seized motor?

[superu]

Hmm, so how does a seized motor behave?

 

Anyone with experience in this please chime in.

 

I've got a good battery and plenty of fuel, low but some oil but when turning the key, I get the started motor click, a struggled "ern" crank but no fire..

I REALLY hope i didn't weld my motor.

[idosubaru]

seized motor doesn't turn at all - even with a socket and 4 foot breaker bar. of course i'm sure there's varying degrees of damage.

 

anyway - starter clicking and poor turning is in NO WAY an indication of a seized motor. it's a no start condition, which is a common symptom of thousands of possible problems.

 

did you try to jump it? alternator? starter? starter solenoid? ignition? battery?

 

i'd start by jumping and testing the alt/battery.

[superu]

seized motor doesn't turn at all - even with a socket and 4 foot breaker bar. of course i'm sure there's varying degrees of damage.

 

anyway - starter clicking and poor turning is in NO WAY an indication of a seized motor. it's a no start condition, which is a common symptom of thousands of possible problems.

 

did you try to jump it? alternator? starter? starter solenoid? ignition? battery?

 

i'd start by jumping and testing the alt/battery.

 

Twas my first thought also, if it turns it can't be frozen.

 

I suspect starter. Jumping did nothing more than it does on its own, voltmeter and battery charger/tester indicate Battery is good.

 

I suspect starter. Hmm, tell me more about the solinoid.

 

This a an EJ22 in a 95 legacy. I rally-xed last weekend, good FUN runs (perhaps vid and pix to post in the rally section later). Wife left site, drove 3 hours no probs, then check engine light came on so she stopped it and got towed home. I got back checked it, engine oil low, but not dry, coolant low (as in couldn't see fluid when cap removed), so added about 1/4 cup H2O and pushed air out of upper rad. hose, coolant level fine.

 

So, good battery, gas, some oil, turn key, get click and "slow" urnf crank. 1 maybe 2 turns but no more...

 

We have a 93 IMP also, so i'll pull the starter from that to try that first, but i think this weeken may be spent under the hood

 

We'll see though. Off from work ALL next week, but wife's friends from grad school coming to play with us this weekend and all next week too

 

Thanks for chimin in so soon GG!

[idosubaru]

swap in that other starter and see if that fixes it, that sounds like the problem. solenoid probably isn't the problem since it sounds like it's actually moving and doing something.

 

you could even rebuild the starter, usually just needs cleaning or new brushes. i''ve even fixed them by just disassembling and cleaning the insides and reassembling, but i'd consider that a temporary fix.

[superu]

swap in that other starter and see if that fixes it, that sounds like the problem. solenoid probably isn't the problem since it sounds like it's actually moving and doing something.

 

you could even rebuild the starter, usually just needs cleaning or new brushes. i''ve even fixed them by just disassembling and cleaning the insides and reassembling, but i'd consider that a temporary fix.

 

Turns out it was a bad ground.

I had installed a neg. ground disconnect switch

and think rally-ing it may have gotten dirt /dust in there and made for a bad connection.

 

I deleted the switch and car fires right up

 

yay for running car, boo for battery disconnect switch

[frag]

Just ignorant and curious. What's the purpose of a negative ground disconnect switch? First time I hear about it.

[Olnick]

What's the purpose of a negative ground disconnect switch?

 

 

It's an "Advanced Diagnostic Reflex Tool." (It tests how fast you can figure out the problem when you forgot you turned the power off or when its connection goes bad.)

 

Glad you solved the problem, superoo!

[GeneralDisorder]

Just ignorant and curious. What's the purpose of a negative ground disconnect switch? First time I hear about it.

 

To prevent the battery from draining - either for long term storage or because of a troublesome electrical problem that can't be located or is difficult to fix. Usually it's the "wrong" way to fix a car, but for those that don't have the tools/time/expertise to fix the car proper it can be a short-term solution.

 

GD

[frag]

To prevent the battery from draining - either for long term storage or because of a troublesome electrical problem that can't be located or is difficult to fix. Usually it's the "wrong" way to fix a car, but for those that don't have the tools/time/expertise to fix the car proper it can be a short-term solution.

 

GD

 

Thanks. Thinking about it, I guess it could also be used as an extra theft prevention system.

[Fairtax4me]

Because it's better to disconnect the ground than the positive. Suppose you're working on the car and you disconnect the positive terminal, but you drop a wrench and it hits the positive post and the fender at the same time. You get a spark show. Now disconnect the negative and drop the wrench. Hits the negative post and the fender (or anything else metal) , nothing happens. Hits the positive post, nothing happens. If you get it between the positive and negative posts then you just have to hope it doesn't explode before you can grab a hammer and pound it off of there.

[superu]

Just ignorant and curious. What's the purpose of a negative ground disconnect switch? First time I hear about it.

 

It (so I'm told) disconnects the battery connection as for long term storage, also functions as a safety 9when monuted appropriately) as a safety device, and a theft deterant.

 

I've found that some juice still goes to the battery when this disconnect's key is removed, i.e. when "disconnected" i still get the door chime, but won't turn the motor over.

 

Seems good except when it doest not maintain a ground when the key is in and operating 9as to complete the ground curcuit).

 

so it goes.