Back story is I went mudding with a buddy (drove a bronco) and went through a mid hole and somehow blew the trans, well I ordered a remanufactured one off Ebay. Dropped the old and threw in the new one but when I went to turn the engine by using the harmonic balancer bolt, it wouldnt budge at all... What might be the cause of this unforseen event? And what can I do to loosen her back up?
Truck info: 2004 Ford ranger XLT 4.0l 5r55e trans 4x4

 

My guess is that you've also blown the engine as well.

Take the plugs out and see if anything comes out of the engine.

 

I pulled out the spark plugs and saw a little bit of oil on each. I also tried turning it without spark plugs and nothing. What I don't get is, it turned freely before I replaced the trans...

 

oil on the plugs, not good. I can't explain why doing that would cause the engine to seize, though.

Was the truck running when you initially blew the transmission?

Also, check the air intake filter, looking specifically for contamination. (Mud, water, etc). Although unlikely given where the true intake is placed (behind the headlight) it's still possible something bad got sucked in the engine.

Also consider that the transmission itself could have damaged the engine. Depending on how it failed, it could have locked up, and also tried to lock up the engine as well, given they're connected. Obviously a running engine doesn't want to just halt and stay in place, as there's 6 different combustion cycles happening.

That's just a theory though.

 

Was the engine sill running when the old trans went? Are you 100 % sure the new trans is installed correctly? My first guess (assuming the motor was running when the trans went) would be the torque converter/trans binding up for some reason, not allowing the engine to turn over. But, if everything is fine with the trans, and it still won't turn over with the plugs out, bad things have happened.

 

The engine was running perfectly after the trans went. What bad thing would happen if I were to connect the starter and try to pop it loose that way?

 

DON'T!!!!

NEVER, ever force an engine. You may still be able to save it as it is, but trying to do that will assuredly ruin the engine.

 

An engine will turn over easily by hand with the spark plugs removed and given the fact that the engine turned over even after the trans blew would indicate that the new trans is faulty and or it's not installed correctly.
Did the bell housing bolt up easily to the engine _ did something seem to be binding ?
Did the end of the input shaft slip into the crankshaft easily ?

I wouldn't use the starter to try and turn the engine, you'll probably damage the starter at the very least.

Also, I don't know allot about automatics, but if there is an access port to reach the torque converter, it should turn by hand when it's in neutral.

 

I've tried all of the gears and none will break loose I even connected the shifter and tried it that way and still nothing... I guess I'll have to drop the trans one more time so I can see if the engine will move without a trans