I just acquired a 1976 Dodge Aspen Sedan in awesome condition with the single-barrel carb. slant 6, but not running. I threw a battery in and checked all the lights and electronic stuff, then tried to crank the engine. It was sold to me as non-running so I didn't have too high of expectations. I hit the key and "clunk", the lights dimmed but nothing but the "clunk". I checked a few minor things and came back and tried it again and this time it cranked a little bit then "clunk". I pulled the plugs and they are in good shape, then I turned the crank by hand and it turns 180 degrees and stops. I am not a master mechanic, but a master tinkerer, so what should be my next move?

Take a look under the car and see if the pan is caved in. Unlikely, but possible. Inspect the side of the block under the intake/exhaust stack. Any visible cracks?


Another possibility is a stuck valve. Pull the valve cover, remove the rocker shaft and see if any of the valves stay open. If that's the case, pull the head off and rebuild. As long as your there, timing set, and might as well rebuild at this point.
If your of a mind to modify things, study the Engine build Matrix located in the FAQ in this section. Also go to the Home button, then peruse the articles. If you plan to build Horse Power, this would be the ideal time to do it.

I'm going to toss a WAG at: Pull the engine and find out which rod bearing let go. :shrug:

If the engine is toast, you will be able to find one here with little effort. If the crank and block are good, these engines are fairly easy to rebuild. Get an FSM (Factory Service Manual) and dive in! The water's fine!

Good Luck!

CJ

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Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

Is it possible that the timing chain is snapped and a piston is hitting a valve? Another armchair mechanic friend of mine suggested the possibility. I'm just wanting to check things in order of simplicity. The simple things before the pulling of the engine, you know what I mean??

Highly unlikely unless the deck has been cut. A lot.
Most stock slant pistons are down the hole at least .14x"
In most cases, they will be below the deck .18x"
Even with zero deck, the lift of a stock cam is so small that the valve would have a heck of a time contacting a piston.

Pull the distributor cap and see if the rotor turns when you rock the engine back and forth. If the rotor turns, the chain is likely intact. If it's balled up on top of the gear, it could be hanging the crank up with the cover.


CJ

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Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

Thanks for the info. I'll dig into it tomorrow after work!

inspect pan and block cracks,holes or caved in....remove plugs,valave cover and dist cap ....turn engine over by hand ...watch rotor and valve train

Eureka, we have found it! Unfortunately, what we found is a hole in the block. Anyone know where I can get an engine that is semi-close to southern Iowa????

www.car-part.com , searchable used auto parts clear across North America (and you can narrow in on your area). Do several searches to cover all the workable engines: search '76 Dodge Aspen, '79 Dodge Aspen, '73 Dodge Dart, and '83 Dodge D150.

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