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Vêtus 20-hp 3-pot diesel, late 70s I guess

Santa Fe

New member
Hi, attempting to restart above after many years in covered storage, but occasional hand movement a few degrees. Fueled up & had her turning over on starter, several minutes & close to firing. Next attempt she jammed, clunk/solid fault but not a siezed engine or soft backpressure like compression!
Can turn with tool some 290Deg. back & forth. It's like an actual metal post has got in the way of the conrod/transmission shaft or a valve dropped onto one of the pistons but no evidence of this! There was no noise or violent lurch to suggest something broke! Removed Starter Motor but nothing wrong there. Gingerly tried starting her again, but same - from max position goes 3/4 turn & stops, dead, clunk. Ideas please!!!
 
Check the valves for movement and make sure there isn't liquid in the cylinder. A valve could have stuck open. Cranking many times is adding fuel to the cylinder. A hydraulic lock can feel like a solid obstruction. Take out the injectors and try to crank by hand.
When you do get this solved, warm the engine. If it has a block heater, turn it on for a couple hours, or point a heat gun on the block. A diesel fires when the air is compressed and raises the temperature beyond the ignition point. A long sitting engine usually has the rings contract a little, lowering the compression. By heating the block, you raise the starting temperature so compression doesn't need to elevate it as much to reach the ignition temp. Don't run the engine on ether. Too much will raise the pressures beyond normal and can crack the rings. Then you'll need ether every time.
 
Thanks, but this is different! Engine rotates 290-deg, stopping abruptly, not soft or gradual, with metallic clunk, as in hitting something solid! Valves all push down with screwdriver & spring back again. Rockers operating as normal. Only thing I can think is broken crankshaft, at 'small end', which is touching side of 'pot' & jamming against bottom of piston as crank rotates it upwards! Guessing my next move is to drain & remove sump to check from below.
 
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