How do I Rotate the Engine by Hand?

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dodgedart1968

dodgedart1968

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Amston, CT
1968 Dodge Dart

I have my slant stripped down for restoration work. All of the accessories and the spark plugs have been removed. I can't see any way to use a tool to turn the engine. There are no bolt heads on the crankshaft pulley. I used my borescope to look for a socket drive purchase in the center of the crankshaft, but I did not see one. I grabbed the crankshaft pulley to attempt to turn it by hand, but was unable to rotate it.

How do you turn the engine manually?

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Not all slants had a balancer bolt from the factory, although the crank is tapped for one. It is a 3/4-16 bolt about 2 - 2 1/4 inches long. It's the same balancer bolt used on the big and small block Mopar engines.
 
I didn't see any threads with the borescope, but it was well rusted in the cavity. I'll give it a try. Thanks for the info.
 
Threads are there. You need to clean them out really good and get a crank bolt from a big block or to the hardware store and get a grade 8 3/4-16 bolt and thick flat washer. I believe between 2 - 2 1/4 will do the job. Best to measure.
 
Find two bolts the same thread as the crank flange [ probably 7/16" ]. Screw them in 180* apart. Use a pry bar or similar across the bolts to rotate the engine.
 
Go under the car your back and grab the harmonic balancer with two hand and turn it like a steering wheel. It should spin easily . I can do it a 340 with the plugs in from the top . If it doesnt move something ain't right .
 
If it's not moving by hand from underneath at the flywheel you can always use a screwdriver and pry the teeth from the bell housing... It's slow but it'll move.
 
Bewy said:
Find two bolts the same thread as the crank flange [ probably 7/16" ]. Screw them in 180* apart. Use a pry bar or similar across the bolts to rotate the engine.
Click to expand...

And the winner is....Bewy! (It's actually a 3/8-16 bolt.) Easy and effective - Thx.
 
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