EA82T not starting/cranking

[uss_essess]

It's an 1987 GL-10 3spd push button 4wd auto with an EA-82T. Bought it a couple of months ago, and have been using it as a daily driver. My low oil light came on a couple days ago, and (stupid me) I chose to ignore it til this weekend. On the way to work yesterday, it started hesitating, made a few odd noises, and then stalled, all in about 100 yards. I coasted into a parking lot and tried to restart her, but it was no use. She wouldn't even turn over. Got a ride to work and towed her home that evening.

 

 

Now she is in the garage where I can take a look at her. I am not a mechanic, and I realize its kind of hard to do, but I think I may have seized up the engine. The starter engaged once, but it was the grinding sound you get when you try and start a car that's already running. Now she won't turn over at all, and there is a loud THWACK when I turn the key. I don't know if it's the solenoid working, or if the starter is trying to turn and hitting something and stopping. Can I take the starter out and see if it works out of the engine? I tried turning the crank by hand (with a socket and breaker bar) but it won't budge. I took the plugs out, hoping that might help (should it?) but that didn't make any difference.

 

Any thoughts? Any questions?

[GeneralDisorder]

Engine is siezed

 

That'll teach you to pay attention to warning lights.

 

Also the oil lamp isn't a "low" warning, it's a low oil PRESSURE warning. Your pressure dropped to a dangerous level (digi-dash huh?), and you probably seized the rings in a cylinder. It's dead, and even a complete tear down probably won't save it. Once the mechanical damage is severe enough to stop the engine from rotating, it's a crispy critter.

 

GD

[Loyale 2.7 Turbo]

That Sounds Too Bad!

[daeron]

sorry to put it this way.. but the GOOD news is, junkyard motors are NOT expensive, and honestly not very difficult to install. If you can make a film of yourself removing the old one, and make sure you get one that is identical, you can just watch yourself take the old one apart and put the new one back together like that. IF you have the tools and facilities....

 

my point is, even though you rated yourself a novice mechanic, changing an engine for an identical stock engine, is REALLY one of the easier things to do.. as major as it sounds. A straight swap is just that: plug and play. Patience, and willingness to communicate with people here on any issues that may arise, certainly come in handy.. but my MOM (no wrencher, to be sure) swapped motors in a VW van once when my dad had a broken leg.. he just sat there and told her what to do, and she did it. no big deal. You may have complications, (read: you will almost certainly have SOME complication at least....) but its not something you are diagnosing/troubleshooting.. its not something that requires a great deal of "tuning" or adjustment like suspension changes or fuel system "customizations." It is unplugging everything, unbolting everything, putting a working motor in its place, and hooking everything back up. No more, no less.

 

and yes, unfortunately.. ignoring an oil idiot light is almost like driving on the wrong side of the road. some idiot lights, sometimes, can be ignored for a short while.. but if you had no temperature gauge, and your TEMP light started shining, would you keep driving it? Not to demean you or anything, but as GD said, it means that the engine is already not getting enough oil, and you have "coasted" thru your warning period already. thats what a dipstick (or oil pressure gauge, if you dont have the digi-dash, like you and I do) is for. The light is there to show you you are in the danger zone Now.

 

If you want to get adventurous when/if you change the engine, you could always buy a cheap aftermarket oil pressure gauge and install it, too... that way you would have something else to look at all the time, rather than a light that only comes on to say its about to die.

[jeffast]

sorry to put it this way.. but the GOOD news is, junkyard motors are NOT expensive, and honestly not very difficult to install. If you can make a film of yourself removing the old one, and make sure you get one that is identical, you can just watch yourself take the old one apart and put the new one back together like that. IF you have the tools and facilities....

 

my point is, even though you rated yourself a novice mechanic, changing an engine for an identical stock engine, is REALLY one of the easier things to do.. as major as it sounds. A straight swap is just that: plug and play. Patience, and willingness to communicate with people here on any issues that may arise, certainly come in handy.. but my MOM (no wrencher, to be sure) swapped motors in a VW van once when my dad had a broken leg.. he just sat there and told her what to do, and she did it. no big deal. You may have complications, (read: you will almost certainly have SOME complication at least....) but its not something you are diagnosing/troubleshooting.. its not something that requires a great deal of "tuning" or adjustment like suspension changes or fuel system "customizations." It is unplugging everything, unbolting everything, putting a working motor in its place, and hooking everything back up. No more, no less.

 

and yes, unfortunately.. ignoring an oil idiot light is almost like driving on the wrong side of the road. some idiot lights, sometimes, can be ignored for a short while.. but if you had no temperature gauge, and your TEMP light started shining, would you keep driving it? Not to demean you or anything, but as GD said, it means that the engine is already not getting enough oil, and you have "coasted" thru your warning period already. thats what a dipstick (or oil pressure gauge, if you dont have the digi-dash, like you and I do) is for. The light is there to show you you are in the danger zone Now.

 

If you want to get adventurous when/if you change the engine, you could always buy a cheap aftermarket oil pressure gauge and install it, too... that way you would have something else to look at all the time, rather than a light that only comes on to say its about to die.

i agree it is very simple just remember where evreything goes and it's about a 12-18 hr job depending on how fast you work, and yep the motor is definatly toast

[Jub Nub]

i feel your pain. mine just did the same thing except i drove it for like two weeks with it knocking obnoxiously before it actually quit...

[uss_essess]

Engine is siezed

Shibby!

 

That'll teach you to pay attention to warning lights.

We can only hope. :-p

 

Also the oil lamp isn't a "low" warning, it's a low oil PRESSURE warning. Your pressure dropped to a dangerous level (digi-dash huh?)

Yes. Other than missing my old oil pressure gauge and voltmeter, I really like the digi-dashes.

 

you probably seized the rings in a cylinder. It's dead, and even a complete tear down probably won't save it. Once the mechanical damage is severe enough to stop the engine from rotating, it's a crispy critter.

Shhhweeeeet! I needed a parts car for my other two turbo wagons anyways, lol. So what can I salvage? I am assuming the block/pistons/rods/crank are all trashed. What about the heads? The transmission? Other accessories?

 

That Sounds Too Bad!

Actually, it's probably for the best. This car has been raped. It looks like it's been hit more than once, it's pretty well rusted, and it is electrically FUBAR. The power door locks only work on the driver's side, the sunroof will open but won't close, the clock doesnt work, the radio resets itself every time I turn off the car, the trip computer is MIA, etc. Best of all, rather than being bolted to the car, the back of the driver's seat is supported on a stack of particle board 'donuts'. I was thrilled when I discovered that.

 

and honestly not very difficult to install. If you can make a film of yourself removing the old one, and make sure you get one that is identical, you can just watch yourself take the old one apart and put the new one back together like that. IF you have the tools and facilities.... my point is, even though you rated yourself a novice mechanic, changing an engine for an identical stock engine, is REALLY one of the easier things to do.. as major as it sounds. A straight swap is just that: plug and play. Patience, and willingness to communicate with people here on any issues that may arise, certainly come in handy..

As much as I would like to try this, I will probably just use this car for parts. I can probably pull enough parts off of this one to get both my '88 and '89 running again.

 

If you want to get adventurous when/if you change the engine, you could always buy a cheap aftermarket oil pressure gauge and install it, too... that way you would have something else to look at all the time, rather than a light that only comes on to say its about to die.

I probably won't bother on this car, but I do have another digi-dashed car that I may be interested in adding oil pressure and voltage gauges to.