turning it over.

"up trying to compress liquid if you're not careful."--Larry Bible

The next sentence to what Larry was saying is ... You can only compress liquids about 1 percent...

So something else would have to " GIVE"... and that would almost certainly be the Connecting Rod....

Greg, it was a 3" craftsman 1/2" extension.
Like I said, I hate craptsman, but that is another story.

I was using a 15" breaker bar.
BUT the injectors were still in..I know, I know, going to take them out today. ;)
When I did the valve adjusment a year ago, I was able to turn the engine with the injectors in, so I dont think that is the problem.

Larry, thanks for the advice about hydrolock.

I was told to wash the cylinder walls down with WD-40 or diesel fuel and turn it by hand until the cylinders are "dry".

Thanks for the help guys.
I will let you know what happens tonight.

Wow, now I am worried. Those were the correct tools to be using..... and it should have turned even with the injectors and glowplugs still in.
In general I like Craftsman hand tools... ( motor added is much different story ).... So maybe , hopefully that was a rare metalic anomalie.....
Good luck..... let us know as soon as you find out something...

Leather,

My bet would be that you would stall the starter with a hydrolock.

P E H

I had a Plymouth Valiant engine in a car that sat in a field for about 15 years. Every zink cast part on it was corroded: carb, fuel pump, distributor ETC.

But the crankshaft turned. This was probably due to the fact that the engine had hydraulic lifters and they eventually leaked and allowed the valves to close.

I replaced all the corroded parts from another engine that had been run dry due to a bad oil pump and installed it in the car that had been run dry. The engine that sat unused for about 15 years started up and ran good for years.

P E H

This car sat for about 5 years and started right up (after changing all fluids)

That is why this is so weird.

Oh well, I just got home, and am in the process of removing the injector hard lines...

Still stuck.

Injectors out, ATF in.

I will give it until tomorrow after work and try it again.
My mechanic buddy said it might take a few days of this...

The car must hate me...always something.

Hmmm, ATF soaked for a day and still, not even a budge.

I will give it a few days.

I dont know what I shall do next though?

PiP :(

I have been following this thread with some interest because I have a 78 240D engine I picked up for $25 (with accessories!) at a local upullit. It was someone else's return - they had pulled it from a car and returned it for some unknown reason and the management let me have it for core value. (I have already used the water pump and alternator so I have gotten my money out of it). I figured I would keep it in case my 240D threw a rod or something(?) or found a recipient vehicle needing an engine. Anyway, this engine turned with a breaker bar when I got it about 3 months ago but now has frozen. What I want to do is free it up and then do a compression test on it to see if it may be usable "as is" . There are no obvious signs of failure (holes, timing ). My question is , if I can get it free with ATF , do I run the risk of blowing up my compression tester with ATF in the cylinders? And while I am asking, what is a good way of keeping this (or any engine) from locking up? I bought some "fogging oil" but I wonder if that will work because of the prechambers. Any thoughts?

Rick

You have to spin the engine with the injectors out to clear the atf and don't be standing in the line of site of the injector holes when you do it or you will get an atf shower. Unless you spin it with a starter I don't think you will get the rpm's up enough to get good compression numbers.

"hydraulic lifters and they eventually leaked and allowed the valves to close."----PEH

That is a MOST EXCELLANT point.... because it brings up another point about storing engines a long time without running them...

One thing you don't want to do is leave a few valve springs in compression and all the others doing nothing.... this is a good way, when you do get the engine back on the road for it to strand and possibly do internal damage when a spring breaks.

If I was going away,,, and wanted to protect an engine I would put some assembly grease or heavy oil into the bore and then hire someone to turn the crank over once a month a couple of revolutions, with a degree wheel attached to the crank... and have it ' left' in a different position each time after the rotation.

I too had an old engine sit for more than a decade.... and with just the procedures mentioned by others here... it was started up and run for years.... I had not thought about the hydraulic lifters being the probable cause of none of the bores being rusted.... it was buttoned up... but this is an " ah HA" moment....

PEH, I would hope that the starter would lock first... but would worry that another cylinder might actually fire.. then catch the next down the firing line with no options except letting the rod give....

Leather,

Unlikely any cylinder would fire on first few revolutions unless the GP were used. After first few revolutions, oil would have been blown out on exhaust stroke.

I agree, the injectors or GP should removed to crank engine with starter. But the engine could be turned by hand to check for hydrolock.

P E H

My luck, that one in a million time it did fire... and bend the rod... :D

UPDATE
 

Well, not really much to say. SOSBND.

It is still stuck.

Did the ATF trick for a few weeks now.

So, guess it is off to a shop...sigh, I really wasn't budgeting this in.