Mopar4Speed
Well-Known Member
Hi, so i have a 318 with 57k original miles on it. It ran great and I refreshed it approx 7-8 years ago. Cam looked ok, but I did replace the valves, springs and keepers. I compression tested the engine before disassembly and all were around 155, except cylinder 1 was 150. Still within spec. I put on a pertronix ignitor 3 billet dizzy and upgraded to a roller timing chain. It has been running great since the rebuild. Today when driving a short trip, about 6 miles, the car quit on me doing 30mph. I put the trans in neutral and tried to restart with the key. It just made a click sound from the starter. Luckily I was on a hill downward and I just put it in second and popped the clutch and it fired up right away, no issues or noises. Drove it extra 300 feet back to my driveway (had the same power and smoothness as normal) and I shut the car off. Tried to start it again and I get the same audible starter click. So i got my battery tester and the battery was 12.5V 749CCA (800CCA rating). So I also went through all the wires and fuses and could not find anything out of place, apart from maybe the fusible link which I haven't checked, but I don't think it's the battery or gauges/wiring. Waited for the car to cool down and jacked it up and got underneath to see if the starter was perhaps not retracting from the flywheel but it was as normal. No damage on flywheel or ring gear teeth. Car did not overheat either, gauge was in the normal range and the thermostat was open which i confirmed after checking the temps on the upper and lower hose. Engine oil is on the full and clean as well. I have yet to pull the valve cover to check for any metal filings or signs of damage. I did try to get the engine turned over by hand but it's stuck (tried going clockwise and counterclockwise). So what I'm asking from the community here is if any has experienced anything like this and has some insight on what may be going on. I am hoping the rings are not seized and thinking if maybe it could be the cam/bearings binding inside causing the engine to hang up. It ran great up until it quit the first time and ran great with no knocking or grinding after starting it with the clutch. Thank you in advance