Thread: Car Just died at stop sign and now will barely turn over

Originally Posted by keadams

Guys,
A buddy of mine mentioned that maybe something broke within the tranny and may have the motor locked up? Any possibilities there and if so is there an easy way to check verses towing to the tranny guy?

Put car on jack stands and see if you can spin front tires? Did you ever try talking the accessory belts off and try starting? My 1993 Oldsmobile did this the ground mount on the unibody was so rusted it broke off when I touched it had to drill new hole and run new nut/bolt.trace the ground cable and check then double check the connection points.

I have seen this happen on an old 2.8 Z24 spun a bearing. Hope that's not your case, good thing the 3.8 engines are a dime a dozen at junk yards.

Originally Posted by keadams

Guys,
A buddy of mine mentioned that maybe something broke within the tranny and may have the motor locked up? Any possibilities there and if so is there an easy way to check verses towing to the tranny guy?

have you tries any of the suggestions from the 1 st page? if not, start there.

Ok, just seeing this again.

When you say the car won't turn over, you mean you turn the key and the starter gives you a clunk and the engine doesn't turn at all? As you already know, something must be binding it up. Let's figure out what is the cause.

I'd pull all six plugs and belt(s) again. (Is this motor NA or SC?) Then try the key. It's sat long enough and the plugs have some oil etc on them that maybe there was no water. Try tuning if over via the key, if it's the same. Pull the passenger wheel and the plastic splash shield that keeps you from seeing the crank bolt on the front of the harmonic balancer. Try turning the motor with a ratchet or long breaker bar. If it doesn't want to easily turn forward, then try rotating the crank backwards. The idea here is if it won't move forward, often a motor will move backwards. If it moves backwards then something in the engine assembly is likely broken and binding the motor.

On the unbolt the torque converter and try spinning it. What this does is only checks the torque converter. Which would bind your engine to the trans directly w/o any possible slipping, which is what an automatic needs to stay running in gear.

Kev...checked, called. I'm currently selling your number for $5 a pop to telemarketers and all kinds of places. I doubt your old enough for AARP, They'll be calling you though.

Make sure the battery and starter are good.

Knock sound right before this happened may indicate that the motor is hydro-locked.
Pull all spark plugs out, unplug ICM module and turn it over.
Check to see if any water comes out of the cylinders.

Seems like the same exact thing happened to me two weeks ago.

I'm thinking it's the timing chain... well, crossing my fingers at least.

Here's my scenario:
Car was idling with the AC on for about 30min while I was sitting in the back seat watching a movie with my son on a laptop with the a sound system plugged in through a power inverter... then, out of nowhere the car dies. I figure the battery died and the car shut off.

About 30min later someone kindly offers to help me jump start it. Nothing, barely turns. I then check all the spark plugs, all good, no water, perfect shape. I check the oil, aslo perfectly clean, no water, nothing, just pure good clean oil. I take the battery out, take it to get checked out and charged. Battery checks out and a quick charge put on it. Try starting, same thing. I then remove the starter, take it to get checked out, and it checks out.

Spark plugs good, battery good, starter good, oil good. Grounds all look good. So, I attempt another jump start. Very slow to turn over, so I let it sit attached to the running car with the jumper cables. Finally, I try starting it, and it starts, but sounds like the belt tensioner is going bad as it's making a lot of racket.

I'm on a road trip, so I figure I'll just jump in and head home immediately... Then, I go down the street for 2miles, now cruising at 60mph, and the car suddenly shuts off (not "slowly dies," but sudden stop). I put it in neutral, and coast to a stop... then, tow it home (4hrs away mind you).

The one thing I haven't tried, is removing all the belts and then trying it. Could be that the AC seized up... but, seriously, could a belt seriously lock up a motor? I would think the belt would just slip until the crank pulley burned a hole through it.

Could it be the timing chain? If the timing chain went, couldn't it lock up the motor?

I really hope the engine didn't seize up... but how is it possible for it to seize up so that it first has trouble, then starts, then seizes again? Seizes again? It's gotta be the chain, is what I keep telling myself.

Please help.


PS. A little background: The car had no issues, No Engine Codes, no Service Engine light, and back in January I did the entire intake manifold and LIM UIM gasket rework. It's a '99 NA 3.8 GT

McFly, after talking to Kevin.. his motor with plugs out didn't turn by hand. We speciulated that a bearing spun and was locking it up.

Remove the belts, remove the spark plugs and try to turn the motor over. Ensure the battery checks out. If a cell died, that could give you some of the symptoms that you have. Try turning your motor by hand.

Also, Yes the AC Compressor CAN stop the motor. And keep it from starting, I found out the hard way one day. Take the belt off and try it.

before you start looking for a new engine, unbolt the torque converter and try to spin the engine again, the trans could be locked up and holding it.

if its still frozen the engine is sized up. no sense in rebuilding it at all, find a used engine and swap it.

That doesnt mean anything at all, The input shaft bearings could have seized or anything else in there for that matter in front of the clutches...

2 of the bolts will be easy to get, the 3 rd may be a problem depending where the engine stopped. long wrench will be your friend.

you did pull the spark plugs and then tried to turn the engine?