[cbrewster]

rebuilt hard to crank (high engine resistance); need advice
I have just finished putting my 88 Toyota Supra back together and the engine is labouring to start. I bought the supra with a damaged 7mge...it had spun a rod bearing. I bought a replacement 7mgte out of an 87 Supra, re-built it and dropped it into the 88 Supra. I reconnected the original automatic transmission off the 88 and have recently tried to start it for the first time.

Initially I started the car with the spark plugs removed and let it crank for approximately 15 seconds to get the oil pump moving. The engine cranked normally for this amount of time and everything sounded good. I then replaced the spark plugs and tried to start the motor. Initially the engine cranked normally and it seemed to want to start however, pretty soon the engine started to drag and it acted like it was not getting enough power to the starter. Thinking that the battery was just going dead I put it on a charger and returned the next day to try again. The next day I tried to start the motor only to have the same results...the engine labored to turn and it seemed like the battery was half dead.

The next day I borrowed two extra batteries from work and with three batteries connected, I tried to start the engine again. I had the same results with the engine experiencing high resistance to turn. At one point I measured 800 amps (yes that number is correct) into the starter. It was after this point I stopped and realized that something was causing the engine to have high internal resistance.

What could I have done during rebuilding the motor and installing the transmission to cause it to be hard to turn? I tried turning the crank pulley with a wrench and found it impossible to turn...should the crank be easy to turn by hand with a wrench? (I am pretty sure it should be but I am just double checking).

Obviously I have taken all precautions and took the proper steps during my rebuild...I am using heavy weight oil in the motor and there are no leaks in the system. I cannot check the oil pressure with a manual gauge at this point because the engine will not crank. Is there another way to see if the oil pump is working?

Any advice in helping me trouble shoot this problem will be greatly appreciated.