pumpkyn

D16Y8
block rebuilt and running for 40 minutes total. 0 miles.

I am replacing the distilled water in the engine, changing it out and putting coolant in since it will be freezing here this week.

Start the car, perfectly fine and let the engine run for a minutes while I move the car to the spot where I was going to change the fluid. Turn the car off, pop the hood, take off the radiator cap, take off the intake filter, and take off the lower hose to drain the water. Normal procedure.

I replace the radiator hose, and fill it with coolant. I put the intake filter back on and attempt to start the car. Car is in Neutral. Cranks, but no start for 10 seconds. Ok...lets try that again. Same result. Right...one more time. crank crank crank clunk! wtf? Wont attempt to start and sounds like the starter is jammed.

I push the car onto ramps to check this out. I take out the spark plugs and there is some fuel in the pistons maybe about a mm deep. Check spark, yup. Right, I'll crank the fuel out. Disconnect the injectors. Nevermind, crank is frozen at TDC in cylinder #1. Right, damn you starter for being jammed; I'll turn it by hand. Take the starter out, okay its not engaged. Wire test it and spins normal out of the car.

So with the starter out and spark plugs out, this has to spin freely now. So I bust out the equipment and attempt to rotate the crank with a ol' rachet/socket. Nope still frozen. Let me try reversing the rotation. Rotates freely to TDC on Cylinder 2, then freezes again. Right, let's turn it forward again, slams stop at TDC in 1 again. This time it stays there. I attempt to rotate it again and I actually loosen the crank bolt.

I check the transmission again, yup it's in neutral. Check the oil, yup it is full. Check the timing again, yup all the marks line up. Now I am stumped. How does a car go from running fine and no odd engine sounds at all to a no start, and now a frozen crank, all after changing out radiator fluid.

I personally think that some how some way something made its way into the engine in the 2 minutes it took to drain and fill the radiator. Still doesn't explain how the car ran fine, then the assembly would only rotate from TDC to TDC, and is now frozen. For the first time in my mechanical experience I am stumped.

Eg.ls.turbo

You might have to pull the oil pan to see if something fell loose.