Shoud I be able to spin the motor by hand?

[denraweb]

Hey guys so I just did some wiring on my z that I just purchased and got the starter to engage. The issue I am having now is that the starter will engage for a fraction of a second and then stop as if it were getting stuck. When I turn the car off and try to start it again it will kick again and then stop. I grabbed a socket and 1/2" breaker bar to see if the engine would spin and it moves about 1/4" and then stops in either direction. I didn't force it because I didn't know if it should move by hand or not. Should I be worried? The car has been sitting for a long time.The tags on it are from July 2008.

Any suggestions?

[denraweb]

Also if it's just frozen from sitting would pb blaster or wd40 be a good thing?

[KornFlakeZ]

i would suggest u check the timing on the car... maybe the motor is hitting some valves or something. Or could try to spin it with the breaker bar by moving it back and forward to loosen up any rust and crud that could be in the engine.

[denraweb]

Ok I'm gonna be checking the timing tomorrow (err today). I know the Z's can be different but I'm assuming the cams have marks on them like most cars?

[t.mcginley.jr]

The timing belt has 5 marks on it, one for each cam gear (4) and one for the crank sprocket. They should all be lined up. If not, then yes the valves could be hitting pistons and preventing the engine from rotating. You should verify this first before trying to push through any resistance. You can spray some WD-40 into the spark plug holes to try and lube it up

[denraweb]

Awesome thanks. Gonna be tackling this in a few minutes

[GerryO]

Manual transmission? My '72 240Z had been garaged for 20+ years. A couple of years ago I removed all six spark plugs, squirted some Marvel Mystery Oil into each cylinder and let things sit overnight, before putting the transmission in second gear and cautiously pushing the car several feet in both directions. Things seemed to move freely.

Don't think the original Z motor is an interference engine though and a timing belt that's been sitting that long should be inspected and replaced, before going any further.

Hopefully the car wasn't sitting long with the parking brake set.

[denraweb]

Yes it is a 5 speed. That as my other idea, just putting it into gear and pushing the car. Only thing is this thing is a tank and right where my garage ends it slopes down to my driveway. I wouldn't be able to get it back in the garage lol.

Also the parking brake had been set the whole time as far as I know but works fine so far. Engages and disengages like it should.

[GerryO]

Yes it is a 5 speed. That as my other idea, just putting it into gear and pushing the car. Only thing is this thing is a tank and right where my garage ends it slopes down to my driveway. I wouldn't be able to get it back in the garage lol.

Wouldn't force anything until you know for sure that the timing is correct, by removing the timing covers to inspect the timing belt/tensioner/etc, and before lubricating things and turning the engine over by hand, with all six spark plugs removed.

[denraweb]

Oh yea of course. the timing the first thing i'm gonna do regardless. I will probably do the timing belt and water pump while I'm at it.

[denraweb]

Ok got the motor free but it seems like he transmission has an issue... When I first started working on the z the starter wouldn't turn anything, whether the clutch was in or not. Now the motor spins only when the clutch is engaged (I bypassed the clutch switch so no clutch needed to start). When I don't push the clutch in, the starter barely moves and then gives up. Even if the car is in neutral (not sure if it's even in neutral, no driveshaft). Could the transmission just be seized like the motor was from sitting? I ordered a driveshaft today so I wont have it til next week most likely so cant tell.

[GerryO]

Ok got the motor free but it seems like he transmission has an issue... When I first started working on the z the starter wouldn't turn anything, whether the clutch was in or not. Now the motor spins only when the clutch is engaged (I bypassed the clutch switch so no clutch needed to start). When I don't push the clutch in, the starter barely moves and then gives up. Even if the car is in neutral (not sure if it's even in neutral, no driveshaft). Could the transmission just be seized like the motor was from sitting? I ordered a driveshaft today so I wont have it til next week most likely so cant tell.

Wow. Driveshaft or not, you really should be able to "find" all gears, along with Neutral, and a working starter would be able to move the car if it was in gear and had a driveshaft, with the clutch pedal out and the clutch switch bypassed. The purpose of the clutch switch is to prevent the car from lurching forward or backward, if it's "started" with the transmission in gear.

Have you checked the engine oil and transmission fluid levels? Changing both of them would allow you to check for metal shavings.