Engine wont turn over after setting timing.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

So pulled the fuel pump loosened up the cam boxes and took the timing belt back off. turning the motor over by hand I can get to TDC in one direction but shortly after the binding still happens and it will not turn over any further. The same thing happens turning the opposite way, something is still binding at about the halfway point between the combustion and exhaust phase of the number one cylinder. From listening at the top of the motor it sounds like the bind is bottom of the motor?

This is getting perplexing. When the engine reaches this "binding point", what happens if you try to turn the auxiliary shaft pulley at that point?

Based on what you've tried, the problem is not the fuel pump lever, or valves hitting, and I'm assuming the spark plugs are the right length (you could remove just to make sure this isn't an issue). The only things left are an issue with the auxiliary shaft, or something wrong in the bottom of the engine. And you do have the transmission in neutral, right...?

Do you have the distributor in the block (rather than the later style of on the exhaust cam)? Any chance something in that is hanging up?

-Bryan

[carpenduh]

It is frustrating for sure, the weird thing is the car was running great prior to taking it apart, aside from the oil leak from the cam seals that is. When the bind happens there is no change from moving the aux shaft. It moves easy and doesn't make any difference to the binding. Car is in neutral and the plugs are the same ones that were in it when it was running well with no issues. What would be in the bottom of the engine that could cause the binding? The noise when it binds does sound like its coming from the bottom?

[Nut124]

Strange. And you say this does not happen near TDC, but halfway between TDC and BDC? Does the crank turn past TDC in either direction?

Plugs out? Any chance of a foreign object in the cylinder?

Did this ever happen while trying to start the engine? Could this be due to secondary damage from such incident?

If you pulled the aux shaft, you might be able to see inside the block with a snake cam.

Check the oil pan gasket for any evidence of a windage tray in the sump. They sell ones that go between the block and the pan.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Yes, weird. Any chance you knocked off a valve head in one of the cylinders? They're pretty stout, but they don't take well to a glancing blow from a piston. This happened a while ago on this forum, with a fellow (Charlie, I think it was) who changed a timing belt and somehow managed to snap off a valve. He found it with a flexible camera attachment for his phone, laying on top of one of the pistons.

-Bryan