[ctfl]

I just bought a 1974 franklin cable skidder with a detroit 353 motor. It was running fine when it was parked a couple years ago. Went to start it up but the motor won't turn. With a breaker bar it will rock a little but won't turn completely. Poured some marvel oil in through the exhaust side and letting it sit overnight. Will try turning it again tomorrow. Any thoughts on where the most likely problem lies? I'm assuming the internals are corroded and rusted due to sitting. Is it possible to get it running again or am I definately looking at a rebuild or a new engine? Thanks for any input.

 

[LMJD]

Impossible to say. Sounds like you can't rotate it enough to remove the air box covers and look at the rings and piston tops for water/antifreeze. You could have a leaking quad ring letting coolant into the cylinders and it's hydro-locked. If I remember right the 53's are like the 71's and 92's, they use quad rings, fire rings and not head gaskets.

 

[Gone Fishen]

Couple of items, Remove the blower door cover and inspect the blower lobes. The blower on the 3 cyl is gear driven. Make sure that there are no obstructions there. Remove the rovcker cover and bar carefully back and forth and see if any rockers are moving. Removing the side cover and looking in is a real *****, I always used a mirror and then looked real close if possible if I had to. Was the exhaust covered? Was the oil fill covered? Was the aircleaner and related intake area's covered? SNow and rain can enter there. Did you winterize the engine before shutting down? Was antifreeze used during normal operation? It is possible that the weather has entered the piston/liner area and removal of the cylinder head and cylinder kits will be necessary. Perhaps an inframe overhaul is needed. The rocking baclk and forth indicates the crankshaft is moving but the inside partts are not. Just a few ideas.

 

[rkegley]

hi all, I have a Detroit Diesel 353 early 1970's. motor was running fine one minute and next was running wide open. had to use emergency shut off. what would cause this?

 

[LMJD]

The rack linkage could have come undone or be bound up somewhere along the line anywhere from in the governor to the injectors. It would be a matter of inspection for something obvious, pull the valve cover, gov cover, etc.

 

[Demogod]

I'm hoping that someone will still be around on this thread. I have a Clark Ranger 666 cable skidder with a Detroit non-turbo 4-53. I'm having a very similar issue. After checking fluids and after a long repair of the front axles shearing, she was back up and running. Driving normal. Then I let off the throttle and she dies. happened once before but then I assumed not enough fuel for the pickup at the angle it was. Next, it wouldn't turn over with starter. Using bar I got it to turn over in counter-clockwise. Took off valve cover, observed lifters moving somewhat except # 3. Only the center lifter would move a little. However, I don't have much more than a 1/4 revolution available.

Is she hydro-locked due to sitting during repair? Flattened Cam? I also removed the blower intake and saw no apparent issue with it. It thunks at each point I'm unable to continue rotation. Sounds like something binding up kinda near the flywheel. Any thought's before I tear into it completely?

 

[klhansen]

Probably not hydrolocked from sitting if it was running afterward, especially if it died while it was running. I'm going to guess that something broke inside the motor.

 

[Demogod]

Probably not hydrolocked from sitting if it was running afterward, especially if it died while it was running. I'm going to guess that something broke inside the motor.

Thank you for responding sir. I'm thinking a valve or a broken rod. Is there anything between trans and motor that could possibly bind? I personally cannot think of anything.

 

[klhansen]

Nothing that I know of between engine and transmission that would lock up the engine.