HEllo folks,

Eight two degrees got me outside yesterday playing with a slant six that was rebuilt in September and stashed in my garage until now waiting for a use. I put on one of the Denso type high torque starters (engine on stand) and to my surprise the starter would not turn the engine with 6 plugs in the head. So, removing one plug at a time I found the engine turns slowly with three plugs in. It spins freely with no plugs in. So I tried another, new, Denso with same results. This morning I am going to try the old Mopar starter. But before I waste a bunch of time I figure some one else here has had this problem too. The only lube while in storage was the thin oil used while honing cylinders.No oil in pan and engine had new solid lifters and pushrods and new valves, springs and seals. The bearings are torqued to spec and the engine does turn freely with no plugs.

Do I need to put about 1/8 cup of oil down each plug hole and spin with no plugs in...or what other easy thing would y'all check...I sure don't want to pull the head unless I have to.

Thanks!
rock
'64d100

Before you get too involved, use the KISS theory(keep it simple, stupid). Make sure your battery is good and fully charged. Good tight clean connection on both ends of both battery cables. Don't guess, or assume, check/test them. And the negative cable going to the block, and another heavy gauge wire going to the body.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

It sounds like a timing issue to me. There is nothing in putting the spark plugs that would add friction, therefore it has to be compression which points to timing - or a starter with low torque but the denso starters are reputed to be little torque monsters.

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David Kight
'62 Valiant Signet, White
'98 Dodge Dakota
'06 Jeep Liberty

Growing older is unavoidable but growing up is strictly optional.

Could only be a timing issue if the ignition system were hooked up, which does not sound like the case to me (clarification, please?). It reads to me as if the effort was just to turn over an engine on a stand, not to start it.

Battery condition and battery cable condition are prime suspects. A faulty cable (internally broken or corroded, poor connection at either end) may pass enough current to allow the starter to turn the engine without compression load, but not with compression load. Swapping different starters around likely will not address the problem.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Another vote for low battery voltage or poor connections/bad cables.

Wow guys!
Thanks for the thinking...I love that KISS deal, but after going part way start complicating things in my mind.

Yes, engine was just on a stand, never run, with timing set only by degreeing cam while installing new cam, valves and crank. No distributor even in the block, I was just idly going to bolt in a Denso and spin the engine over to hear it and be sure it was free. Also used brand new battery that I checked specific gravity with hydrometer before attaching.....with sorry cables!

Because the stand was inside on stand I put battery on floor beside it and hooked it up with, yes, I am red faced here....with some short pieces of 12 gage home electric wire I had in the shop, since I didn't have battery cables a few feet long from floor to starter. I had a great ground, but of course a darn 12 gage wire won't carry the current a 2 gage cable will carry. I will do this right and report back!

Red faced but glad I asked!
rock
'64d100

Yep, 12 gauge wire will cause that exact problem. I discovered this when I swapped my engine and forgot to hook the beefy ground wire to the block; only had the body ground wire hooked up. If you put a serious load on it, things will start smoking.

I guess I'd better learn to read more carefully. I missed the part where the engine was on a stand and was assuming (yes I know what that means and it's true ) that it was in the car.

_________________
David Kight
'62 Valiant Signet, White
'98 Dodge Dakota
'06 Jeep Liberty

Growing older is unavoidable but growing up is strictly optional.