Engine died under load...starter cord won't budge. Engine had oil. I'm thinking that a hydraulic release won't engage / disengage, so the engine is seeing a load, and can't turn. Either that, or the engine needs to be rebuilt. I tried flipping the control lever for the splitter wedge several times. Any thoughts? Oil changed once...engine has less than 50 hours since new. I did quite a bit of splitting first, but still...I could have finished the job and now, I'm without a functioning tool.
Is there a hydraulic release? I just thought the lovejoy was always engaged turning the pump. Just pull the engine to see if your theory is correct. Did you throw a rod or something else happen on the crank end? Pull spark plug and take a look from the top, see if you can pull over that way. Does "had" oil mean when you started or when it died?
There was oil all over the dipstick...Couldn't take an accurate reading since the engine was hot, and it's stored in a bldg a few miles away now.
