How to pull head to determine problem with a locked up engine

[socalgvr4]

Picked up a second vr4 with a potential locked up engine. -- The previous owner, says that his daughter drove the car around, it overheated, and subsequently hasnt started since.

I can hear the starter engage, but the engine does NOT crank.
Tried to manually turn the crank from both the crank bolt, and also a cam bolt clockwise and could not turn it over.

I'd like the best approach or methodology for pulling the head to address the issue? What steps first?

And do I need to pull the engine to determine the problem?


Thanks in advance.

 

[Diego]

Well a woman did drive it, so pullin the engine isn't a bad idea. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif


Back on subject, so starter engages but doesn't crank....
Got a dropped piston somewhere?
Does the cam gears even turn once?

What if a valve snapped and got stuck in between the walls?

Take the head off first, if this is the second vr4 I'm sure you've done this before....

Open her up and let's see the damage my friend. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[464/2K]

tow it up to Colorado, well send you a fully running vr4. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[524of1000]

May not even need to go that far. Pull the starter and make sure that it's actualy connecting with the flywheel. That was my issue, it would turn, but wasn't contacting the flywheel. New starter and she ran... till the timing belt got shreded /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif

 

[boostedinaz]

^^^^
OP said he tried to spin it over by hand and it wouldn't.

The only way to really tell what happened is to start taking it apart. You can take the head off and see what happened, if anything, to it. If that looks good then pull the pan off and start checking the bearings.

 

The "easiest" thing to check is the bearings on the bottom end cause you don't have to mess with quite as much stuff, but it is far more likely that a siezed engine is caused by something on the top end. I would just plan on building the motor if it siezed after overheating....... most likely the head - block mating surface is warped and there is some severe mechanical damage on the inside of the engine. If you have the time and resources just pull the motor and get it done right.

 

[broxma]

Pull the valve cover. If you see that certain lifters are way extended beyond their normal position it means a valve is not returning into the seat and the lifter has decompressed to take up the slack.

If the crank spins but the cams do not, yet the cams appear to be timed, then the belt has shredded itself at the crank sprocket and has become bound up in the timing cover. Usually a bolt or some object will have found its way down there and caused some havoc, or the teeth on the belt stripped at the sprocket.

/brox

 

[boosted_85]

You can take off the cams out and try to rotate the bottom end.

 

[socalgvr4]

Whats the best method for pulling the timing belt off the cams.

Since it appears the crank doesnt turn with the timing belt on, i figured i'd try the suggestion of pulling the belt off, and then trying to dig deeper into the problem.

Do I need in this case to pull the tire, access the crank cover and such, and then a tensioner type tool to loosen the belt? - or can I just simply attempt to slip it off the cam gears and set timing later after I've got things figured out?

 

[Muskrat]

www.vfaq.com

Learn to love this web site ^

 

[boostedinaz]

Quoting socalgvr4:
Whats the best method for pulling the timing belt off the cams.

Since it appears the crank doesnt turn with the timing belt on, i figured i'd try the suggestion of pulling the belt off, and then trying to dig deeper into the problem.

Do I need in this case to pull the tire, access the crank cover and such, and then a tensioner type tool to loosen the belt? - or can I just simply attempt to slip it off the cam gears and set timing later after I've got things figured out?



Technically yes you should pull all that stuff off. In real world the motor is already junk so cut the belt off with a knife and start poking around. Even if it is something easy to fix (its not) you should always replace an unknown timing belt.