Engine seized (?) after lay-up

GaseousAgley

I'm a Honda Civic owner (1.3l 1998 hatchback). Never done any work on (any) car engine before so not very knowledgeable.

The car has been laid up in my garage for a year or two (untouched). I need to move it onto the driveway to do some work in the garage so tried starting it the other day. The starter motor turned over a few times then died and now doesn't turn over at all when turning the ignition. The battery is fully charged and the oil and coolant levels both look OK so I presume the engine is seized.

After doing a search on the internet it looks as if one likely cause is the pistons becoming stuck in the cylinder bores (due to rust?) and they might be freed by filling the cylinders with oil and leaving it to penetrate the seized pistons. Is this the best thing to try to start with? If so, is it just a question of taking the spark plugs out and pouring engine oil into the cylinders that way, then leaving it for a couple of weeks? Then try staring the engine again? Is there a better type of oil to try than engine oil? Should I check the pistons are free before trying to start the engine again and if so what is the best way?

jk0

I don't think I would 'fill' cylinders with oil. Just a tiny bit then leave overnight. You can see if it worked by putting car in top gear, then pulling it towards you.

Norman_Castle

As it turned over then stopped I would doubt the problem is rust in the bores or that it is seized. If the battery has been untouched for two years it's unlikely it is capable of taking a proper charge. Try jump starting it or charging the battery further.
You could try removing the plugs then see if the engine turns over without them or when pushed in gear. Remember to take the handbrake off.

reddwarf2002

I would probably try squirting some WD-40 and leaving it overnight. Also, would it be possible that the starter has burnt out?

Goudy

After a couple of years anything could have happened.
Try removing the spark plugs and squirting some diesel down the holes and leave it overnight.

Next day, stick it in gear, 3rd will be ok, take the handbrake off and rock is back and forth, you might need some help.
You should be able to feel/hear the pistons moving through the spark plug holes.

If the battery is the one that's been left on the car, it will no doubt be scrap now as the plates and acid would be ruined. It'll feed back as charged on a battery charger but it'll hold no amps to crank the engine.

If the engine is rocking/turning freely, stick a good battery on it and try and fire it again without the plugs in.

If it all turns freely and fires out the diesel, it will more than likely try and fire up if you refit the plugs but it probably needs some fresh fuel before it will run properly, stale fuel doesn't go bang like fresh stuff and modern fuel goes off pretty quick.
Easy Start might get it going, but you really need to drain the tank and fuel lines and start with fresh fuel.

System

Knackered battery is my bet. It might show full charge just after you've taken it off the charger but what does it show a few hours later? If you can put the car in gear and rock it then the engine isn't seized and it would be unlikely it was from just being stood a year or two sat in an engine bay in a nice dry garage - I've had engines sat outside, not in a car, in all weathers and they've not seized.

sevenhills

GaseousAgley wrote: »

so tried starting it the other day. The starter motor turned over a few times then died and now doesn't turn over at all when turning the ignition. The battery is fully charged and the oil and coolant levels both look OK so I presume the engine is seized.

I would say its the battery too.


If the battery has not been left with a reasonable amount of charge, it may need replacing.

Nearlyold

If the battery has not been kept topped up charge wise during the lay up period it will almost certainly have sulphated and will not hold or deliver sufficient amperage to turn the engine. You can get smart chargers that run a de-sulphation process and can sometimes recover dead batteries but its probably too late.

maxmycardagain

diesel in the plug holes left overnight, fully charged battery plus jump leads and a donor car for ooomph, crank it without the plugs in first

(you can hand crank it with a socket and crack bar if there is access)


(good jump leads - not £5 items - and let the donor run 5 minutes at 1000rpm+ where the output rises to 14.4v to boost the dead car)


take some easy start as a help

Norman_Castle

Don't put anything into the bores until you are sure that is the problem.

GaseousAgley

GaseousAgley wrote: »

The car has been laid up in my garage for a year or two (untouched).

Sorry, my fault. Should have said that the car has been untouched except for the battery being periodically re-charged. I left the battery in the car but disconnected and have been recharging every few months (though it usually registers as fully charged on the charger after just a few minutes of charging).

The electrics all looked OK when I turned the ignition key and the radio worked so I assumed the battery wasn't the problem, but I can check it again if it could still be an issue.