So what do you guys think?

[94form2000z]

95 Olds Cutlass with a 3.1 V6 has about 192k on the clock.

We check the oil which is a bit low, so we put a bit in and son starts car and they head off to the gas station. Ten minutes later he's calling me due to the car not starting. Kinda sounds like a bad battery so I take another I have here. Swap them out and same result. Motor tries to turn and from what I could see at the time seemed to a lil bit.
So we take the battery to get it tested and it's 100% so I buy a tow rope and get it home. We pull the starter which is only about 4 months old and go have it tested. It tests good but after a bit of persuasion the guy at Oreilly's finally gives me a new one.
So we get it on the car and have the same result more or less. The motor will turn but not like it should. I think the motor is seizing and I really have no other way of testing this.

Sound like a reasonable assumption at this point?
Anyone have a tip for me to confirm this?

TIA

[JC316]

95 Olds Cutlass with a 3.1 V6 has about 192k on the clock.

We check the oil which is a bit low, so we put a bit in and son starts car and they head off to the gas station. Ten minutes later he's calling me due to the car not starting. Kinda sounds like a bad battery so I take another I have here. Swap them out and same result. Motor tries to turn and from what I could see at the time seemed to a lil bit.
So we take the battery to get it tested and it's 100% so I buy a tow rope and get it home. We pull the starter which is only about 4 months old and go have it tested. It tests good but after a bit of persuasion the guy at Oreilly's finally gives me a new one.
So we get it on the car and have the same result more or less. The motor will turn but not like it should. I think the motor is seizing and I really have no other way of testing this.

Sound like a reasonable assumption at this point?
Anyone have a tip for me to confirm this?

TIA

My best guess is that the intake gasket blew, got water in the oil, the previous owner continued to drive it, smoked the bearings, fixed the intake leak and sold it to you.

I would try and turn it over with a ratchet, I doubt that it will spin though.

[BP]

My best guess is that the intake gasket blew, got water in the oil, the previous owner continued to drive it, smoked the bearings, fixed the intake leak and sold it to you.

I would try and turn it over with a ratchet, I doubt that it will spin though.

And it has 192k miles, about 40k more than those engines ever seem to go.

[JC316]

And it has 192k miles, about 40k more than those engines ever seem to go.

The biggest thing is that intake gasket. It starts leaking around 150K and people don't notice till it starts getting hot from lack of coolant, by then the bearings are toast and you need a new motor. I had a 99 grand prix with 189K on the original motor, no intake failure either. GM wasn't exactly known for using quality main bearings in their 4 and 6 cylinder lines, doesn't take much to kill em.

[94form2000z]

Well I've owned that car for about 7 years though it sat for a while here and there. I had some problems years ago with it getting hot but I got rid of that issue.
I just expected some knocking out of this thing before this happened. It sucks to have so many new parts on a car and the motor die. Almost tempted to find another that it running so I can have the spare parts. Including a transmission I just put in it about 6 months ago.
Oh well I knew it was a gamble either way.

[Captain Crawfish]

sounds like that engine is toast 192K isnt a bad deal sounds like you got your moneys worth out of it

[94form2000z]

sounds like that engine is toast 192K isnt a bad deal sounds like you got your moneys werth out of it

Well yes and no, good miles out of motor. But $ invested in tranny is huge loss. Guess I can just maybe sell it as parts car as well and cut my losses.

[JimD]

Hell see what you can get a running motor for it and drop it in there. I'd turn it over with a ratchet first, hell you might get lucky and an accessory (alt, idler etc.)is locking up causing it.

[shumpertdavid]

Check like JimD said, see if you can turn the crank pulley with a ratchet if not remove the belt and try again. I bought a car from a lady after another shop said it needed an engine. Got it to the shop, popped the hood and noticed the a\c pulley didn't look right. The engine wouldn't turn over at all. Removed the drive belt and motor ran like a champ. The a\c compressor clutch had seized the bearing. It did have an intake gasket leaking like is common for them. Did the intake gasket repair, swapped the clutch from a core compressor we had and made a quick $3000.

[JimD]

Did the intake gasket repair, swapped the clutch from a core compressor we had and made a quick $3000.

Nice!

[94form2000z]

Check like JimD said, see if you can turn the crank pulley with a ratchet if not remove the belt and try again. I bought a car from a lady after another shop said it needed an engine. Got it to the shop, popped the hood and noticed the a\c pulley didn't look right. The engine wouldn't turn over at all. Removed the drive belt and motor ran like a champ. The a\c compressor clutch had seized the bearing. It did have an intake gasket leaking like is common for them. Did the intake gasket repair, swapped the clutch from a core compressor we had and made a quick $3000.

You know I am going to get out there tomorrow and remove the belt and see what happens. Funny thing is one of the pullies had gotten really noisy and that was what my son brought to my attention prompting me to pop the hood and check it out.

That will be awesome. The A/C started leaking all the freon out over a year ago so it doesnt work anyways. Wander if this is the case if I can figure out which belt I can use to bypass it.

[Baron Von Crowder]

A used engine is anywhere between $500 and $1000, depending on miles and warranty coverage, FYI.

[94form2000z]

A used engine is anywhere between $500 and $1000, depending on miles and warranty coverage, FYI.

Yeah I know and I just don't see me dumping that plus the $ to get it done. While putting a motor in is not all that hard my ass is not doing it, nor do I have the time to.
I got my fill of that crap growing up with my dad. I will handle stuff such as brakes, water pumps, etc..
I am really hoping its the pulley issue. Such a common sense thing I shoulda thought of.. Props to you guys for at least giving me hope. haha What sucks though is my son is now with his mom till Sat and has the keys I think.

[94form2000z]

I'd turn it over with a ratchet first, hell you might get lucky and an accessory (alt, idler etc.)is locking up causing it.

Check like JimD said, see if you can turn the crank pulley with a ratchet if not remove the belt and try again. I bought a car from a lady after another shop said it needed an engine. Got it to the shop, popped the hood and noticed the a\c pulley didn't look right. The engine wouldn't turn over at all. Removed the drive belt and motor ran like a champ. The a\c compressor clutch had seized the bearing.

Thanks again to everyone. I got out there this morning and found the A/C compressor completely locked up. I am able to turn motor over with ratchet rather easily so once I get the keys back I am confident it will fire up.

I guess I will be fixing the A/C in the car after all. Gonna price another compressor now.

[JimD]

Good deal.....well not so much a/c compressors are expensive.