49 Vert. What did I do?

[Guest partshound60]

The other day I was jacking up the drivers side of my 49 convertible to do some brake work when I heard a loud pop from under the car. I did a visual of the under side of the car but could not see anything broken, cracked, etc..

After finishing the brake work I let the car back down and jumped in to start it

and pull it out of the garage. Nothing! The starter and everything are working fine, but it is like the flywheel will not turn (locked up). Any ideas what I may have done?

Thanks for any input.

[buick5563]

Was there smoke? Smells? Where did you place the jack? When you try to start it, what happens?

[Guest partshound60]

Placed the jack on the frame rail on the drivers side. Have done this who knows how many times before witout problems.

No smoke or smells. It reminds me of when you have a low battery when you try to start it. The starter engages but will not spin the flywheel. It is locked up.

Thanks again for any input.

[JohnD1956]

It would be hard to imagine the starter turning fine without the flywheel spinning UNLESS: the solenoid has become disconnected.

Have you tried to turn the engine by hand with a socket on the harmonic balancer? That would immediately tell you if the engine is free or stuck.

If it's free to turn, then I'd imagine you would have to pull the starter.

If it's not free, check back for more suggestions, as there could be multiple sources of problems.

[JohnD1956]

Another thought is maybe you had the jack under the oil pan inadvertantly, and crushed it so a crank journal is hitting it now?

[Guest partshound60]

Sorry, should clarify. Starter engages but does not spin. The motor will not turn. Im guessing maybe the issue is in the transmission ?

The jack was on the outside rail under the drivers side. So it was not close to the trans, oil pan etc.. ?

I do know it's time to buy a lift.

Thanks for any thoughts on this .

[JohnD1956]

I would still try to spin the motor by hand to see if it is locked up. With the breaker bar you could turn the engine forwards and backwards. If you are unable to turn it, pull all or most of the plugs out to reduce compression. If it won't spin when the plugs are out then something must have gone wrong with the clutch.

One of the BCA members had a cracked bellhousing on his 50. I think he said he had a lot of clutch chatter before it actually broke all the way.

[Pete Phillips]

Maybe the battery picked that moment to die? I;ve had them go out very suddenly like that.

Standard transmission or Dynaflow? Will the car roll in neutral?

Pete Phillips

[pirate]

I am thinking the problem with starting has nothing to do with your brake repair. The loud noise while jacking is common with a floor jack. The jack sometime has to adjust itself to the frame with a pop sound as the car weight is put into it or maybe your coil spring slid a bit as you tilted the car off to one side.... I am thinking your problem simply picked this particular time to show itself to you. First make sure the battery is suffient. If ok, then get into the starting system. Lets hope it isnt a seized engine which is unlikely but you can check it anyhow by manually turning the engine a little.