The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Removing Pressure Plate From Seized Engine

Hey Folks,

Hope you all had a good Christmas.
I've got a dilemma. I need the bellhousing off a seized 216. Problem is I can't remove the pressure plate because I cannot rotate it to get to the bolts. Has anyone else encountered this? Did you find a way to take the bolts out?

Thanks

Colin

This was an easy dilemma.
I had forgotten that a few months ago I filled it full is diesel. A little prying and she turned over alright. But since its a 'make work' project that shouldn't bother me :rolleyes: :p .
So I got the pressure plate off.

If anyone still has the answer i'd be interested to hear it.

Thanks.

Hy Colin, could you possibly turn the engine upside down remove the oil pan and disconnect your connecting rods, and your main bearings, and then the cam, and front block plate now you should be able to lift the crank out. Oops the engines half apart now isn't it, hope that helps.

I got the engine to turn over so I got the pressure plate of 3B. Thanks anyways.

Thats lots of work, but I guess if thats what had to be done it would work.

Thanks

I'm having the same problem... I can't rotate it to get the bolts off of my 52... the engine won't turn.. I took the spark plugs out yesterday.. I'm going to pour a little oil in each cylinder and try turning it each day to see if it helps...

I've put oil in each cylinder.. I'll try turning it each day and see what I can do with it!

Thats what I had to do to mine 3B...

Looks like you could pull the transmission to gain access to the pressure plate without turning it over.

well the transmission is off but I can't turn the pressure plate to get to the bolts.. and someone correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you have to remove the clutch/pressure plate/flywheel before I can get to the last 2 bolts on the bellhousing?

Your right Blake, all three of those things have to be off.
To loosen up your engine, pry through the starter opening at teh flywheel teeth a little back and forth. I also jammed a 2 foot screwdriver between the teeth on the harmonic balancer and worked that back and forth.

Good Luck.

Oh, and after you remove those things there will be four bolts.

Thanks Colin..

I tried it this morning and it wasn't budging at all but I'm going to keep working it and see if it loosens up..

I just got doing this. Blake, you are right. There are bolts that are holding on the bell housing that are under the flywheel. You will need to take off the pressure plate, clutch plate, and the flywheel to get to them.

To get to the pressure plate bolts that are up on the top behind the bell housing you will need to use sockets, then knuckles (socket extension knuckles), before your extension and wrench. You may need to pull the transmission (I think you said you have done this) and the shifting fork to get to the bolts but it can be done. You will need to go through this shifting fork hole to get to one bolt.

Then you can get the flywheel bolts off. When the flywheel is off you will see the top bolts.

You shouldn't have much of a problem. Just take it easy or you will loose skin off your knuckles.

Have fun.

i had this trouble once and found that we could move the stuck engine by raising the left rear wheel and turning it back and forth, with the tranny in high gear. we needed to bump it hard in either direction, but eventually the motor turned enough to loosen all the clutch bolts. rocking the vehicle back and forth on the ground with the tranny in high gear might work also if you got some help and enough space.a little oil in the pistons with the plugs out will help this ,depending on what way the engine is stuck. good luck.

FINALLY!!!! I was able to stick a big screwdriver in the hole where the starter was and turn the pressure plate (took 2 hours to turn it) but I finally got all the bolts off.. now the flywheel and pressure plate are off... That leaves the clutch and bellhousing.. thank God!

I screwed up my last 2 postings ugh...

I've removed the CLUTCH DISC and PRESSURE PLATE... now I have to remove the flywheel... how do I get that off? there are little pieces of metal folded on the edges of the bolts... and then there are 6 bolts...

Do I bend the bent pieces back a little and use a 6 point socket to remove these bolts?

Mission Accomplished! Thanks everyone for your help!

My neighbor didn't wanna wait to get the engine freed up,so he used his plasma-cutter and cut a hole for access to each pressure plate bolt.
Speed

Good to hear Blake!

Speed, sounds like your neighbour is a real patient mechanic.

Yeah-he's a riot;if he can't find the right size bolts,he just welds the part on...
speed