Thread: Engine jams up when starting....

Soooo..last year 2 weeks before NIMM, I throught i would do a semi re-build..I replaced an installed new#.-Cambelt,cambelt tensioner,water pump,crank seal,thermostat,intake mani gasket,oil filter,alternator belt,flywheel skimmd,spoon 3 puk clutch an 1900lb pressure plate an installed a buffled sump.i pull everythig off(but block and head remain untouched)an everything was clean an painted...
Up until then,5 hardest years,the engine run without any problems even with 2 oil changes in it's lifetime ive had it..After doing all this maintenance work of putting new parts,i didnt have time to test or start it until i got alllll the way down to taupo.!
And when it came time to start it..............my nightmare started.!.eveything was fuckin out...
1-fuel filter was fuck, line was bent that goes into the filter,.after fixing that..
2-had aftermarket fuel rail..that wouldnt start until some one pointed that out,that it was the rail...fix that.....thenn
3-wouldnt rev of 2-3000rpm,TBS sensor pins was fuck.!which had to find a wreckers.....fix that..
4-took it out around the track..(by then it was 1130ish-12pm)..goin down the back straight..Vtec cuts out, check light on.!!.got to pits just find out,was leaking oil from under the pulley.!

After checking an tighting the sump a little bit more,oil stop..so around the track 1 more time..again..Vtec cuts an check light.(i also pulled off the vtec solenoid an give it a clean out,would that be the problem.??).an again..leaking oil....so on trailer park up...very veryyy shitty day.!!!..
So 2 weeks ago thought i'll take it to work to fix it.which it didnt work,so on way home pulled off motorway,going ok,took off in 1st then went into 2nd gear vtec came on, then vtec cut off,then car just lost power an switch off.
Went to start it,winds over twice an engine jams up.???..cambelt still on..someone said might be the big end/mains bearings jamming.?..starter motor maybe...??..im lost to where to start....

Any help/ideas/assitance or someone coming around to help would be much bloody appreciated to you have no idea.!...

It say if it was the starter motor jamming you would either be able to hear it or the starter motor would have destroyed itself by now. Easy way to test that would be to just take out starter motor and crash start the car and take it up road. But highly doubt it would be that as you have a check light.
Have you jumped that plug by ecu to see what your check lights for?
Have you made sure your cambelt isnt out a tooth??

check cambelt timing. if it was out. do a compression to make sure everything still ok.

how can you do a compression test if the engine jams?

Check the cambelt timing bro. Could the timing be 180 out, may explain why its locking up!

Originally Posted by I B TEKN

1900lb flywheel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thats one heavy flywheel bro

haha..one of a kind...my bad ..sorted..

yea gona check timing an ssee where thats at...yea cant really do compression when it wont start..it sounds like it doesnt have that sound when start it,sounds like it has no compression...
might have to check timing..

yup recheck cam timing. the mistake most people make is that they forget to rotate the engine
the opposite way to the direction of rotation to remove the slack from the belt. they instead rotate the
engine forward this can cause the belt to jump on the pulleys.

thats why i said check cambelt timing before doing compression test. sounds like timing out. if it was seized jameed or big end problem etc it wont be able to turn at all. pull the plugs out and have a quick look down the hole and check for damage.

yup. sad thing is if its cam timimg an its locked up the pistons have already kissed the valves.

Originally Posted by dox

yup. sad thing is if its cam timimg an its locked up the pistons have already kissed the valves.

which im hopeing it hasnt...it didnt go bang or anything..........Well it back fired then idled funny then turned off...fingers cross its just some tooth an its just the timing...

i just check the timing..it (i think)lines up..but just gona check down by the pulley to see if lines up..

So I take it you can turn the engine over by hand?

i turned it from the cam gears untill they lined up..gonna pull the starter motor out tomorrow an see what that looks like..

Never turn the engine via camgears. Only rotate the engine anti-clockwise. If it is the starter motor, replacing the brushes inside are cheap and easy.

You'll know to test your car before making it to the track next time eh? That is a lot of maintenance work to not double check.

What engine code did you get? If you buggered the TPS when removing the intake manifold you might have done something similar to something else.

Like always,i leave shit to the last min to get things sort,i was expecting it to start,being a straight forward service...if its the starter motor,thats sweet,as i've got a spear..but that sorts 1 out of 3 problems...i didnt get the code out in time before jammd up.My roughness why the mani plug broke,but everything seems ok.ill try the starter motor then try starting it, an see where i end up..

sooo...recently just check the timing....cams seem to line up ok as well as the crank..had another mate double check...soo..now to start pulling things off to check what else it could be.....starter looks sweet..just pain in the ass..

Did you rotate the motor around a few times by hand to be 100% sure its not a valve hitting the top of the piston or something stupid like that? might pay to check before you rip it apart again

yea..i thnk we rotated it around till the cams an crank line up....but i might go rotate it around just to make sure...

Do a compression test.

You turning it anti-clockwise?

Originally Posted by Gudgen

Do a compression test.

You turning it anti-clockwise?

yep.turning anti clockwise....

Originally Posted by MRSCOT

So 2 weeks ago thought i'll take it to work to fix it.which it didnt work,so on way home pulled off motorway,going ok,took off in 1st then went into 2nd gear vtec came on, then vtec cut off,then car just lost power an switch off.


- missed that bit in your first post sorry. you were driving it when it died... hmmmmm

thats sweet..the car run an drive sweet.wasnt till i give it the full service where everything turn to shit...if i can even get to start ,ill be glad..