Problem is this, she owes $10000 on it and book is $8-9000 IF it were running. No one will take it as a trade (even if they roll over the gap) if it doesn’t run.
We will probably take it home, take out the plugs and crank it to see if it is water locked. After that we’ll pull the head off and see what the damage really is OR have it towed to the dealer for a second opinion.
Please keep us updated. I’d like to know the outcome.
Another option is to part the vehicle out. The sum of the parts should be worth more than the sum of the intact vehicle with a frozen engine. But it’s a lot of work.
OTOH, the Commander might be worth a couple of grand as trade-in, even if it’s been towed in. A dealer can strip it but they’ll probably resell it directly to a bone yard. You could skip the middle man and sell it directly. just a thought.
Is that legal if it is currently financed?
The loan still has to be paid off. You were upside-down on the loan when the engine was running. I assume the vehicle is collateral for the loan. The loan company will demand full payment if you sell the car. Do you have any other collateral that could be used for another loan? Is your vehicle insurance paid up?
Just bought a house (actually thought about that last night. Only a couple of bills in equity. Insurance wouldn’t cover this unless we could prove an accident caused the problem.
A-hem. Is your vehicle insurance paid up?
Of course
I don’t want to put words in doorhinge’s mouth, but maybe there should have been a few ;););)'s in there?
As a practical matter, the loan company has a lien against the car. They are named on the title as a lienholder. When the loan is paid off, the lienholder signs (stamps) off their interest right on the title. In most cases, the car owner doesn’t even get to put their fingers on the title until the loan is paid off–the title remains in the possession of the lienholder or the DMV. In the rare circumstances where you have possession of the title and an unreleased lien is shown on the title, the DMV will not transfer ownership of the car until the lien is properly released.
TLDR: There’s really no way to legitemately transfer ownership of a car that has an active bank loan on it.
They are towing it home after $50 for them to tell me the crank pully won’t budge. Asked if they pulled the spark plugs out and they said no. “Didn’t want to spend your money.” I said, “Then you didn’t check for hydrolock?” She looked flustered and then claimed newer engines don’t get hydrolocked.
Now you know why I’ll pull the plugs this weekend and the head and not leave it to them to do. I’m really starting to suspect a blown head gasket. I was riding in a car that blew one and it just died kind of like the description of this problem. Maybe just a big enough coolant leak to hydrolock it? I guess I’ll confirm or deny soon.
that’s also a possibility.
Generally with hydrolock the crank can’t turn in one direction but will move in the other to at least some degree. While not impossible, it’s quite unlikely to have multiple cylinders filled to the point where the crank won’t budge at all.
Its always a Jeep, isn’t it? I feel your pain.
A friend of mine was chatting with his local Honda mechanic (not too experienced or smart) many years ago (say, about 1990). They had a Honda engine on the bench, and the mechanic aid “look how easily these things turn!” He grabbed the wheel at the end of the crankshaft and turned the motor by hand, easily.
Unfortunately, like others mention above, this also was a zero-clearance engine. The timing belt was off. Just turning the engine by hand, pistons dinged several valves that were in the open position - enough to bend them so that a head repair job was needed. It doesn’t take much to damage the valves, but also does not seriously impede the ability of the crankshaft to turn.
I assume if a valve broke off and is jammed, the engine should easily turn backwards a bit.
I’ve been pulling wrenches for 40 years and have never seen a running engine hydrolock unless it was driven into a pond or river,etc.
In this post you added, [and even now won’t make a clunk-clunk sound when cranking]
Please elaborate ?
One more possibility,
This is a remote posibility but the starter is still suspect until it is removed.
I had one stick while engauged and of course there is a very particular sound associated but I didn’t pick up on it immediately and had to shut down the engine 2 times before the starter dropped out. Now say I didn’t hear it at all I believe the starter could have seized and very likley stalled the engine at an idle. Of course it could also just self distruct after a very short time.
I still have a Chevy blazer on jack stands with an engine changed out after my grandson seized it up while driving it in low range. He ultimately destroyed the engine from high rpm’s and this blazer stalled on the street when he slowed.
Changing an engine is a PITA!!
I have the replacement engine bolted in but there is still several hours of misery left.
The replacement engine at a local salvage yard was $600
Of course there are always many other replacement and service items to add to any engine change.
And edit to add,
It took a 24" pipe wrench on the crank pully to rotate engine to disconnect the flex plate.
I would pull the plugs and do a visual on each cylinder with a scope. You can buy them fairly cheap now. You could have spun a bearing or dropped a valve. spinning a bearing will drop shavings into the oil pan which are then picked up by the oil pump which will then seize. The engine follows soon after. But in that situation you’d hear the valves tapping because the hydraulic lifters would collapse.
If something physically stopped the motor I would expect to hear it and not the sound of an engine stopping as if you turned off the ignition.
I went out today, car has been sitting since it was towed back. Battery is dead. As in voltmeter shows 0v dead. No electronics whatsoever. Is it possible the alternator died, hence why the car died at the stoplight and why it won’t crank now? Anyway to check this vs a seized engine? The battery is only 4 months old and even if low from sitting I should get SOME voltage out of it.