engine and drivetrain Help engine not turning over.

[Guest Anonymous]

I picked up a 1971 BMW 2002 on Craigslist , body is straight , inter and paint need tlc. I bought the car non running, brought it home and tried to start but nothing I charged the battery , changed the spark plugs and wires , checked the coil and its good. I turn the key over and I just hear a clicking sound I think it's the starter but the engine dosnt turn over at all. Any thoughts what I might need to do?

[Chris_B]

This is a pretty deep question. Does the motor turn over at all or is it frozen (not uncommon in a motor that has bit sitting for a while). I would suppose you would hear the starter try and engage if it were working properly and the motor was locked up.

So,. one thing you can do is put a wrench on the bolt at the front of the crankshaft and see if it will turn, or put the car in second gear in a flat area and have a few friends push it so you can observe if the motor turns over (the fan will move).

If the motor seems free, then your starter may be fubar. The clicking may be the solenoid trying unsuccessfully to engage the starter gear into the flywheel gear and crank the motor over for starting.

[TobyB]

30mm socket and breaker bar on the crank pulley bolt.

Or put it in 4th and try to push it forward while watching the

fan blades.

If it turns, then starter and battery and battery connections (especially ground)

If it doesn't- off with her head!

(The Queen of Hearts.)

t

[c.d.iesel]

" not starting not running " might be why it was sitting

and then sold ? any shortcut by asking the seller

what happened ???

[Guest Anonymous]

If the car is a manual flywheel could be stuck to clutch plate...

Try rolling it in gear or drive to see if engine is frozen..

[tups]

Are you sure the battery which you charged is actually any good ? Measure the voltage on the battery when turning the key - if it plummets while you try to start, try a different battery.

[LimeySteve]

pull the plugs out you may have a hydrauliced engine with coolant in a cylinder .Then try to turn it over with above methods. OOPs I re read & see you changed plugs, still easier to free an engine with no plugs in the head.

Good luck

[Hans]

I'd be checking the power supply to the battery. First, as mentioned above, an old (tired) battery won't hold the charge, so doesn't produce enough juice to turn starter. The clicking sound is a clue. Also clean and check the battery terminals and all connections at starter. Then pull the plugs - you should be able to push the car in 4th gear to see if engine moves. Then try starter. Some folks would but a bit of light oil in the spark plug hole to lube upper cyl if car has been sitting for some time.