Did I seize my engine up? (see video)

rw3iss

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Apr 3, 2014
Location
Philadelphia, PA
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2005 Volkswagen Passat TDI 2.0L BHW
Car ran out of oil on the road (don't ask), and then stalled out. I refilled, and now it does this. I'm kinda worried I killed it. Can anyone possibly confirm from the sound of this video?

https://vimeo.com/167928510

I still haven't tried jumping it, but there's no reason the power should be out. I didn't drive it for about 5 days. I went and started it, after refilling the oil, and it started okay... ran for < 30 seconds, I walked away for a second, came back and the car was off, and now it's doing this. Weird... if the battery were dead, it shouldn't have started to begin with, but maybe...
 

OMALLEY_808

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Jul 17, 2014
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Canada
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2006 JETTA TDI
Ya the dash is going dim from the starter drawing all the power from not turning with the locked engine! Start looking for a used engine! Cheaper to replace than rebuild.
 

rw3iss

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2005 Volkswagen Passat TDI 2.0L BHW
Damn! Well, guess there's not an easy way out of that one? Does a seize generally happen in one spot/cause, or could it be any number of things (ie. crack in motor, or bent rod, etc)? I'm a bit of a novice.
 

ZippyNH

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Southern NH
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2015 JETTA TDI SE
Issue is by the time a motor locks up...
Any rotating part might have been damaged to the point that even if you find the part that is locking it, EVERYTHING must be looked at..or you go down the rabbit hole of fixing one item...then having another fail...
So swap the motor with one from a wreck...
It ran out of oil...got driven a bit...and now won't crank...
I would not waste much money or time on it...maybe for fun yes, too see what happened....but don't have the expectation of it running again, or very long...
Just my opinion...but it's done.
 

turbocharged798

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Ellenville, NY
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99.5 black ALH Jetta;09 Gasser Jetta
Ya the dash is going dim from the starter drawing all the power from not turning with the locked engine! Start looking for a used engine! Cheaper to replace than rebuild.
Not if you end up with another bad motor, seen that before, especially since the BHW has a few factory flaws...

I would be inclined to rebuild if possible. If the main bearings spun then its a pile o scrap.
 

OMALLEY_808

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2006 JETTA TDI
Not if you end up with another bad motor, seen that before, especially since the BHW has a few factory flaws...

I would be inclined to rebuild if possible. If the main bearings spun then its a pile o scrap.
True but most reputable wreckers have warranty for this. All things compared and with an inspected purchase it would be more cost effective to get a quality used engine than to try to repair. The whole engine was oil starved. Fix the "seized" portion and the other components still sustained significant wear. Unless you replace most of the components its not worth it...
 

bmali98

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Dunsford Ontario
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O4 golf pd auto
It would be fun to unlock it somehow and try and give it another crank to destruction. Maybe try and bump start or bar it loose and see what it has left. Kinda disappointing it wasn't a more catastrophic failure considering it is junk regardless. If it were my car I would likely try to get it going, keep the revs up so it's less likely to stall and get the phone out.
 

belome

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Mid MI
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2002 Jetta GLS TDI 5-speed
I agree with omalley on this one. If the car was ran with no oil long enough to seize up there is going to be significant damage.

Unless I'm fleeing the police after robbing a bank, my key goes off the second the oil light comes on... no ifs ands are buts.
 

rw3iss

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Location
Philadelphia, PA
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2005 Volkswagen Passat TDI 2.0L BHW
Thanks gents.
I might try to crack her open and attempt to penetrate... lol.

Story:
-oil pan had a crack from: tangent story: was driving at night through small town, some road construction going on, traffic going left, guy stopped me and told me I had to go right... turned right and didn't see the road was chopped off nearly a foot, right side of car fell off and cracked my oil pan and knocked the turbocooler pin and line off. ****ers.
I tried sealing the crack with JB weld, which was working, but leak slowly started cracking open again, kept adding a quart every 3 days. Was heading out one night, knowing I needed more oil, and knowing autozone closed at 9pm, but didn't make it out of house until 9:15, missed my chance, drove anyway, next day on the way home... >.<

Lesson: car oil might be important than showering
 

turbocharged798

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99.5 black ALH Jetta;09 Gasser Jetta
True but most reputable wreckers have warranty for this. All things compared and with an inspected purchase it would be more cost effective to get a quality used engine than to try to repair. The whole engine was oil starved. Fix the "seized" portion and the other components still sustained significant wear. Unless you replace most of the components its not worth it...
And then you still have an used engine with an unknown history that you will have to rip apart and do the BSM/cam/lifters anyway.

I can rebuild a motor for under $2K easy. Most junkyards are going to want at least $1200 for a used engine. Most people don't realise how stupid simple these engines are. I would say is far easier than rebuilding a old school American V8.

But yeah the motor could be scrap but you don't know until you dig into it. In my experience usually #1 main goes first as air enters the crankshaft. The camshaft is usually next but PDs have cam bearings so it might survive OK.
 
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rw3iss

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2005 Volkswagen Passat TDI 2.0L BHW
Rather a novice at this, but I've read enough about taking this engine apart to feel like I can make the attempt (besides, not much to lose).
With that said, if anyone has any advice, I'm all ears.
Attaching some pictures of the valve cover removed...
Next I guess I'll take the cam out, but I'd rather know if there's anything I can do at this stage as an alternative first attempt, like maybe pull the injectors, clean them, put some penetrant into their holes for a few days, put back together and try to fire it up?
One thing to note is their is clearly some fuel or water in the first valve chamber (first picture)... does this need to be cleared?


















 

bmali98

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O4 golf pd auto
Thanks for the great pics. I think the liquid you see in the head is just oil that didn't drain back to the crankcase. Aside from the scuffing on the cam lobes, you can see the cooked oil on the cam bearing caps so you know they got hot. I wonder if the cam stopped the engine. Is the timing belt still intact?
 

turbobrick240

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maine
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2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
Rather a novice at this, but I've read enough about taking this engine apart to feel like I can make the attempt (besides, not much to lose).
With that said, if anyone has any advice, I'm all ears.
Attaching some pictures of the valve cover removed...
Next I guess I'll take the cam out, but I'd rather know if there's anything I can do at this stage as an alternative first attempt, like maybe pull the injectors, clean them, put some penetrant into their holes for a few days, put back together and try to fire it up?
Yes, I would absolutely pull the injectors and try to turn it over. If that does nothing, I would try adding penetrating oil, kerosene, biodiesel etc. and let that soak for a day or two. Then try again with the injectors still removed. Not real likely to work, but worth a shot.
 

rw3iss

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2005 Volkswagen Passat TDI 2.0L BHW
Thanks for the great pics. I think the liquid you see in the head is just oil that didn't drain back to the crankcase. Aside from the scuffing on the cam lobes, you can see the cooked oil on the cam bearing caps so you know they got hot. I wonder if the cam stopped the engine. Is the timing belt still intact?
Timing belt is intact still, yes.

Alright so I'll just pull the injectors completely out of their holes and try to fire it up... do I need to put the valve cover back on, I'm assuming? lol.
 

bmali98

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Dunsford Ontario
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O4 golf pd auto
If you pull the injectors out and crank, if it turns, it will spray fuel all over. If you remove the tandem pump first it won't pump fuel into the head and will minimize fuel getting into the cylinders.

Are you planning to just try and get it going for one last hoorah or investigating the current carnage and plan to diagnose why it's locked? My next step would be different in either case.
 
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turbobrick240

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Timing belt is intact still, yes.
Alright so I'll just pull the injectors completely out of their holes and try to fire it up... do I need to put the valve cover back on, I'm assuming? lol.
I'd just leave the valve cover off and put the injectors in soda cans etc. to catch any fuel in the unlikely event that it does turn over. Good luck!
 

dogdots

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If you pull the injectors out and crank, if it turns, it will spray fuel all over...
How is it going to spray fuel without the cam providing the mechanical force to pressurize the injectors? EDIT - Now I realize you probably meant supply fuel from the tandem pump not the injectors spraying fuel. Sorry ;) BTW PD injectors are not as easy to remove from the head as VE injectors are, and the injector rockers have to be removed to remove the injectors.

If it were me I would just pull a cam cap and verify the bearings are toast. It is a complete waste of time to try to get the rotating assembly turning from the starter in its current state.

Just remove the injector rocker shaft assy from the two cylinders closest to the belt, then pop off one of the cam caps closest to the belt and look at the bearings. As I said before, if you lost oil pressure long enough to cook the engine to the point it is stuck, the turbo is also a goner.
 
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turbobrick240

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maine
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2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
The fact that the car restarted after adding oil makes me wonder if the turbo got oil starved, destroyed its seals, and passed enough oil to lock the motor. Doesn't look too promising from those pics, but a new turbo is much cheaper than a new motor.
 

bmali98

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O4 golf pd auto
The fact that the car restarted after adding oil makes me wonder if the turbo got oil starved, destroyed its seals, and passed enough oil to lock the motor. Doesn't look too promising from those pics, but a new turbo is much cheaper than a new motor.
That's a good thought. If it was just idling it could have just filled the cooler until it cut off the air and gulped the oil up all at once. That would be neat.
 

rw3iss

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Apr 3, 2014
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Philadelphia, PA
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2005 Volkswagen Passat TDI 2.0L BHW
Hey all,

So the turbo was already shot before this happened. I've been riding it without the turbo for 2 months+ (turbo went a year ago). I was kind of waiting to get it to my cousin's to do the more serious work in exchange for some other work on my end. Anyway, no turbo... think I can still try it?

And yeah, I'm pulling it apart as one last hoorah, to try to get it to budge before I decide to part with it.

I'll try and pop off one of the cam caps and take a look. Gotta find the M10 star tool first. Thanks guys.
 
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kwong7

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Mar 25, 2004
Location
Southern Caifornia
TDI
2001 Golf GLS TDI / White
Thanks gents.
I might try to crack her open and attempt to penetrate... lol.

Story:
-oil pan had a crack from: tangent story: was driving at night through small town, some road construction going on, traffic going left, guy stopped me and told me I had to go right... turned right and didn't see the road was chopped off nearly a foot, right side of car fell off and cracked my oil pan and knocked the turbocooler pin and line off. ****ers.
I tried sealing the crack with JB weld, which was working, but leak slowly started cracking open again, kept adding a quart every 3 days. Was heading out one night, knowing I needed more oil, and knowing autozone closed at 9pm, but didn't make it out of house until 9:15, missed my chance, drove anyway, next day on the way home... >.<

Lesson: car oil might be important than showering
Similar thing happened to me in my mom's 97 Nissan Maxima. The car was pretty new with 40K miles on it. We were driving through Las Vegas and turned into a driveway around dusk. There was a chunk of concrete (about the size and shape of a pineapple) that blended into the driveway that I ran into. Suddenly, I couldn't get out of 2nd gear.

I got out of the car and saw a fluid trail (transmission fluid). We had the car towed to an indy Nissan mechanic and it took about a week/$1,200 to fix. The chunk of concrete tapped the lower section of the tranny and caused the linkage to bend. Unfortunately, the whole transaxle had to be opened up. In hindsight, I would installed a Torsen differential while it was open (pun intended).

As for the VW, there are a lot of options in regards to skid plates that can mitigate us all from such grief.
 
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