Ok .. I'm driving home tonight .. I start to hear a loud ticking noise when I accelerate .. the noise stops when I step on the clutch... almost at my garage the car dies .. I coast to the front of my house... I try to start the car but id doesn't do anything.. the engine wont turn over (wont crank) ... its almost like the battery is dead which I know it isn't... What can I check ??

 

Can clutch/flywheel problems cause the car NOT to start ?? What about internal engine probs ?? One very important thing I found was that the oil dipstick was practically dry.. however, I want to wait until morning to re-check the oil... in the past, I've seen an almost dry dipstick when the car is warm and later see 3/4 full once the car cools off.

 

lights work?

if not....battery is dead

and maybe alternator went out

 

Lights work fine.. all electrical is in great condition... I know for certain that the battery is not the issue..

I am really concerned about the low oil issue. If I have engine damage due to lack of sufficient oil, will this cause the engine not to crank ??

 

is the starter clicking?? if not your starter is dead....

car won't not start if oil pressure is low, in fact there is no oil pressure when the car isn't running.

put a 19mm on the crank pulley bolt and see if you can turn the engine over by hand...if so then

put car in 2nd gear an push start it

 

i wouldnt try to start it again until you verify if there is oil in it or not. and if there is oil, do what chad said and try to rotate the crank by hand counter clockwise to make sure its not siezed. if you can rotate it and you have oil, try to start it. if it does nothing at all when trying to start it, could be the starter. check the ground and electrical connection to the starter, tap it with a hammer, and try again. if it still doesnt do anything, try to push start it. if it starts, then you know the starter isnt working. report back after you have done all that.

 

The starter clicks as if trying to start the car. I didn't have a chance to turn the crank by hand last night but it is something I am definitely doing today after work.

If the problem is that I ran dry on oil and I have internal engine damage, how can I tell ?? Will the motor seize up ?? I didn't have any issues driving home.. the temperature was fine, power was good... basically no warnings ...

 

I seriously doubt the motor is seized, its probably just the starter. if you hear a click but the motor isnt trying to turn over, the starter is shot. I dont know how this would have affected the car while driving when you were coming home, but that sounds like why it wont start. Try to push start it to make sure it starts, then get another starter.

 

try checking your ignition its probly your alarm they seem to screw it up i had the same wit mine

 

Cool.. sounds like I have a plan for today after work ...

1. top off missing oil
2. turn crank by hand to eliminate possibility of seizure
3. push-start

Anything else ??

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by iperez &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Cool.. sounds like I have a plan for today after work ...

1. top off missing oil
2. turn crank by hand to eliminate possibility of seizure
3. push-start

Anything else ??</TD></TR></TABLE>

could always check the basics as well: cap/rotor, plugs, grounds, etc

 

Clutch Switch?

Mine wouldn't start a few months back. Unplu the switch, put a paper clip into the two female parts, and then try.

The same method one would use to eliminate using the clutch to start the car

 

clutch switch ?? that's not a bad idea .. I'll look into that as well...

BTW, I checked the alarm to make sure it wasn't armed last night when I tried to start it.

 

Any luck?

 

Here's an update ..

1. When the car cooled down, it showed about 1/4 full on the oil dipstick. Very low, but not dry.
2. Raised both front wheels, removed spark plugs (to ease in turning the crank). Stuck a 19mm in the crank bolt but it didn't turn so I'm thinking seized piston.
3. To confirm the diagnosis, I stuck the oil dipstick down the spark plug hole and into the piston. Placed the car in 3rd gear and went to hand-turn the wheels while watching for movement on the dipstick to confirm the engine seizure. Now the interesting part, the wheels turned while in gear but the dipstick didn't move (crank didn't spin) .... So now I'm stumped.

If there's a seized piston and the car is in gear, shouldn't the wheels lock-up ??I would have thought the wheels wouldn't spin .. at least not hand-turn.

Now I'm not sure if I need to start tearing down my crankcase or my tranny...Can someone shed some light ??

 

Anyone ??

 

with the car in neutral, and a socket on the crank pulley, you cant rotate the crank?

how does the clutch and shifter feel? does it shift into/out of gear ok?

 

with the car in neutral, and a socket on the crank pulley, you cant rotate the crank?

This is correct. I actually broke a 19mm trying to turn the thing. NO movement.

how does the clutch and shifter feel? does it shift into/out of gear ok?

The clutch pedal sounds and feels 100% normal. There is actually more resistance on the wheels when I try to spin them while in gear versus in neutral so there's something engaging in there.

 

if you broke a socket tring to turn the motor over it is bad. plan on geting a new motor or rebuild. when you hear a noise from the engine area then it dies and will not even turn over this is a bad sign. piston seized in cylinder or rod seized to the crank.
with the transmission both wheels off the ground and in neutral only one wheel sould spin. with it in gear the other wheel will spin the other direction.

 

well that doesnt sound good. does it move at all either direction? what if you put it on the ground and in gear and try to push it? pull the plugs and take off the valve cover, check the valves, look down in the cylinders to see if anything looks odd like a twisted piston.

 

I agree with slo blue that the problem is probably internal. However, with the tranny engaged, I can turn one wheel forward while the other will turn backwards. I would have thought that if the engine is seized and the tranny is engaged, I wouldn't be able to turn the wheels at all.

RTW, I'm going to put the car down and try what you suggest. If the car doesn't roll while in gear, this would probably be the definitive test to diagnose a seized piston.

I'm going to start tearing down later today or possibly tomorrow as time and the wife permits.

I have to say I'm deeply bummed at the prospect of a shot motor but I guess its a good opportunity to rebuild stronger.. I'm sure my JUN3 cams would react well to some added displacement and compression ..

 

Well guys its bad... I put the car on the ground, put in gear and pushed ... nothing .. no movement ... so I guess its time to start tearing apart...

Should I rebuild or go with a Dart block or something like that ??

 

pull the vc cover off to confirm the timing belt didn't jump a couple of teeth and now the valve is contacting the piston?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Steady R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">pull the vc cover off to confirm the timing belt didn't jump a couple of teeth and now the valve is contacting the piston?
</TD></TR></TABLE>

My belt is pretty new.. I replaced it when I had my JUN head package installed. Still, I'll have to lift the vc anyway so I'll definitely look for jumped teeth.