MTFCA Forum

I have a 1927 coupe. It hasn’t been run for a few years. It is very hard to crank by hand and the starter has a difficult time turning it over. I was told to Jack the rear end off the ground and try cranking it , with the hand break all the way forward.
The motor now turns over by hand . As I click the hand break forward a notch at a time, it gets better, until it completely forward and , as stated, it cranks freely.
Does this sound like a transmission problem.?

George

You’d just need to jack one rear wheel off the floor. Is this coupe new to you ? Have oil in crankcase ?

George, I have had the car for a few years. My son stored it for about four years. I did change the oil. It has great spark. The gas tank has to be cleaned, the tank liner put in it, has started to leaching into the gas.

Was it parked all those years with the parking brake off? No.
The clutch is in a typically sticky condition. Get it started & good & hot & put fresh oil in. If in a cold climate, use a thinner oil. Run it again a while. The clutch will be cleaned & lubed with the thinner oil & the stickiness will be back to whatever was normal.
When parked leave the hand brake off. The next start will be much easier.

If moving the hand brake forward with one wheel off the ground allows the engine to turn more freely, it sounds like a dragging rear brake to me. The brake, or brakes, could be rusty or greasy or adjusted too tight, or all of the above. The clutch probably drags, more or less, (they all do) but with a rear wheel off the ground, it should not matter much if the clutch drags or not. The clutches all have some drag when in neutral, especially in colder weather or with thick oil in the crankcase. There are also clutch and clutch linkage adjustments that may need to be looked at. The parking brakes should be off and the clutch disengaged with the hand lever halfway forward. Moving it all the way forward will engage the clutch, which puts the car in high gear. It's best to use the right kind of oil and get the adjustments correct so that you can start the car with the wheels on the ground and the brake lever pulled all the way back to put the car in neutral and set the parking brakes. Other methods are inconvenient and more or less dangerous. If your clutch is dragging severely or your brakes are dragging, It will be a challenge to start the car, and it may run over you if it does start. If you try to start the car with the lever forward, it may run over you, or if it's up on a jack and slips off with the engine running, it can get exciting.

speedytinc wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 15, 2022 5:21 pm

Was it parked all those years with the parking brake off? No.
The clutch is in a typically sticky condition. Get it started & good & hot & put fresh oil in. If in a cold climate, use a thinner oil. Run it again a while. The clutch will be cleaned & lubed with the thinner oil & the stickiness will be back to whatever was normal.
When parked leave the hand brake off. The next start will be much easier.

What he said

High speed clutch plates stick together from sitting too long.
Jack up the rear end.
Put wheel chocks under the front wheels
Run it till it warms up, then slowly pull back on the stick and apply the parking brake. If the clutch has freed up, the rear wheels should stop turning and the engine should not stall.

"I was told to Jack the rear end off the ground and try cranking it , with the hand break all the way forward.
The motor now turns over by hand . As I click the hand break forward a notch at a time, it gets better, until it completely forward and , as stated, it cranks freely"

With the wheels off the ground, clutch drag, if present, is not an issue.

Moving the hand brake lever forward from the center position with the wheels off the ground indicates brake drag.

The clutch ought to drag with the lever all the way froward. At least, mine does.

TXGOAT2 wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 15, 2022 7:39 pm

"I was told to Jack the rear end off the ground and try cranking it , with the hand break all the way forward.
The motor now turns over by hand . As I click the hand break forward a notch at a time, it gets better, until it completely forward and , as stated, it cranks freely"

With the wheels off the ground, clutch drag, if present, is not an issue.

Moving the hand brake lever forward from the center position with the wheels off the ground indicates brake drag.

The clutch ought to drag with the lever all the way froward. At least, mine does.

So what if the brakes drag? It shouldn't matter when the trans is supposed to be in neutral. But, it isn't because his clutch is dragging.

Some may disagree with this but on the few occasions that I or friend who has had Model T’s that have sat for a real long time, I pull start them the first time carefully and slowly with another vehicle and tow rope. Gas valve on, ignition on, gas and spark levers set correctly, brake lever forward in high gear. That way when it starts you know everything is working properly without giving yourself or your starter a heart attack the first time. It has never taken more than 30 feet to get one started.
PS- Be sure you have your wits about you and push the left foot lever in a bit to neutral when the engine starts so you don’t rear end the pulling vehicle…..

Remove the spark plugs (to minimize compression), disengage the clutch plates (to allow solution between the plates), pour in a couple of quarts of “Gunk, Motor Flush” and turn it over using the crank or starter. The motor flush will penetrate between the clutch plates and soften the sticky oil. When done, engage the plates to squeeze out the solution of motor flush and old oil and drain. Pour in new oil. It should turn over much easier. Jim Patrick

If the drive train was restored be for you got the car it could be that you need a shim in the torque tube . This would take pressure off the back of the crankshaft making it easier to hand crank . I had this same problem in a rebuilt 1911 .This was the fix .

Marvel Mystery Oil. There is none finer.