Garage Storage Organization and Garage Cabinets

rtcabal · **weird motor seizure**

hey guys,

so i've a seized motor that i pulled today. i was surprised to see that the rods and bottom end all looked fine. the culprit? the thin plate between the tranny and the engine was all sorts of mangled. granted, when it happened, it made a noise like no other i'd heard...

anyhow, i have a beautiful motor ready to be stabbed, and i just want to make sure that this doesn't happen again. i know that the guy who had it before had both the motor and tranny out at one time, so maybe he did something funny?

let me know if you've seen this before and if i should worry about it. oh, i am going to use the tranny that i just pulled, so i guess that's what's promting my questions...

thanks,
taylor

NAJ · 05-30-2007, 09:34 PM

If we are talking about an Auto Trans then you are refering to the Torque Converter Drive Plate(aka.Flex Plate).These Plates are Prone to Cracking and or Bolts Vibrating Loose.I have never seen one come completly apart because they usually make a noticable Knocking/Clicking Noise when they Crack.
I am not a Trans Expert so Someone will chime in and let you know if there is anything you should check such as Torque Converter,Front Pump,Etc and what you may be able to do to help prevent this from happening again.

phantomrt · 05-30-2007, 09:54 PM

Oh wow... that metal plate would REALLY have to get mangled up to actually lock the engine in place.

Last time I had the transmission out of the daytona, I didn't overlap the top and bottom plates properly, so I got this rapid clicking noise when the engine was cold, and the clutch was pressed in all the way. Let off the clutch, noise gone. Once the engine was warm, the noise would never occur. In my case, there must have been JUST enough crankshaft endplay to make those parts touch. Once the engine warmed up, the dimensions of something changed just enough for it to never make contact also. Try to diagnose that problem. Just re-positioned the inspection shield properly, problem is gone.

NAJ · 05-30-2007, 09:58 PM

Was the engine actually siezed or would it just not crank because the converter was locked up with the flex plate?

rtcabal · 05-31-2007, 12:39 AM

ok ok...

it was NOT the flex plate. there's a thin metal plate between the transmission bellhousing and the engine. i guess its more of a 'guard'...

seems like one of the bolts on the flex plate started hitting it--as i said it was a weird noise --and then it just got mangled. yes, this motor was seized: i couldn't turn it with the starter nor by hand.

when i first pulled it, i dropped the oil pan expecting something cool. nope. then, too far to stop (and with a pretty replacement in my bedroom), i pulled it, then had trouble with the tranny... lo and behold. maybe i'll take some pictures...