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seized my engine???!!!!

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blkcorvair

Jedi Knight
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Midget 1500 took it for a nice long ride today. No problems. good oil pressure, running tops 180 all the way. Shut it off in the street. Started it up and backed it in the driveway. Tried to start it up later tonight but nothing. Though the battery was dead. Nope. Cannot turn the motor over by hand at all! even with the car in 1st and no plugs I cant rock it back and forth to make the motor spin. What the h... happened? This engine has a good 400 miles on it since rebuild. Possible I locked somethig stupid up? alt good, tried depressing clutch. Nothing. Engine never made a peep. Just shut it off and locked up befor I tried to start it! Please tell me something dumb I am overlooking...
 
The starter gear could be jammed. Try turning the square nut on the back of the starter to see if that frees anything up.
 
Tried the fourth gear thing. No good. The starter nut on the back of the starter makes 1/4 turn movements whenever I hit the starter button so that seems to be engaging correctly. Jes some real strange occurance. I never heard an engine sieze after it was shut down from running perfectly fine at a good temp with good oil pressure. Its got me baffled.
 
Morris has said what I'd have suggested. Starters can "clang" in and lock up. If all else was good on the run, and you see it has coolant at a normal leve it'll likely be less-than catastrophic. Let us know!
 
DrEntropy said:
MOrris has said what I'd have suggested. Starters can "clang" in and lock up. If all else was good on the run, and you see it has coolant at a normal leve it'll likely be less-than catastrophic. Let us know!
Click to expand...

I sure hope so. Coolant and oil levels are normal so I hope it has to be stupid! My first idea was the starter and thats what a few have said. Just cant see it, but for two bolts it'll surely be my first adventure!
 
Should be a square (1/4" I think) protrusion at the back of the starter motor. Turn it back and forth a bit, it should make a "klunk" noise as the Bendix disengages the ring gear if it's stuck. Give it some stick, that before you pull the unit off the engine.
 
I'm voting that it's a starter jam too. You may have to pull the startter out and see if thing improve.

Otherwise, maybe you have a hydraulic lock in your cylinders due to a slightly blown headgasket (allowing oil/coolant into the cyliders). Pull all the plugs and try to turn it over.

Next, I'd look at the timing chain to see if it's snapped and jamming things up.

If none of that is bad, then it's time to look at the rod bearings and/or other serious, internal stuff. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif
 
Had something similar happen on an isuzu, it had been in for repairs, went for a drive , all ok, stopped, went to go and no go, what had happened was timing chain tensioner had gone and chain fell off as motor stopped
 
Thanks for all the great advise. I thought it may have been hydraulic locked like the float stuck and slowly filled a cylender or something but no Go with the plugs oput. I am voting Strater. Well I should say I am praying strater. Its the only thing that makes sense being run for such a short period of time. It has the square nut so we'll give it a whirl quick before I bring it home. Headed out now to get my Flatbed....
 
Not looking promising. The shaft threw the starter can be spun by hand, so not thinking it is bound. I got it home in its garage, so itll be another days problem I suppose.
 
Scott, that's awful.
You'll get it straightened out - I have no doubt!!
 
unfortunatally no starter issues... Looks like that engine is coming out. Plugs look great and can shine a light down ea. hole. Nothing looks catostophic. Thinking it has to be a bottom end issue.
 
Can you pull the oil pan and check the bottom end rather than pull the engine? Very odd it would seize up without any indication. Would thrust washers coming out of place do this?
 
Before you tear it down: Try taking the sparkplugs out for no compression. Make sure tranny is in neutral and the rear wheels off ground, then try turning over the engine by hand at the front damper. If it turns, it will throw back starter and will turn freely.If this does not work. Take starter out and try to move flywheel with small pry bar using casing and teeth of flywheel gear. If you cannot get it to move, then take apart.
 
No lube to a bearing could... maybe... seize without self destruction first, that is without the characteristic knocking noise related to a loose bearing. That would assume sudden loss of oil to that bearing, or all bearings.

I had this happen to a 65 Corvair Corsa 140hp when the external oil cooler line got cut by the fan belt. The engine lost power for a bit then stopped, restarted and stopped again.

I also had my Kawasaki 1000 seize on a very hot day after driving several hundred miles. The pistons got too hot and seized to the cylinders. After cooling off, it ran fine again. (probably with a lot of scuffing in the cylinders, but I never looked.)
 
IMO: since it's locked, I'd pull the engine as a lump. You can take the pan down and pull off other stuff but it is just easier to have it out and on a stand for inspection/disassembly. By the time you've braced it and fussed about with timing cover and pan it could be on the floor.
And it now sounds as if it'll need a thorough going-thru anyhow. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif
 
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