Unexplained Ford-Lehman Shutdown

[jan bogart]

Good Morning All... We are rebuilding/refurbishng an 1977 Marine Trader 44. The motors are Ford-Lehman 120 hp six cylinder rusty brutes. Lots of unknown engine hours. During the delivery south, the stbd unit began making loud banging noises. There were no indications of problems from the fly bridge - No alarms, normal gauges, no vibration etc. The unit ran at normal RPM until I trottled back to investigate the noise. A I took it out of gear, the motor ground to a halt.

I can move the crank through about 1/2 revolution with a breaker bar and socket. The starter will not crank the motor. There is still full coolant in the expansion tank, and full unburnt oil in the sump.

Local mechanics have told me that it is quite possible that the damper plate located at the tranny/motor interface lost its springs and jammed up the motor. I have not heard of this before.

Anyone out there with similar experience? Suggestions? I would rather hope for a simple solution rather than a total rebuild.

jan bogart

[Blue Stocking]

Dropped a valve head, broken rocker arm, split crankshaft weight, -- sounds expensive. Good luck

[ActiveCaptain]

I wouldn't mess around with mechanics yet. Go to the source of the engine for info - American Diesel:
http://www.amerdsl.com/

American Diesel Corp
PO Box 1838 (Rt. #3 North)
Kilmarnock, Va. 22482
Phone: 804.435.3107 Fax: 804.435.6420