2011 mk7 possible seized engine

[Jumbo123]

Thanks guys! I will get back on it Monday and start with the timing and go from there! And yes I agree about it most likely not being cared for, it was owned by a haulage company in the past and has plenty of writing on driver door indicating next service etc, up until about 30k ago, so I suppose there is a chance it has been looked after, to some extent haha

[Jumbo123]

Hi guys, quick little update, finally got a bit of time on it today and I have had the torx bolt all the way from about 8 o’clock to 12 o’clock and I still cant get the pin in the flywheel so I think the chances are that it’s 180 degrees out, but unfortunately the engine doesn’t go around 180 before locking up, so I think it may be a case of taking the chain off and timing it up that way? Also that crank sensor isn’t so bad to get once you have done it once and know what it all looks like

[loot]

You said a silly it can't be 180 out, that torx at 11pm is correct.
You won't need to pin it at 11pm just make sure you do 11pm and if you read that post I linked you too it says 2 links from 12 or something.

11pm as close as you can is correct. It looks more like 9.5 at the moment. So do 11 and that will guarantee that you won't foul the valves even if 1 tooth out.

Personally I think it is the dmf or gearbox.

[Jumbo123]

Sorry I must be getting a bit confused , so your saying it’s just physically not possible for it to be 180 degrees out?
And yeah I think when I put the crank at 11 both cam shafts are going to be out, but I will count the 2.5 teeth and see where that leaves me, and you may well be correct about it being dmf or gearbox, however I just want to explore all the possible options whilst I’m at the timing chain etc if that makes sense? And then once I have all that mythbusted, I’ll crack on and get the box off, I’m just trying to leave that till last as I have read on here that you have to drop the subframe a bit etc, but it does look like I will be diving in that area pretty soon aha

Thanks for your help again mate, it’s most appreciated!

[Jumbo123]

Right, a bit impulsive and probably stupid I know, but I slid the timing chain off the crank, and I could immediately turn the crank much, much further than i ever could before! So maybe this could be a case of just a old knackered chain that slipped whilst trying to start or something? As I can’t see any loose bolts or cracks on the cam carrier and maybe the previous owner tried turning the engine over by hand the wrong way or trying to bump start it caused it just jump even more? I’ll try timing it all up again and turning it over by hand carefully and see where I get, also a quick question before I try it, is there enough clearance for the chain to lift clear of all the pulleys? As the pump and cams see a bit tight in some areas

Cheers guys

[loot]

Yes, you need to re-time it, you fed to pin the tensioner in then have the 2 cogs pinned then undo the cogs 6 10mm bolts then pull them off so the chain is off then get the crank to 11pm and the fuel pump.
If there are 3 chain links that are a different colour then line them up to the 2 cogs and fuel pump then fit it all and the cogs bolts not fully tight but close then pull the tensioner so it comes out tight then you can nip the 2 cogs up. Then try rotating the engine.

Tbh if the timing did jump enough to foul the pistons then 100% it wouldn't stop the engine but rip the bolts or carrier up.

But I agree it's best to go through it all

Have you done it yet?

[loot]

The tensioner was almost all the way Out wasn't it? It is reasonable then that it just slipped under load but see above, it can't stop the engine unless you were very lucky but no doubt someone would have tried turning it over with the key surely?

[Jumbo123]

Yep ok that makes perfect sense! I’ll give it a go, and also I’ll see if I can get the pin in the crank so I’m certain that it’s not on the wrong revolution etc, and yeah the tensioner was right out and I could physically see the chain trying to skip when turning it by hand! And yes i myself even tried it with the starter without knowing and it did turn over slightly and then stop. Would the starter be powerful enough to cause damage like that then?

Thanks

[bambi mk 1]

Are you using the correct crank pin,its has a shoulder on the end

[Jumbo123]

Yeah that’s right mate, got a sealey kit that comes with 2, one with and one without the shoulder on the end, I’m using the shouldered one, I tried lining everything up etc, and without the chain on, I could get almost exactly 180 degrees rotation on the crank before it locked up, I carried on and took the rocker ladder off just so I could easier see any damage and it was perfect and it still won’t turn over even without the rocker ladder, so I think as loot said, next step will be looking at getting the gearbox out, not so fun on my back, but it needs to be done! Aha

[Jumbo123]

Hi guys hope you are all well! Sorry for the sudden pause of events, unfortunately had to get the van moved and it’s now on the side of a field and I have finally had time to have another go at it! So I quick recap to date is, got the top apart, rocker ladder off and all valves appear to be fully closed, timing chain removed, over the past evening, I managed to get the gearbox off, well pushed back far enough to give me access to the clutch / dmf and from what I can see, there seems to be no issues, the dual mass part moves nice and free, there were some obvious signs of someone removing the gearbox fairly recently, maybe trying to diagnose the same fault! And I am still stuck with the crank not doing a full rotation, with the pulley off and one bolt put back in, it rotates from 11o’clock all the way around until about 7o’clock and then just stop dead, so I’m thinking maybe the next step would be either head off, or sump off?

Any type of input would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers guys

[loot]

Take the injectors out its only 2 8mm bolts and 4 17mm nuts. Then get a nice rod that you can put into the hole carefully and each 1 rotate the engine and you'll see the rod move up and down, I am suspecting a con rod I'd broken which will be obvious if 1 of the pistons isn't moving.

My mk6 had a con rod snap and I was towing and on the motorway, it did blow a hole in the block but part of the cobb rod was wedged against the side which gave similar simptoms to yours. Its a quick check anyway.

[Jumbo123]

I already have the injectors out actually, I don’t know why I didn’t think about that!!! Dumb moment from me! And yes that defiantly sounds possible!!! Are they normally repairable if they haven’t made a hole in the block? I see you can get kits with oversize pistons with shells and rods etc for about £450, as i don’t really want to be shelling out £1300 on another engine!

[loot]

It really depends on what damage has been caused, a broken con rod flying up and down and its enough to cause your locking problem would be 99.999999% likely to have caused a fair bit of debris and damage to be inside the block.

But until you know what is happening it is still guess work. Have you removed the flywheel completely? Remove clutch and then flywheel.

Rod in injector holes and check piston movement, borascope inside the cylinders to check for debris? Really can't see anything being in there unless a valve has dropped in . But these are the checks until you find the Culprit

[Jumbo123]

Yep they are valid points, and no I haven’t physically removed the clutch / flywheel yet! That will be my next task when the weather holds out a bit, and also check piston movement, and I wouldn’t mind so much having to disassemble the engine and obviously was the whole lot out and rebuild if I means saving a considerable amount of dosh, however on the flip side, I do Occasionally see the odd secondhand engine pop up for a half decent price aha

Anyway I will keep you updated and once again thank you very much for your help