I have a question about a SRT6, has anyone ever heard of tuning off a SRT6 and trying to start it the next morning to only find out it is locked up and won't turn over??? I can only turn the engine about 1/8 of a roll from the flywheel and it stops then hit the starter and it only turns over to where I was already locked up.

Anyone with a clue or any suggestions and I would greatly be thankful, also checked the valve trains, crank sensor and boro-scoped the cylinder and found nothing???

The only thing found was "two brand new fuel injectors" were dumping fuel instead of spraying it.

 

I don't have exp. with SRT's, but lots on eng., troubleshooting and rebuilding. To answer if an eng. has locked up, try pulling the plugs and then rotate the eng. with a wrench on the crank. This is safest. With no compression, the eng. should turn nice and smooth. DO NOT try to turn it over with the starter. Turn it over with a wrench, If you dropped a valve or something stupid, you'll feel the bind while turning it by hand. Turn it slowly. I am not sure what turns the supercharger on an SRT, but if it is belt, chain, or gear, and you can access that area, as you turn the crank, watch for a bind in that assy. You should have no problems finding what is stopping you from turning the eng. over. You can also remove valve covers to watch valves operation. You can also use a plastic Mc Donalds straw to slid down on top of the piston to feel it's rise and fall within the cyclinder, just becarefull not to pinch it while inside.
Also access to a bore scope, you can see inside the piston bores. What's the eng. oil look like on the dip stick? When removing the plugs, are they wet with oil/coolant? Could be hyro-lock, if so, don't try running the eng. A blown head gasket can leach coolant (over night) into a cylinder causing the eng. to lock up. If eng. starts, water has to go somewhere or make it's own path, and that is NOT pretty.

Hoping it's something simple and stupid for you. and NOT a locked eng. A locked eng. is never a fun (or cheap) issue.

 

We did all that plus boro scope inspections of each cylinder, again found nothing.

 

and it turns over by hand? no problem?

 

It will only turn 1/8 of a flywheel roll and stops, then when rotating it back it stops at the same place.

Today we are gong to try a 1 1/16" socket and a big 3/4" pull bar at the crank, if it's going to break loose then it should do so with some serious leverage.

Also checking the starter, torque converter, if not found then it's off to the mercedes shop...



*Ok it's not the starter and boro-scoped the torque converter area as best we could looking for a bolt that may have backed out, nothing...
We can only rotate a 1/4 turn at the crank, plugs pulled like the first time, starter removed, belt removed.
Something must of happened after it cooled down...? Rod, timing gear, cam bearing but doubtful???

What is the most puzzling is that when I parked it, it was as smooth as silk, not a ping, pop, tic nor knock of any kind???

 

Not sure if I'd pull on it hard. Def. cause more damage. Valve train is OK? No dropped valves?

 

Inspected both valve trains yesterday, found nothing

 

could it be something in the trans has broken causing the flywheel to lock up? sounds like you have checked everything you need to on the engine.

 

Only a visual inspection with a flash light from the bottom didn't see anything looking inward, that doesn't mean that it is not, it's just we couldn't see anything obvious.

 

Could the extra fuel that was being dumped into the two cylinders have caused the pistons to hydraulicize?

 

Yes it has been mentioned and we will know for sure by end of next week. I will post all results after discovery is confirmed and photo's for what ever we find.

If the engine is toast (hoping it is not) then I have already found a used donor with 19K miles on it, only to use for the next 3 to 4 months??? and it comes with the SC too. Yes, I am going to leave it stock...!

Then I will have the old engine rebuilt for some serious HP, if I must go through this then I am going all the way with the engine/drive-train and with any luck have it re-installed by mid-summer.

* I am new here so I don't know at the moment if I can post technical discovery & progress photo's or how many??? If I can I will.

Guys I can't thank you enough for the responces.
** Many many thanks to all those who answered their phones this weekend too, with helping out in the process of eliminations...

 

If you had the plugs out and it's still locked....then can't be a fuel, coolant or oil.

 

Sounds like something in the tranny is still engaged.....

 

first remove the belt if the alt or ac is frozen then you think the motor is frozen too over the years, i have had 3 cars do this and every time it was the alt and or the ac. jim

 

Hi Jim, the belt was the first thing removed once I discovered it was locked up and I have also experienced that as well, with an ac compressor holding up the rest of the pully system, thank you.

 

Could be the torque converter is locked.

 

That would be nice, better than the engine for sure... I hope it is the torque converter but I have doubts about it being that as I have had two lock up before (hot rod diesel) and both times I was driving down the road, it made a real mess and it was extreamly loud when failed as metal was grinding, twisting and snapping, for me they were both violent catastrophic failures for sure and I instantly knew something very bad had just happened.

Again the most puzzling part in all this is that is was fine when I drove up and turned it off the night before, then to go out the next morning only to find something is locked up in the engine/drive-train???


03/22/10
* The only good used Mercedes repair shop in Beaumont, Tx won't touch it because the engine/drive-train is sitting in a Chrysler. I am exploring all other local options.
** I may be in luck I just found out that the local Chrysler dealer is also the local Mercedes dealer as well.

 

SparkieSRT6, You are correct..! Cylinder #6 is badly scared (bottom half) from the effects of cylinder flooding (hydraulicization?) and #3 was well on it's way to being, also damaged. No other cylinders have any damage at all...! This was found with a boro-scope view from the bottom up and all damage was in the bottom half of the cylinder, that it why we could not see it from the top.

Now to find out if the "new injectors" I was sold were in fact new. I am having serious reservations that these were new injectors because two of them were bad and with the many discussions with three separate injector shops. They all said the very same thing "I can see one new bad injector, it happens but the odds for two brand new injectors being bad would be very high".

I will have all three injector shops to give me their professional opinions (documented) on these injector's, answering the question of are the injector's new or old. Good or bad I am posting only documented information to all (no opinions just documented facts by professionals), this is so know one else makes the same mistakes that I have made in service and parts. *new = 3K to 4K miles vs old = 30K to ? miles, they said that they can easily tell the difference, so we will see.

*REMEMBER guys if you floor the pedal and you see fuel spraying out the back like a fog or a mist then you have bad injector(s) and your engine will fail if the injectors are not replaced at once...! I only thought that the injectors were to large, I did not get any real check engine errors until the last two days (maybe 20 miles but the damage was already done) which only said that I was running "rich" in bank 1 and bank 2 for #6 and bank 1 and bank 2 for #3.
**I did get an intermittent check engine error "running rich" but it would clear once on the hwy??? So I did not pay attention to the intermittent error... This error was different and not the same error as the bank 1 & 2 rich errors which are very bad, meaning that you may already have engine damage at that point.

 

This is a great post. Thanks for the info.

Do you think that an aftermarket wideband sensor would have picked up on this and read rich, so the driver would know what was going on?

 

Now yer scaring me! My roadster runs waaaay rich judging by the looks of the tail pipes. Actually get black deposits on the rear of the car from the exhaust.
Thanks goodness for the extended warranty!