drtjnky

My son was driving his TL when he said it made a jolt and then died. If you try and turn the key over it just locks up. I know this is an interference motor and that might not have been good to do. I pulled the front upper timing belt cover and it doesn't look broken. I can turn the crank with a wrench but it only moves half a turn and then stops in either direction.. I recently changed the starter and pulled that to see if it was binding up the flywheel but that wasn't it. I pulled all the plugs out except the middle rear plug as it is really tight. It still only moves half a turn and stops. The car has 106,000 miles on it and I am at a loss on what to look for. Could it be something inside where the timing chain is causing it to not turn all the way? Bent rod? Dropped valve? (it feels like i am going thru the compression stroke when I turn the crank so I don't think so). Any help is greatly appreciated. Previous owner said he rebuilt the trans and change the timing belt once but I don't know the mileage since they were done.

whitetiger5

There is a test for checking if rods are bent, but it requires being able to rotate the engine completely; so I am at a loss there.

I would probably drain the oil (in a separate container than what you normally use) inspect it for any debris and save it (in case an analysis is needed).

If nothing there, I would then remove the spark plugs and try to crank (by hand) again to see what happens; there should be a little resistance as you move through the compression stroke of each cylinder, but not binding.

if still binding, then I would loosen timing belt, remove camshaft journal caps from both heads (this closes ALL the valves) and try again.

If there is still binding present then I would presume that the only thing left would be the rods or bearings in the bottom end.

if this is the case: this would probably be one of the most challenging things to repair as it would require some bottom end work to the engine, and getting the engine out is more difficult now that you cannot separate it from the transmission in the car (engine won't turn, can't remove the flexplate bolts).

All in all, sounds like a good project for the two of you to team up on.

drtjnky

I already pulled the plugs and tried that. It still only turns the same amount 180 in either direction. I will have to check the closing of the valves and rotate. Thank you for the help.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Appreciate you, Whitetiger, for always helping out with the troubleshooting!