locking up the crack

[45 lt80]

The problem is when I tighten up the drive gear on the 30ft-lb The crank is locked up. It has a new crank in it could the crank be wrong. It a hot rod crank.

45lt80

[jon370r]

Are you missing the crank seal spacer that goes behind the gears?

[45 lt80]

The seal is there? The shop that did the bottom end build has not return my call yet. THat is were i stand now...

45lt80

[Aceman]

He's not talking about the crank seal, but the spacer that fits over the crankshaft. Is there a big gap between your crank and the crank seal, if so, you're missing the spacer.

[45 lt80]

What do I need to look at next? The spacer is there. :confused:

45lt80

[Aceman]

Are you using a manual and putting this back together step-by-step?

It goes crank-spacer-drive gears-washer-bolt. You have all these parts installed in this order? Do you have the counterbalancer bearing retainer facing the right direction and not sandwiched under the primary drive gears? If all this is correct, then I have no idea what else it could be.

[45 lt80]

Thank You AceMan. I didn't think about the bearing retainer. I'll look when i get home.

45lt80

[C-LEIGH RACING]

Paul,
Most of the times when a new crank has been installed in the bottom end, it will be in the left case half as it can go & then when you put those gears on the crank & tighten the bolt up it pulls the crank in kind of a bind.
You can take a rubber mallet, put the nut on the flywheel side of the crank & then wrap the end of the crank & it will move the crank just a bit.
You dont need to hit it real hard, just a few pops & then checking it after each hit to see if it rotates free.

Never had a crank lock up completely from just from installing those gears or from the crank being all the way to one side.
Neil