03 Caravan locks up

[Phil Lilley]

That's what the dealer and their engine specialist said.

We had just climbed a one lane road to the top of a summit in Rocky Mtn National Park- to the Alpine Visitor's Center, the highest paved road in North America, so they say. The van did fine- no problems.

We stopped and went to the center, bathroom breaks and all. It had started to rain and it was foggy, about 45 degrees. I had all my people in my van and we were waiting on the others to get going down the mtn. I had the motor running, heater fan on. Then when I went to go, the engine had died and I didn't know it. No lights, no clanging, just stopped. Tried to start it- nothing, just a click.

We spent the next hour eliminating things that could be wrong. The battery was fine, fuses, belts, no vapor lock... just would turn over. Starter? We thought that was it. Got towed a couple of hours later.

The people at the shop said the motor was locked up tight. We'd just had the oil changed before we left- the oil level was fine- so was the coolant and water.

I'm hoping to fine out what made the engine seize. It had 115,000 miles. The dealer, good friend John Johnson of Kingfisher, OK, said the engine should go over 200,000 miles, seeing how we used it and took care of it.

Thoughts?

[mhall02]

Which engine? 3.8 or 3.3 (I'm assuming a Dodge or Chrysler)? Never heard of such a thing as an engine just locking up like that, maybe the crank or camshaft broke? Be sure you get the low-down, maybe even get the broken part, hopefuly they aren't taking advantage of the situation. Most modern engines if they are taken care of can easily exceed the 200,000 mile mark. I have a '99 Pontiac Montana minivan (3.4 V-6)with 164,000 and a Jeep Cherokee Sport (4.0 inline six) in excess of 130,000 miles, both run great, knock on wood.

[Phil Lilley]

It's a 3.3 L

The shop in Estes said it was locked... and they don't do motors. The dealer here in Denver said the same thing. They're supposed to check out the old engine for me and John cause everyone wants to know what happened.

The new engine is from a salvage- only 24k miles. So we'll be keeping this one for awhile.

[crappiefisherman]

I think the vehicle has a hydrostaticly locked engine>coolant in a cylinder, doesnt take a lot of coolant at all, because water will not compress.

[Phil Lilley]

I think the vehicle has a hydrostaticly locked engine>coolant in a cylinder, doesnt take a lot of coolant at all, because water will not compress.

Does that mean a new engine or can it be fixed?

[crappiefisherman]

with the higher mileage id say engine.This problem can be caused by head gasket leaks.This is just an idea on my part .A head gasket can deteriorate at any mileage, it just depends on the condition of the cooling system.Chrysler may have had a program to repair or replace at one time also. Also another thought crossed my mind sometimes an accesory such as a ac compressor or alt mite lock up and cause the same problem.with 1 serpintine belt this can be checked by removing the belt and making sure all accesorys freely spin.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I just thought of another thing,fuel lock, some times a cylinder will fill with fuel from an leaking injector and cause a locked engine. this is a repairable situation

[Rolan Duffield]

Phil:

Did anyone check the timing belt? These should be replaced around 90,000 miles and can cause major problems if it breaks.

New motor -- ouch.

Rolan

[Phil Lilley]

Never will know... picked up the van and it runs fine. Heading home in the am.

yeah!

[jdmidwest]

Never will know?? What did the mechanics say was wrong with it?

[mhall02]

I'm pretty sure the 3.3 has a timing chain, not a belt, glad to hear your back on the road. I assume with the lower mileage engine discussed earler?