Stuck Farmall M Engine

My Farmall M hasn't run since last summer, and I thought all the wiring was messed up. So I rewired it and just got finished. Everything electrical seems to work now, but the engine won't turn over. I can't even turn the crank on the front of the engine. But I have always had trouble doing that. I removed the spark plugs and squirted some oil into the pistons to see if that will free it up. What is the best proceedure to free it up?

Spray a lot of PB Blaster into the spark plug holes and try to loosen in a few days. If it was loose last year, it shouldn't take much to free them up.

You might unbolt the starter just to make sure thats not whats got it in a bind.

I would also check the starter before I do anything too radical. M's are great for the starter sticking in.

Oil NO PB blaster NO. Fill the cylinders with ATF, put the plugs back in and let ti sit a few days. #2 pull the starter to make sure it has not locked up in the ring gear which is a common problem with tractors. After a few days set a full charged 12 volt battery in pull the plugs and try the starter. Do not hold but use short fast taps of the button so it is it still locked up you do not burn up the starter. You have a fair chance it will spin over if you do as I said. I buy many tractors that are locked up and most have freed up doing what I said

Turning the engine with the crank...

The crank mechanism should turn freely on its own. It's spring loaded so you have to put the crank on, push in a little, and turn slowly to engage the tractor's engine.

If you can't turn the crank mechanism on its own, and can't push it in, it is not even touching the engine and trying it is a total waste of time.

Jack one rear wheel off the ground, put the transmission in 5th, and rock the wheel back and forth.

Also before you go dumping a bunch of junk in the cylinders, dip each one with a dry stick or wire, through the spark plug hole, to see if there is any water in any of them first.

Ok, I pulled the starter and heard it snap back in when I loosened it. But I still can't turn it over by the crank. I have some atf oil so I will try some of that in the cylinders and let it set for a few days. Then I will get the grandson to help me crank it or put it in gear and roll it some to knock it loose, if possible.

On many of the Farmalls I have the hand crank parts have sat so long and not been used they do not turn by hand so good chance that is your problem there. With the plugs out and the fan belt tight you should be able to grab the fan and turn the crank that way. I do that on all the tractors I buy the check of a locked up engine. Ya some times you have to push on the fan belt with one hand to tighten it and pull with the other hand but that does work. Yes you will not turn it much but just a little bit tells you the engine is not locked up

25 years ago I could easily put this crank on the front of the engine, push it in and rotate it to engage, and crank start the engine. Now in my elderly age, all I can do is push it in to engage it and rotate it slightly, and it stops. Even when I hang on it. The device the crank goes on rotates and slides in and out just fine, engaging on the front of the crank shaft. I already have put the ATF in the cylinders, so I think I will try jacking one tire up and rock it back and forth to see if it will break free.

Since you have the starter out, I would reach in the starter hole with a pry bar and try turning the flywheel both directions. You can get alot of mechanical advantage with a pry bar. This is the system that I use and have had good luck with stuck engines.

Don, By all means don't try pulling it to turn it over as you are at high risk of breaking internal engine components if in fact it is froze up. I would suggest using some of the comments already provided by earlier responses. Pull the plugs and tranny in neutral where you don't have a compression issue to deal with and see if you can turn the engine with the fan belt. If you still can't turn it you are probably froze up to some degree. Put some ATF as noted by old in his response and let it set several days. Jack up a rear tire and put the tranny in 5th gear and rock the wheel back and forth a little. Also, as noted trying turning the engine over (tranny in neutral) using a bar and the flywheel. If you are going to be able to free it up without tearing into the engine that should work for you. You might have to keep at it for a few weeks. I don't recall if you noted where the tractor has been stored since it was running last as that has a lot of bearing on the probability of it being frozen. We wish you luck in your endeavors and please post progress, Hal.

One question that I haven't seen asked was this tractor setting inside or outside ? If inside the ATf or a very thin machine oil should work. If setting outside you could got water into one or more of the cylinders which you will be lucky if oil will loosen it.

remove spark plugs, take compressed air and nozzle and blow as much out of cylinders as you can. let sit for an hour or so and do this again. then add penetrant, etc. and let sit for several days. oil etc floats on water, so you must be sure that no water is in cylinders, before you add anything.

I'd like to see the hoss who could damage internal engine components on an M with the hand crank. Just don't expect me to shake his hand.

this works for me 50/50 atf and acetone in cylinders place hand crank in pulling up position put handyman / hi-lift or bloomfield (what ever it's called in your area)jack to apply pressure on crankshaft. Tap sharpely repetely 5 min. let set hours tap again. Vibration is what works. This is also the method guaranteed engine release requires for their warrenty

has anyone ever thought about what all this hammering and pulling does to the dry rod brgs... maybe nothing but does them no good either.maybe eggs them and increases the clearance a few thou?
best procedure is still to take it apart.

It is like this , she is stuck either from condensation or she got water down the pipe . On and M there will be two pistons up at the top and two down as to what two are at the top of the stroke ?? don't know and when they stick like this it is a problem as it maybe a light stick and again it may be a heay stick . Old's atf and acetone is ok and PB blasters is so so but there ain't one of you that uses ZEP amd after 46 years of usen ZEP i aint going to change as (1) it is hard to get (2) it ain't cheap (3) there is NOTHING i have found better . NOW if it is a light stick like our old M did each and every year from setting in the shed under a 319 New Idea picker and only run for two to three weeks out of the year and since it was under a picker even getting to the plugs was a chore we would pull the plugs out spray about a 1/4 a can of ZEP into the holes leave the plugs out and hook a chain to it and drag it out of the shed and rehook the chain and drag it down the blacktop drive in fifth gear and lightly let the clutch out , if it had been a really damp year she would slide the back tires under the weight of the picker and a couple times of the letting the clutch out she would break free . we would leave it in fifth gear and drag it around a bit to blow out any ZEP then stick the plugs back in a light her and let it run and warm up a bit then change oil plugs points grease the picker and go pick corn. When they stick with two pistons at TDC and two at BDC HUSTON you got a problem and i do not care if you pull on the hand crank and a bar on the flywheel you are NOT GOING TO GET IT TO MOVE

Ill finally agree with you on one thing, Zep is good stuff, and it aint cheap, but is really not all that hard to find.

I would check to see what's inside of the cylinders first before I poured anything in there. Like others have said pull the starter and check it to make sure its not stuck. My M is bad for that, does it quite regular. I would have someone push the clutch in while its out and try to turn the flywheel. That would eliminate the transmission being caught up in two gears or even frozen from ice being in it.

I would check to see what's inside of the cylinders first before I poured anything in there. Like others have said pull the starter and check it to make sure its not stuck. My M is bad for that, does it quite regular. I would have someone push the clutch in while its out and try to turn the flywheel. That would eliminate the transmission being caught up in two gears or even frozen from ice being in it.

Now that you have checked the starter I would pull the valve cover and check for a valve stuck open.

Over this past summer I had finished brushhogging with the tractor and parked it outside to move some other machinery around in the barn. I left it there about a month and when I went to start it again it wouldn't start, and I noticed some of the wiring was not good. So I pulled it into the barn with my Cub tractor. I recently rewired it an then discovered the engine was stuck. I put a quart if ATF in the cylinders and let it sit for a couple of days and removed the starter and turned it over with a crow bar on the flywheel. Not to hard to do. And then I could crank it some with the hand crank on the front of the engine. But I need to do some more rotating to make it real free like it should be. It still sticks some when the middle two pistons are at the top. There doesn't appear to be any water or anything in the cylinders. Although I don't have a borescope to see well in there.

Stick the starter back on. Then pour say a 1/4 cup of ATF in the cylinders then spin it over with the starter. BTDT and never had any problems with doing them that way. By the way leave the plugs out but you may want to lay some card board across the plug side so the ATF does not shoot all over the building. BTDT and have learned not to stand on the plug side of the engine and spin it over unless you enjoy a ATF shower which I have had a few times when freeing up stuck engine