locked up... time to swap?

JLCBikes · **Joined:** Mon Dec 12, 2011 3:01 pm **Posts:** 17

so my 05 with 126k just locked up. I've done all I can think of to maintain it. JUst wouldn't start, shop towed it, pulled the fan, shroud, and captured refrigerant, and then determined she won't turn. absolutely no warning, I live atop a mountain, drove fine last trip, which apparently was the last trip. theres a 06 available for asking 1900, bad transmission. I couldn't get MAF numbers from the guy, but have some codes to research, one is the MAF sensor, so im guessing the egr is to blame. mine had the GDE tune, so im thinking i could swap over some parts from the passenger side of engine if i get the donor. he says engine was replaced 60 k ago, but cant prove it. what do you all think? its 100 miles away, i heard it run yesterday, pulled codes.

so i looked here and the codes relate to transmission, speed sensor, and low voltage on #4 GP. I thought I saw something about MAF on his scanner but I can't remember.

racertracer · **Posted:** Thu Oct 15, 2015 6:17 pm

Cylinders filled with coolant?

Remove the glow plugs in your old motor and see if it turns.

geordi · **Posted:** Thu Oct 15, 2015 8:14 pm

Where are you located?

Are they trying to turn it with the starter or manually? There are several reasons why the computer won't allow the engine to rotate with the starter that have nothing at all to do with the engine being bad.

This is a highly unusual situation.

Hexus · **Posted:** Fri Oct 16, 2015 11:24 am

I smell something fishy..

JLCBikes · **Joined:** Mon Dec 12, 2011 3:01 pm **Posts:** 17

geordi wrote:

Where are you located?

Are they trying to turn it with the starter or manually? There are several reasons why the computer won't allow the engine to rotate with the starter that have nothing at all to do with the engine being bad.

This is a highly unusual situation.

i'm in Winchester VA. I've already pumped 6k into this thing since 2011. They took that stuff off to confirm their suspicion that it was locked up. They tried to turn is manually. I've yet to pull the glow plugs. Now it sits, with Fan ,shroud , AC empty, serpentine belt off, in my driveway. I had it towed home. How much would you want to look at it?

Hexus · **Posted:** Fri Oct 16, 2015 10:21 pm

Why in hell would they discharge the A/C line?

geordi · **Posted:** Fri Oct 16, 2015 11:42 pm

They probably dumped the AC because they were thinking to remove the whole front end to take the radiator and fan out. This is dumb but not a huge thing, the AC system can be recharged fairly easily depending on if they broke anything when discharging the system.

Winchester isn't too bad of a location - I have to go up to NY in the next few weeks sometime and I would be stopping by another CRD on the way as well, so both of you could split the travel costs to that point which would be the cheapest for anybody in recent memory.

I'm going to make an assumption that you don't have a critically damaged engine and say that *IF* the engine is at least partly serviceable, and all it needed is a rocker job... That would be the most common service need. I can't really predict how difficult it would be to diagnose from afar, but if it was a rocker job, that is about 9 hours of my work to complete it and with all the other mods - studs and timing and plugs and elbow, that is $3200 with parts and labor. I can save you a bunch on that if you want to try and do the disassembly yourself, I can walk you through it and you don't need to worry about the timing at all - I can fix that from any position. Letting the cams settle off the lobes (they will "lock" at a neutral point) will allow you to rotate the pistons at least a few degrees, if not all the way around.

Not rotating though is a concern, it could be a head gasket letting the water back into the cylinder and locking it, or it could be something more severe. What did it sound like the last time it ran? How did it stop? Did it stop badly, or normally and just not run again after?

Walking up on it cold with no idea what I'm getting into... I can do a partial teardown pulling the injectors and plugs and the timing system for $400 plus a share of the travel, most likely just about $150-200. That would pretty much isolate the rotating mass and at that point it *should* be capable of spinning by hand. We should be able to discuss options at that point and if you want to proceed, I can roll that money into the total repair, whatever it might be.

Hexus · **Posted:** Sat Oct 17, 2015 10:53 am

darn Geordi, if you're not careful you're gonna turn into the roving CRD repairman for a living.

geordi · **Posted:** Sat Oct 17, 2015 1:00 pm

Considering that I count just two other people besides myself (you and Sam) working on these with enough experience to be considered "familiar" with the design... Don't you think we all kinda have to?

The list of dealers that could identify their arse with both hands and a flashlight.... Is very short. The list of dealership horror stories is considerably longer.

Like it or not, we are on our own with these things and have to support each other. I'm not making a ton off these either, considering the time involved all around. I'm just trying to strike a balance and help people with the skills I have attained from my own troubles. Thankfully, these things are pretty consistent in how they fall over.

JLCBikes · **Joined:** Mon Dec 12, 2011 3:01 pm **Posts:** 17

Hexus wrote:

Why in hell would they discharge the A/C line?

Shop said it was in the way of them pulling the fan to try to manually turn engine. I'm so frustrated with this thing. Ready to dump it. Really loved this car, just can't justify the expense.

JLCBikes · **Joined:** Mon Dec 12, 2011 3:01 pm **Posts:** 17

geordi wrote:

They probably dumped the AC because they were thinking to remove the whole front end to take the radiator and fan out. This is dumb but not a huge thing, the AC system can be recharged fairly easily depending on if they broke anything when discharging the system.

Winchester isn't too bad of a location - I have to go up to NY in the next few weeks sometime and I would be stopping by another CRD on the way as well, so both of you could split the travel costs to that point which would be the cheapest for anybody in recent memory.

I'm going to make an assumption that you don't have a critically damaged engine and say that *IF* the engine is at least partly serviceable, and all it needed is a rocker job... That would be the most common service need. I can't really predict how difficult it would be to diagnose from afar, but if it was a rocker job, that is about 9 hours of my work to complete it and with all the other mods - studs and timing and plugs and elbow, that is $3200 with parts and labor. I can save you a bunch on that if you want to try and do the disassembly yourself, I can walk you through it and you don't need to worry about the timing at all - I can fix that from any position. Letting the cams settle off the lobes (they will "lock" at a neutral point) will allow you to rotate the pistons at least a few degrees, if not all the way around.

Not rotating though is a concern, it could be a head gasket letting the water back into the cylinder and locking it, or it could be something more severe. What did it sound like the last time it ran? How did it stop? Did it stop badly, or normally and just not run again after?

Walking up on it cold with no idea what I'm getting into... I can do a partial teardown pulling the injectors and plugs and the timing system for $400 plus a share of the travel, most likely just about $150-200. That would pretty much isolate the rotating mass and at that point it *should* be capable of spinning by hand. We should be able to discuss options at that point and if you want to proceed, I can roll that money into the total repair, whatever it might be.

It ran normally, though it knocked loudly earlier in the day. I assumed it was partially firing due to cooler temps and bad glow plugs. It ran normally the 45 minutes home, and the 3 or 4 starts at work to drive across the property.

So I tear it down, and you swing by to diagnose. That might be reasonable. But I could just sell it now.. I don't need the car. Just hate to get rid of it, it's become a sentimental thing. I really hated letting my VW rabbit 1.6 go for 1200, running perfectly with just 100k on it and no rust, but it was a sixth car at the time. Now I have 5 again, as I ran and bought a 00 Outback legacy last weekend, for 1800. Manual, with recent head gasket and timing belt done.

Will post the Jeep for sale soon I think. Thanks Jim.

geordi · **Posted:** Mon Oct 19, 2015 10:34 pm

Well, I'd give it a try at tearing down first and have a look. If nothing else, you won't be any worse off than you are now and you might have a pile of parts to sell separately.

I still have to go to NYC in a few weeks, so lets maybe have a look at it in person so you have all the information possible?

locked up... time to swap?

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