1963 or 64 Ford 400 select-o-speed Locked up

Hey Everyone first time poster. I recently bought my first ford tractor. I believe it is a 1964 model. I bought it off a guy for next to nothing knowing that it had not ran in 10+ years. engine and all fluids looked good and seemed like it would require little effort to have it up and running. Once I got it dragged out and home to my shop and started going through everything before I tried to turn it over I found that the engine is seized, I can not get any movement from the crank. I do not believe it is in the engine but rather the select-O-speed transmission. It is apparently locked in a gear, unknown what gear, I was told buy the guy i bought the tractor from that it can only be shifted while the engine is running. I am not familiar with these transmissions at all and any help would be greatly appreciated to help me try to figure out what could be locked up. I have novice experience with tractors. but turn wrenches on cars and trucks regularly basis.
 
Probably you mean a Ford 4000. A decent chance it is not locked in gear. Get the engine serial numbers, also the transmission numbers off
the tractor and obtain a shop manual. It is imparative to have the manual for THAT tractor to trouble shoot the SOS problem. You do not need
the tractor running to move the shift selector. Either neutral or park position should free the crank, if your selector connections are operative.
 

"you got it dragged out" - Man, I hope you disengaged the traction coupling first. Little lever by your left heel while sitting on the tractor next to the hydraulic reservoir dipstick. Even so, if the engine isn't running, I don't think the transmission would keep the engine from being rotated by hand. Have you pulled the plugs out and tried rotating the engine with the front pulley?
 
Whenever the engine is not running, the Select-O-Speed transmission puts itself in Park. The transmission input shaft should be able to spin when in Park and should not cause the engine to not be able to turn. When it is in Park you do need to move the traction disconnect handle to the disconnected position to be able to roll the tractor, but that is only because the output shaft of the transmission will not turn while in Park, not the input shaft.

Why do you think it is the transmission rather than the engine that is the problem? After sitting 10 years, I would bet that it is the engine and not the transmission. Even if it has been kept indoors the whole time and everything on the outside looks fine, there is probably some amount of rust inside the cylinders.

Have you looked into the cylinders to see if there's any rust? If it's a gasoline engine, I would pull the spark plugs and put a few ounces of ATF into each cylinder and let them sit like that while you try to turn the engine by hand a couple of times a day. May take several tries over several days, but it should loosen up eventually. If not you've only invested a little bit of ATF and a few days time, and then you can decide to either split the tractor to prove that it is or is not the transmission causing the problem (my bet would still be on the engine) or pull the head to see if the cylinders have more than just a little rust in them.

If the problem is in the transmission then there's nothing you can do without splitting the tractor to remedy the problem anyway, but why do that until you're sure it's not the engine?
 
Agree with Sean, below. It's highly unlikely that the S-O-S transmission is preventing the engine from rotating.

Suspect rusted valves/guides.

Dean
 
You have some good advice from both Tequila and sean in PA. I just cringe when I remember about 8 years ago, an acquaintance of mine was given a 671 SOS that wouldn't shift, the shift lever wouldn't move. His fix, before I could get over there, was to skid the tractor backward a quarter mile down the road to his house, attempt to remove the transmission top cover without finding out the method of disconnecting the PTO and shift lever cables. He ended up cutting them with bolt cutters, then spent some quality time with visegrips cobbling up the shift drum. That tractor ended up sitting out in a field for a year or so before it went to the scrapyard. :(
 
I have to agree with the others is it not the transmission. The SOS is a hyd drive set up so no running no direct hook up between the 2 of them.

Pull the spark plugs and do a wick test to make sure the cylinder are not full of water or some other liquid. If full of water you are going to end up opening it up and rebuilding the engine. If the cylinders are dry fill them up with ATF and let it set a week. Then after a week set a 12 volt battery in it pull the plugs back out put them back in while waiting to keep stuff out. Then use short fast taps on the starter bottom while watching the crank pulley for movement. I have free up many many engines doing that
 
(quoted from post at 13:27:38 01/04/17) I have to agree with the others is it not the transmission. The SOS is a hyd drive set up so no running no direct hook up between the 2 of them.

Pull the spark plugs and do a wick test to make sure the cylinder are not full of water or some other liquid. If full of water you are going to end up opening it up and rebuilding the engine. If the cylinders are dry fill them up with ATF and let it set a week. Then after a week set a 12 volt battery in it pull the plugs back out put them back in while waiting to keep stuff out. Then use short fast taps on the starter bottom while watching the crank pulley for movement. I have free up many many engines doing that

I would add one thing to old's method. Make sure that the traction disconnect is in the disconnected position before you try to turn the engine with the starter. No telling what gear it might want to try to drop into once the engine is spinning, regardless of what the gear selector says, and you don't want it trying to roll on you.
 
(quoted from post at 09:54:02 01/04/17)
"you got it dragged out" - Man, I hope you disengaged the traction coupling first. Little lever by your left heel while sitting on the tractor next to the hydraulic reservoir dipstick. Even so, if the engine isn't running, I don't think the transmission would keep the engine from being rotated by hand. Have you pulled the plugs out and tried rotating the engine with the front pulley?

It was dragged on with traction coupling engaged. I was told it was disengaged but i foind put it was not once i had it in my shop and did more reasearch. Hopefully it didnt cause much damage it was only dragged about 10ft onto a rollback
 
i have the tractor up on jack stands and have had the cylinders soaking in ATF for 3 days now. It is a gas engine. The cylinder wallblook good frim what i can see through the plug holes. I will keep soaking it and trying to get it to turn. Thank you everyone for the input as i have no clue when it comes to this transmission this is the first tractor i have ever worked on with one.
 

Be careful. As several have said, be sure the traction disconnect is in disconnect position. As an added precaution hold down inching petal when cranking. Don't assume the neutral switch is operative. It's only supposed to start in Park. In spite of some bad reviews it's a fine transmission.
 
If the transmission drive is not disengaged it will not roll freely and dragging it is not at all good and can break parts like axles etc. The drive lock is on the left hand side about where you left foot heel would be if you where siting on the tractor
 
Yep that or have one or both rear tires off the ground when you try to spin the engine over
 
Also if it has a vertical exhaust pour as much ATF down it as you can to the point it starts leaking out some place. Doing that will get the ATF to the exhaust valve so if any of them are sticking it will help free them up
 
I have freed up well over 30 engines and so far I have only had one that had a bent push rod when I was done. But if was also bent before I even started messing with it
 
Once you have the rocker arm cover off, tap the valves from above with a brass hammer to see if any are stuck.

I suspect that you will find stuck valves.

Dean
 
Hey guys just an update. I got it free yesterday after soaking the head with ATF. I hopefully will have it running in the next day or so.
 
(quoted from post at 12:05:57 01/07/17) Hey guys just an update. I got it free yesterday after soaking the head with ATF. I hopefully will have it running in the next day or so.

Great ! Keep us posted on how things work out for you.
 

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