neighbor fun

This afternoon my two neighbors were playing with a tractor. It is an Allis Chalmers. Now it is a little bigger than a "B" and has a model C engine. The rear tires are a little wider than the rears on my CUB. Has the goofy steering rod deal down the left side. Anyhow they had it in front of his main shop and both of them were looking worried. I ask and they say the engine is stuck. All of the plugs are out and I ask if they poured a little ATF in the holes. Yes we did that a couple of hours ago. We tried pulling it down the street and even on asphalt it will not budge. They tried rocking it in gear too. Nothing doing.. Now this engine was rebuilt two years ago with new sleeves and pistons and rings so nothing should be wrong. Well being raised on a farm I say that many years ago I took one of the spark plugs{much bigger for a 450 farmall} and brazed an air fitting into it. Just screw her in and put 125 psi to it on a piston at the fire position, Well lucky for them he had the extension hose for checking compression. Screw everything together and stuck on the 125 psi hose. POP!!! and the engine turns over. They were in total shock! All better now and that C engine sounds so nice.

Kind of sounds like the starter may have been jammed in the ring gear. Not unusual on old engines. Putting in highest gear and rocking the wheels back and forth frequently pops it loose, or sometimes need to loosen starter bolts a round or two.

I agree with you John. In no way would 125 psi of air turn a stuck engine. I believe it rolled the engine back when the air was applied allowing the starter to be released from the flywheel.

So glad the both of you agree. They had taken the starter off to try a prybar. Glad you agree.