The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Hand crank (216)

Has anyone ever started a 216 using the hand crank... and lived to tell the tale?

i have a few times..........the trick i have found is as soon as i crank it i stop....the 216 i have starts very quick and that helps.......when its cold i pull the choke for 100% closure..it will not start if theres a little gap....then i crank it and it sputters until i can walk around and adjust choke.....i have found that when its warm it needs no choke and cranks easy......its always fun to use it.....and if you do it in front of the local wal mart you will get alot of attention

No I haven't but I've thought about it. I used it to turn the engine while setting the valves. I should have done it before I got the bumper rechromed. The crank rides on the bumper & I don't want to hurt the chrome.

I'm curious to know what happens to the hand crank when the engine fires. Does it automatically disengage or what... how does it work?

The lugs are a one-way design. They provide a 90° surface for the ears on the crank to push against when turning the engine and a tapered incline which forces the crank out of the lugs when turned the other way or when the engine starts.

once the engine fires it spits out the hand crank.....but if you try to crank it 2 revolutions it will throw the crank around...thats why i give it half-full crank then stop and actually turn the the other way so it just slips out....to prevent chrome damage on bumper i put a towel on the bumper....

seems like a good way break an arm if it throws it back around

It's a Chevy not a F&*#D the crank pulley is designed to push the crank out when the engine fires, but F*#$D's have a nut that the crank goes on and it doesn't kick out when the engine fires.
Many a broken wrist and arms with that system.
If you hand crank is riding on the bumper when you use it you are missing the support bracket that goes on the center bolt of the bumper to support the hand crank.

The dangerous situation is if the engine kicks back instead of firing in the forward direction. This locks the crank tight into the lugs, and usually breaks a wrist, or worse! To minimize the risk, always place your thumb under the crank, alongside your fingers, instead of getting a death grip on the handle. then, pull the crank up sharply 1/2 turn. DON'T push down on it!

The Model T and Model A Fords with the manual spark advance were the arm-breakers, as people would forget to retard the spark before cranking the engine! Ditto on the old Harley-Davidson bikes with the spark advance on the left handgrip, but they would launch a rider over the handlebars when he kicked the starter lever!
Jerry

I have been kicked many times by that Harley mule but never over the handlebars and have had a lot of older Hogs. At best they would throw you up and jerk your knee or hip. What I have seen and had happen once myself was to shut one off at or near TDC and when turning the switch back on it would fire and start. It was sort of like magic.

Yes, you can hand-crank your 216, but do as Hotrod Lincoln says. The ignition timing should be set pretty close to TDC, as is the spec. The kick-back problem usually occurs if the timing is too far advanced, but a cold start with insufficient choke sometimes will lead to that as well. And don't try a hot start with ether priming if you have trouble with hot starts. Turn the engine a couple of turns with the ignition off, to get the feel of the action, then get a stable stance so you don't slip, keep your knees and shins away from the crank handle, then go ahead- with the ignition on. Try it with the warm engine first. And keep your head away from the crank. It isn't as dangerous as many think it is, just be careful. And make sure the transmission is in neutral and the parking brake set. I say that because a 3- or 4-speed transmission in 1st gear will roll the vehicle slowly enough when you crank the engine that you may not notice the movement with a half turn of the crank. Or there may be no movement with the first half turn, because of gear lash. But if the engine starts with that half turn... what more do I need say. In the past, it was common to park vehicles with the transmission in 1st or reverse gear, rather than use the parking brake. This was common in northern climates because parking brake cables often froze in winter months, so old habits tend to persist.

I have cranked quite a few of those engines, and others, without any incident.

Harvester