The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Sneaky tight engine trick.

So you have a tight engine which you can barely turn trying to remove the 6 pressure plate bolts.
Guess what? You only need to turn the flywheel 120 degrees in order to remove all 6 bolts with a half inch drive air impact tool and a long extension.
How so, you may ask?
You remember that door plate held on by 2 stovebolts at the top of the bellhousing? Take it off.
If you turn the engine over with a pry bar until you reach the tight spot, then back it off until a bolt can be seen through that top hole, you can remove that one with a you air impact as well as the bolt directly below the bellhousing.
Now turn the engine 60 degrees, take off 2 more bolts, then turn it another 60 degrees and remove the last 2 bolts.
That is a total of 120 degrees, or one third of a revolution to remove all 6 bolts with a power tool.

What if the flywheel won't turn at all, like at least 90% of the locked-up engines I encounter?
Jerry

I successfully freed an antique Lawn Boy piston by adapting a grease fitting to the spark plug hole. Pressure from the grease gun is no joke.

I don’t know if it would work on a truck engine. Have to have the head on, and valves closed, of course.

One thing to consider when trying to free up a stuck stovebolt- - - - -those connecting rods aren't exactly bulletproof. Either a long pry bar on the flywheel teeth, or a block of hardwood and a BFH on the pistons can, and often do end up with some bent connecting rods before the pistons free up. Always get the rods checked for bending and twisting after doing some energetic persuasion on a stuck engine.
Jerry

Far be it from me to suggest that all stuck engines can be freed up, but if you get it to begrudgingly turn with a long pry bar on the flywheel teeth, you only need one third of a rotation to get the pressure plate off and get to the flywheel to take it and the bellhousing off so that you can remove the crank and work on freeing up the pistons one at a time with the crank out of the way.

If an engine is that tight, most likely the cylinders are trashed. Cut the tops out of the pistons with a big hole saw- - - -the engine is going to need to be rebored anyway.
Jerry