I bought a 2003 disco last year that was in rough shape. I recently replaced rod bearings and the head gaskets. When I was trying to do first start up procedures to get oil through the engine, I took out the fuel relay and tried to start it but the starter couldn’t crank the engine. Starter smoked a little also. Trying to figure out what to do





2003 Land Rover discovery SE

blue 133000 miles

 

Can you turn the engine using a breaker bar on the crankshaft pulley?

 

no, I tried but won’t turn took spark plugs out and everything.

 

possible rod cap reversed, if so more problems may have been created with rod or bearing...

 

I hate to say it you will have to pull the pan, before after bottom end you should try turning everything with a 3/4 ratchet - plugs out. If have any significant resistance you need to recheck everything. I have seen folk do the turn after each con rod bearing and after the mains depending on how you did it

 

Yeah, likely a rod bearing half slipped down before you could tighten the bolts. Not fatal, but you will have to find the bad one.

 

In the future definitely rotate the engine after torquing each rod cap. Plastigauge is a pretty good idea, too, but won't show things like a rod that's out of round which will sometimes only show after replacing bearings. I've got a motor in my building with that issue right now. Ran fine till I replaced the bearings. Tried two different sets, and a different crank. Same three rods make it lock up when torqued down. They're out of round.

Not saying that is your issue, but it's possible. Pull the caps back off, then start to torque them back on one at a time, spinning between each.

Also, just double checking, you did make sure to get the caps back on the rods they came off of yes? They are match sets and can not be mixed up.

 

Did you remember the spacer that goes on the oil pickup tube bracket? If you forget to install spacer, lobes of crank hit tube. Yes, always rotate assembly before installing pan. Actually, rotate assenbly after each step...that way you know where you went wrong.

 

Perhaps you purchased oversized bearings by accident and are now squeezing the crank journals too much to move.