Seized Engine

fatweasel · **Posted:** Thu Aug 18, 2011 7:08 am

Broke down Monday, stalled and would not turn over. Towed to dealership in Ann Arbor MI. Engine is seized, will cost $1900 to tear down and determine what is broken and how to fix.

The dealer can't find a salvage motor and new on is $7500 before labor. He says most gasser engine rebuilds are $3000 to $4000.

Liberty is a 2005 sport with 170,000 miles - just got new tires...

My options:
1. go ahead with the rebuild and hope it isn't more than $4000
2. Scrap my current Liberty and find another for $7000 to $10,000
3. Go for a 2007 or 2008 Grand Cherokee diesel - I am finding them to be $18,000 and up depending on mileage

Anyone know what to do with the old Jeep if I decide not to reuild the engine? Salvage yard, ebay, other?

Thanks for your opinions.

Joe Romas · **Posted:** Thu Aug 18, 2011 7:21 am

I can't help with your decision but have you been keeping up with this very similiar situation? It may give you some insite.
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=56958

Joe

DarbyWalters · **Posted:** Thu Aug 18, 2011 11:16 am

Contact GreenDieselEngineering.com and see if they can give you any insight. This block is an IRON TUNNEL WET SLEEVE design...any good diesel mechanic should be able to rebuild it with the correct parts.

geordi · **Posted:** Thu Aug 18, 2011 2:04 pm

Good luck finding that "good diesel mechanic" as I was unable to find one, even at a shop that VM sent me to.

I'm hopeful for you, let us know as it progresses.

warp2diesel · **Posted:** Thu Aug 18, 2011 5:27 pm

With what my friends and family tell me about the economy and attitude in the Detroit Metro area , you will be lucky to find a good shop as close as Jackson, MI.
Contact these guys and ask them if they will recommend anyone in your area or within towing/ hauling distance: http://www.dfisam.com/
as a rule, only the best shops do business with ADS Member Diesel Injection System repair centers.
The rest do half assed work and are technically challenged to say the least. Dealers only work through their System they have set up and will not go for more cost effective options. One company like that is Mercedes Benz who never rebuilds a car engine (they might do truck engines), they just transfer the parts to a new long block or short block and send it out the door.
When I was in the repair business, the ADS member Diesel injection place I did business with sent me customers, part of a good business relationship.

timsvulcan · **Joined:** Fri Jul 02, 2010 6:29 pm **Posts:** 14

Just curious. Did you change your timing belt out at 100K?
Here is a used CRD for $7500 you could save yours and use parts off of it to keep this one going.
http://tulsa.craigslist.org/cto/2524941318.html

Sir Sam · **Posted:** Thu Aug 18, 2011 5:50 pm

fatweasel wrote:

Anyone know what to do with the old Jeep if I decide not to reuild the engine? Salvage yard, ebay, other?

Ya me, I'd buy it and toss in a spare engine depending on price. Let me know if you want to go this route.

dkenny · **Posted:** Thu Aug 18, 2011 7:12 pm

OK..

call me a pessimist..
the engine is siezed?? have you tried to manually turn over the engine manually?
I don't mean crank..use a bar and the crank pulley..does it move? yes..hum??siezed.no..
it doesn't move..well..crap..

check with a good diesel shop not the dealer for rebuilding..think a cummins shops or a sprint dealer shop

-dkenny

fatweasel · **Posted:** Fri Aug 19, 2011 6:02 am

Quick update. Jeep is still at the dealership, for now.

The engine cannot be rotated by hand. Goes about 1/4 turn before hitting a clunk and stopping.

I had the timing belt replaced at 100,000 miles.

I am thinking to bring it home and park it for a few days while I weigh my options.

Dealership thinks they can rebuild for $3,000 to $4,000 but they have never done a diesel before.

I haven't found a good diesel shop around here yet.

dkenny · **Posted:** Fri Aug 19, 2011 7:21 am

that would sound more like a problem with the valves or a glow plug broke.

when hear seized..I think the engine won't turn at all.

-dkenny

DarbyWalters · **Posted:** Fri Aug 19, 2011 9:10 am

Honestly... http://www.greendieselengineering.com is right there in Michigan

http://www.GreenDieselEngineering.com

geordi · **Posted:** Fri Aug 19, 2011 11:46 am

GET IT AWAY FROM THAT DEALERSHIP!!!!!

If they have "never done a diesel before" you are looking into a bottomless pit of dollar signs, and they are looking into a bottomless pot of gold - YOUR gold.

You run the VERY REAL risk that they will start throwing parts at it, and stack the labor book values at you. What is stacking? Book value labor for the timing belt is something like 6 hours. Book value for the water pump is 8 hours. So an evil dealership who is asked to do BOTH the timing belt and the water pump... Quotes you for 14 hours labor!

Not saying that this dealer will do that, but if they haven't ever done a CRD before, they will be LEARNING ON YOUR WALLET. This is not something you want, EVER.

If you are in Michigan, (lucky for this!) then contact Green Diesel Engineering and ask them if you can bring it to them. They have done complete teardowns and development of the CRD, so they KNOW what they are doing, no question. In your case, I do agree with dkenny, it sounds like the engine swallowed a valve or a glow plug tip broke. Either one is not a terminal problem, but you have to pull the head to look into the top of the cylinders. That isn't a small job, unfortunately.

DarbyWalters · **Posted:** Fri Aug 19, 2011 2:32 pm

Mine swallowed a glow plug tip at 8800 miles ... luckily under warranty I made them replace (not rebuild) the entire engine assembly (turbo and all).

GDE also has the new metal tip glow plugs (instead of ceramic) that they could update you too. Heck, go all the way and get the Turbo Upgrade/ECU/TCM...

jeepdan · **Posted:** Fri Aug 19, 2011 3:00 pm

Maybe we should start a research poll on engines ruined by ceramic glow plugs.

click23 · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 9:22 am **Posts:** 309

DarbyWalters wrote:

Honestly... http://www.greendieselengineering.com is right there in Michigan

http://www.GreenDieselEngineering.com

Look like they are roughly 50 miles from you. MAP

geordi · **Posted:** Fri Aug 19, 2011 9:06 pm

If you are honestly that close to them... You would be kicking yourself to NOT bring it there, and the rest of us would probably line up to slap you silly!

GDE is THE MAN when it comes to these engines, I think he seriously has more knowledge about the CRD than the people that manufactured it, b/c he had to reverse-engineer what Chrysler borked up from VM's design.

If you could convince Keith to do another run of turbos (it costs a LOT in development and custom machining for those things, he does them in batches) that would be great, I am in need of replacing my stock turbo too. But the support he offers to the members here is second to none. He will get you running again, that is absolute, and for LOTS less than a dealer that is poking around in the dark without a clue.

Joe Romas · **Posted:** Sat Aug 20, 2011 6:52 am

Stupid question maybe but could this be as simple as a loose torque converter bolt :jester:

fatweasel · **Posted:** Tue Aug 23, 2011 7:13 am

Latest update: broken valve fell into cylinder. Valve buried in piston and driven through cylinder wall (not sleeve but wall). Block is damaged beyond repair.

jinstall · **Posted:** Tue Aug 23, 2011 7:21 am

I just paid for a new engine and it was replaced by the dealer in NC and it was $8200 with new turbo and new glow plugs and new torque converter and misc parts. Your dealer is BSing you. 3yr 100000 mile warranty from Chrysler.

Tinman · **Joined:** Mon Apr 10, 2006 10:45 am **Posts:** 308

What broke the valve? Timing belt or just a fluke.

Seized Engine

Who is online