turning over but no start, more help needed

D

Digitalchaos

Registered User
turning over but no start, more help needed | Update: broken crank

Car started running on all six again for a few days.

Started the engine tonight after getting home and pressed accelerator after idling down. After returning to an idle, the engine sputtered at 500 rpm for a few seconds then shut down. Now it cranks, with the upshift light, making a 'clunking' like sound as it turns over. The crankshaft pulley does not budge during this. Broken harmonic balancer which damaged the crankshaft in the process, or is it normal for the pulley to not move if the balancer dies?

Anything you can provide is appreciated.
 
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Ok....

If the pulley does not move while cranking, one of two things happened.

1) Snapped the crank. Can happen around the 1st and 2nd rod journals.

2) The outer ring of the balancer broke loose. This will cause the pulley to not spin.

I suggest removing the belt and seeing if the pulley moves on it's own. If so, more than likely its your problem.

If I can help, call me at (973) 277-4294. Always willing to help an SC'er in trouble!!! :D


Don
 
Thanks for helping, this was certainly sudden.

Later tonight I should be able to move the car into the garage, remove the belt, and check to see if the pulley moves.

From what your saying then, this means the pulley probably shoudn't move if the crankshaft is broken?

Also, I notice the belt had partially slipped back towards the engine on the small pulley just left of the large crank (dampener?) pulley.
 
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Removed belts yesterday morning to check the pulley. It moved back probably a quarter inch when we first grasped it. Then we were able to 'wobble' it very slightly, and turn it either direction perhaps less than a quarter inch. Nothing more.

Tell me what you think..
 
Digitalchaos said:
Removed belts yesterday morning to check the pulley. It moved back probably a quarter inch when we first grasped it. Then we were able to 'wobble' it very slightly, and turn it either direction perhaps less than a quarter inch. Nothing more.

Tell me what you think..
Click to expand...

I think your crankshaft is broken.

Even if the crank is broken, it will still have the compression of a couple cylinders on it and will not be able to be rotated with only your hands. If the motor is cranking over and the pulleys are not moving the crankshaft is broken, or all the bolts have sheared off the flex plate/flywheel (not likely).

David
 
This is unfortunate, but myself and a friend were expecting it.

I am confused however by the suddeness of this event. The engine was running flawlessly, no visible wobble in the pulley, no unusual events whatsoever barring the 5 cylinder incident about a couple weeks ago which I have to assume was electrical.

Then I start it up for about 1 minute, tap the accelerator, and it dies after revving down. Has this ever happened to anyone else?

:confused:

I could have repaired the balancer, but I am fairly certain the crank is out of my league. It requires complete underhood disassembly, engine removal and teardown correct?

What is the worth of an SC in this condition, 100k & fair (2 of 5) body?

Thank you much for the help you have all offered me in this and all my other requests;
Kevin
 
I have another question regarding this issue for reference.

Is it possible the failure of a harmonic balancer could cause a crankshaft to snap?

After more observation, I realized perhaps 1 cylinder near the back was turning with the starter, and the dampener pulley would move violently down and to the right perhaps half an inch.. if this helps.

Just curious about this..
Kevin
 
Digitalchaos said:
I have another question regarding this issue for reference.

Is it possible the failure of a harmonic balancer could cause a crankshaft to snap?

After more observation, I realized perhaps 1 cylinder near the back was turning with the starter, and the dampener pulley would move violently down and to the right perhaps half an inch.. if this helps.

Just curious about this..
Kevin
Click to expand...

Yes it's possible that the crank failure was caused either directly or indirectly by the harmonic balancer failure.

David
 
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