WHy is this motor frozen??? *MORE PICS*

[Anonymous]

Well last nigth, with the help of a lot of beer, we got the enigne out of the red car. I pulled the tranny off, and everything else off of the motor. ALl of the sensors and the accesories are off of it. It is just a long block with the timing belt. I flipped it, and pulled off the oil pan and the windage tray, and inspected the bottom end. There is some rust on the mains, but not too much. When I drained the oil, about half of it was water, and the other half looked like caramel. So the head gasket is no good for sure. But other than this, there was nothing wrong with it, yet I put a breaker bar on the pulley bolt, and the motor wouldn't turn at all. Had I tried harder, that bolt would've broken. I have no clue what it could be.

Any suggestions? The oil pump, and then the heads come off next...

[RednBlack]

I wouldn't know..Sounds good to me. Possibly lime in the water?

[Anonymous]

The water looked good when draining it, looked clean as well.

The oil was horrible, but I think that was just because of the water being in it.

[dbtk2]

I'm thinking it was because of the water....

[Anonymous]

Could be, but the only thing that the water could do to freeze the motor is to get into the bearing journals, and make them not alow the rod to rotate.

[RednBlack]

Aaron, are there 2 different people that post under your name? You built headers, but can't figure out why an engine is locked up? We could guess all day....Maybe someone welded #3 piston to the wall...jeez.

[Anonymous]

lol.

No I can't. I've gone through everything I've heard of happenging, or that can happen. THere is no reason why this motor won't turn(so far). But there are so many minute possibilities, that it takes time to rule them out. Tomorrow the main caps come off, and the oil pump comes off. If nothing still, then the heads come off. It doesn't matter why, as long as the block is good, I just want to know why a PERFECT condition Z34 5-speed, bone stock, relatively low miles, has a frozen motor. It just doesn't add up.

[RednBlack]

Perfect? With water in the oil? Sounds perfect to me. You immediately assumed it was a head gasket. Take off the heads. Then the mains. Then the rods. If it is still locked up, you have a problem. You said you had it upside down with the pan off. (Please tell me you have it on a stand) Takes less than 10 minutes to strip it from there. Maybe 20 minutes without air tools. There are NO minute possibilities for an engine to lock up. Cylinders or Crank. 2 possibilities. That's it. Neither of which are minute.

[Anonymous]

It could be a lot of things, think of everything that moves on the upper end. Valves, lifters, cams, the T-belt, etc.

I don't want to mess with it today, I've spent the last 3 days, over 14 hours a day, working on it, and I'm not in the mood. So tomorrow...

Edit-Yes its on a stand

[RednBlack]

Anyone ever feel like they are playing poker with their brothers kids? Aaron...you kill me. 14 hrs a day for 3 days. And the bitch ain't running. No help from here.....

[Anonymous]

I started with it all put together. The 3.4L DOHC isn't an easy engine to remove. It takes a lot of time and doing crap. I spent a day on the top end, a day on the bottom and axles, and the last day pulling it, stripping it, etc.

Plus I kept every hose/wire intact. More than I can say for my last removal. It is a tight fit, even with the 5-speed. Overall, it is a pain in the ass, although easier the second time.

And I don't have the parts to get it running yet, I'm starting with a junkyard motor, trying to figure out hwat is wrong with it, then I'm going to start building it.

[hamondale]

Re: WHy is this motor frozen???

[quote="Aaron"] So the head gasket is no good for sure. quote]
I once had a siezed 4 cyl Brit engine many years ago where the head gasket had been bad and several of the cylinders took water. The bottom end came apart easily, but the pistons were what were siezed up. The rings had rusted to the cylinder walls. It took a 16 lb post mall and a short piece of 2 x 4 to pound them out of the block, and a really good swing to break them loose. But that engine had sat a few months and had plenty of time to rust up the rings. FWIW.

[Anonymous]

Well this engine has been sitting, and has had the time. That very well could be it, considering there was water in the oil, in the exhaust maniolfds(wtf?), in the plenum, and in the intakes. It musta rained pretty hard, cuz I don't know how you get water in the exhaust manifolds. And the bottom end is ahowing a little rust, like on the accessory side caps.

[TheProfessor]

dude first of all if there was water in the oil
BAM thats why it is siezed
several problems that could have caused
1 rusted preventing movement or in an even worse scenario
2 if it was ran at all with the water in there then youve most definately got atleast a couple of spots that are micro welded from lack of lubrication

[dbtk2]

dude first of all if there was water in the oil
BAM thats why it is siezed
several problems that could have caused
1 rusted preventing movement or in an even worse scenario
2 if it was ran at all with the water in there then youve most definately got atleast a couple of spots that are micro welded from lack of lubrication

Exactly...

And you have the engine on the engine stand, and you're sitting there wondering why its seized up. You know there was water in the oil (which is obviously why it seized up), and you speculate its due to a blown head gasket, yet you're looking on the bottom end for signs of why it seized up??? Take the damn heads off already!

Shawn