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So this isn’t the first time I’ve been down this road, but I figured I’d ask about it since I’m dealing with it again. So I’m replacing a seized engine in a 2010 Matrix that the drain plug fell out of, and it’s and automatic which normally requires turning of the crankshaft to take out the torque converter bolts. I’ve always done whatever ridiculousness is required in this situation to get the crank turning, but I was wondering if anybody has a better way or a workaround.
On this engine, there is not enough room to take the engine out with the torque converter attached and deal with it later. I would have to remove the whole powertrain and then do that. Even at that point, it’s a total gamble if I’ll be able to get to the TC bolts anyway. I don’t necessarily believe I’ll definitely be able to get to all the bolts anyway if I were to do this.
To be clear, I’m not asking advice on how to unsieze the engine, just if anybody has worked around this issue successfully. It just tend to take awhile to unseize an engine like this, and I don’t see this going any different. Luckily I can charge for the time on this job, but usually that’s one of those “go pound salt” kind of things.
I have to take the upper oil pan off this one to get to the #4 rod bearing cap, which is where it’s stuck, and that is a lot of work for a engine that’s going in the scrap pile.
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I don’t think there’s any solution aside from what you’re already doing. I have, just once or twice, been able to turn the crank reverse of its normal rotation on a stuck engine. But those were lucky situations with less severe problems. I’d think you’d almost have to fabricate some weird giant pipe wrench apparatus to anchor onto the crank damper and try to turn the crank that way. You know by the time you make something fit and clamp onto the circumference of the damper, you’ll quickly run out of engine bay room to actually use the new apparatus.
If you find a way other than to remove that bearing cap, I would love to hear it…
The only thing I could think is depending on the damage, maybe a long punch and try to whack the piston through the spark plug hole to move it down (if up) while someone tries to turn the engine… Thats all I got 🙂
-Karl
Well, as you specifically requested NOT to tell you how to un-seize the crankshaft to be able to turn it, I’ll bail from this thread. :whistle:
What’s so bad about removing the whole drivetrain? I greatly prefer to do all engine or transmission swaps that way myself now, but some people like fighting on their back with a transmission on a jack. What’s the cost of a used torque converter vs your time to get the old one off? Since the motor is scrap, you could save a little time just cutting the oil pan instead of removing all the pan bolts and anything in the way like exhaust or brackets or w/e. But it’s so much easier with the whole thing out of the car.
[quote=”stiv625″ post=128161]What’s so bad about removing the whole drivetrain?[/quote]
Couple things. First is it’s AWD so there’s a transfer case to deal with. The radiator support is welded in so I can’t just pull it straight out the front, and it’s too tight to lift the whole thing out because it’s designed to be dropped out of the bottom. We don’t have a powertrain lift, and our workbenches are too heavy to drag around and have built-on backsplashes so that prevents using one of them in a pinch. That makes it take longer to pull the powertrain than what I think it will take to free the engine, plus cost of TC and drive plate (the replacement engine is from a manual trans).
Other side of dealing with the existing engine is all accessories/brackets/manifolds are coming off to transfer over to the replacement engine, so there’s not a hell of a lot to getting that upper pan off once everything attached to/near it is gone. I was thinking of air chiseling the bottom out like you suggested until I realized this, and decided to wait and deal with it after I get the engine stripped.
Anyway I appreciate the insight all. I might shoot some video of this part of the job, the 2 fried conrods are funny looking. And Ukrkoz you smart-ass 😉 , the crank still turns. It’s either a piston stuck in a bore or the #4 rod is stuck to the crank journal. I’ll know before the end of the day!
If you ask me I would say lift the vehicle up in the air get a bunch of railroad ties or solid concrete blocks and position them in such a way to support the drive train and remove the chassis using the lift. Lift the body away from the component. Does it mean having to use a creeper ya but, only way I can see of undoing it short of unseizing the engine. I am not familiar with the car but, considering what you are stating that should work it may be a pain but, certainly less of a pain then what you are describing.
I know you said not to but, if the engine is seized that bad what about dropping the pan and cutting the connecting arms seeing as how it is more then likely the pistons that are seized.
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