Is the engine seized?
Moderator: RichardW
Is the engine seized?
Just purchased a ZX 16v as a non runner, I've put a new battery in it and tried to start it but it's not having it. It just clicks..it did try to rotate a few times but mostly it just clicks.
I put the car in gear and tried to turn the engine by pushing the car, but that wasn't having it either.
What is likely to have seized?
Is it going to be hard to fix?
What's the best way to establish if it really is seized, and where...it has turned partially on cranking a couple of times.
Top, middle or bottom as Michael Barrymore used to say.
I put the car in gear and tried to turn the engine by pushing the car, but that wasn't having it either.
What is likely to have seized?
Is it going to be hard to fix?
What's the best way to establish if it really is seized, and where...it has turned partially on cranking a couple of times.
Top, middle or bottom as Michael Barrymore used to say.
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I take it the lack of movement would be down to the compression in the cylinders, effectively locking the engine. The valves being out of sequence..both shut...when the piston is trying to move in the compression stroke!
Cheers Tom, I'll try that in the morning. It did look like the head had recently been played with..perhaps that why it ended up a non-runner. Incorrectly timed valve gear![8D]
Cheers Tom, I'll try that in the morning. It did look like the head had recently been played with..perhaps that why it ended up a non-runner. Incorrectly timed valve gear![8D]
Hi there, I'll venture an opinion.. If there is coolant in the radiator, then seizing through overheating ( i.e pistons to cylinders ) is less likely... more likely is failure of the cambelt.. and the tops of the pistons are contacting the valves preventing the engine turning over.. in which case there will be a fair amount of work to do. A good first step is to establish whether the cambelt has failed ( Take a cambelt cover off and see if this is the case) There should be some more help arriving soon I'm sure. Try to give as much detail as possible, eg water in oil, (or oil in water!)
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I'd better explain. I reckon that the valves are touching a piston. If the engine turns so far and stops, then I would turn it backwards, when it does so. That prevents the piston and valve from contacting each other. Once I had proved that the problem was not due to hydraulic lock, (I took out the plugs), then it would almost certainly turn out to be this and having turned the motor backwards to free it, I would then bring it forwards again to ensure that it stopped in the same place. If it did, I would check the valve timing by turning the engine back 90 degrees. That puts the pistons all half way down. I would then remove the cam belt for inspection, and knowing that the valves could be safely operated, I would set up and lock the cams, having first removed then replaced their sprockets, to check for busted woodruff keys. Now I would turn the engine to top dead centre, very carefully, using the crank pulley nut and a straw down the plug'ole
to gauge TDC. THen I would replace the belt with the engine timed up fully.
I would then turn the crank through FIVE full turns, not the conventional two before putting the plugs back in.
Why five, Tom?
Once upon a time, A well known manufacturer redesigned their eight valve engine for sixteen. The crank was the same and its cam chain sprockets were interchangeable.
But the eight valve one had a tooth fewer than the sixteen did. Building engines out of bits, it was only a matter of time before a motor was constructed that ran fine for two revolutions but, as the cam ran slightly faster than half crank speed, the valves tangled
on the third! This will not have happened to you, but I'm a little superstitious about it.
to gauge TDC. THen I would replace the belt with the engine timed up fully.
I would then turn the crank through FIVE full turns, not the conventional two before putting the plugs back in.
Why five, Tom?
Once upon a time, A well known manufacturer redesigned their eight valve engine for sixteen. The crank was the same and its cam chain sprockets were interchangeable.
But the eight valve one had a tooth fewer than the sixteen did. Building engines out of bits, it was only a matter of time before a motor was constructed that ran fine for two revolutions but, as the cam ran slightly faster than half crank speed, the valves tangled
on the third! This will not have happened to you, but I'm a little superstitious about it.
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<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
Why five, Tom?
Once upon a time, A well known manufacturer redesigned their eight valve engine for sixteen. The crank was the same and its cam chain sprockets were interchangeable.
But the eight valve one had a tooth fewer than the sixteen did. Building engines out of bits, it was only a matter of time before a motor was constructed that ran fine for two revolutions but, as the cam ran slightly faster than half crank speed, the valves tangled
on the third! This will not have happened to you, but I'm a little superstitious about it.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Tom,
Sounds to me like a lock not a seize. I reply because I didn't know the sprocket tale. Do you have grandchildren? Great fable for those about to be indoctrinated.....
Cheers
JohnW
(Goodwood still beckons. Tickets have arrived in the Antipodes!!)
Why five, Tom?
Once upon a time, A well known manufacturer redesigned their eight valve engine for sixteen. The crank was the same and its cam chain sprockets were interchangeable.
But the eight valve one had a tooth fewer than the sixteen did. Building engines out of bits, it was only a matter of time before a motor was constructed that ran fine for two revolutions but, as the cam ran slightly faster than half crank speed, the valves tangled
on the third! This will not have happened to you, but I'm a little superstitious about it.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Tom,
Sounds to me like a lock not a seize. I reply because I didn't know the sprocket tale. Do you have grandchildren? Great fable for those about to be indoctrinated.....
Cheers
JohnW
(Goodwood still beckons. Tickets have arrived in the Antipodes!!)
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<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by gjb02</i>
Just purchased a ZX 16v as a non runner, I've put a new battery in it and tried to start it but it's not having it. It just clicks..it did try to rotate a few times but mostly it just clicks.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
That sounds like the starter motor not engaging. Used to be a problem on my BXs which I could cure by tapping the solenoid with a large wrench.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
I put the car in gear and tried to turn the engine by pushing the car, but that wasn't having it either.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
What gear? Try the highest gear and push it forward. or remove the spark plugs.
But I think we need to eliminate the starter motor before we start assuming anything more complicated.
Just purchased a ZX 16v as a non runner, I've put a new battery in it and tried to start it but it's not having it. It just clicks..it did try to rotate a few times but mostly it just clicks.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
That sounds like the starter motor not engaging. Used to be a problem on my BXs which I could cure by tapping the solenoid with a large wrench.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
I put the car in gear and tried to turn the engine by pushing the car, but that wasn't having it either.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
What gear? Try the highest gear and push it forward. or remove the spark plugs.
But I think we need to eliminate the starter motor before we start assuming anything more complicated.
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