engine suddenly dies-no warning HELP!

[SnPaC]

I am driving to work early around 6:00am and the engine suddenly dies. I coast over to the shoulder and try to start it; will not crank. Had it towed home, charged the battery (thinking it may be the voltage regulator) and I cannot get it to even crank over.

It is almost as if the engine is seized (though I have no reason to expect this) or something is keeping from turning over
UP until this point, the car has been running well.

Any ideas where to start? Thx

[sticksdaman]

My brother in law had a similar issue with his m42. It turned out that his alternator was bad. Replaced the alternator along with the battery and it runs fine now.

[Nomadic]

Did the Alt / Batt. / Light come on before it died? Did all the Warning lights come on? Did it lose power gradually... or with a thump or bang?

Headlights bright? Is the starter solenoid clicking? Interior lights dimming when attempting to crank?

Check battery connections at battery (trunk? ) under passanger side of hood and at alternator. A bad SI board can cause charging issues.... it should be cranking with a charged batt. though...

Are you getting 12v from the Batt? Maybe swap batteries with another car.....

[SnPaC]

the engine died, then all of the warning lights came on, similar to when you turn the ignition on. Plan on swapping batteries.

[gearheadE30]

Try swapping the battery. At the least, the starter solenoid should click when you try to start it.

[ieatpeople]

make sure the battery clamps are tight.

my e28 did that to me on my way home from work the other week, just cruising along and it just stalled. tried cranking it, but no dash lights at all. wiggled the clamps, which were very loose (even though when i got the car 4 months ago the P.O. put this new battery in, and tightened the clamps very securely as i stood there), tightened 'em up, and no problems since.

[SnPaC]

Update

Here's an update on what i have been able to do so far....
-pulled the plugs- all dry and look good.
-battery charged. when i try to crank, i hear a "thunk", like the starter is trying, but is meeting resistance.
-same thing happens with the plugs pulled
-put a wrench on the crank pulley and tried to move crankshaft (with the plugs out). At first could not get any movement...strange. then with a little more pressure. I did get it to move ~ 5-10 degrees in both the clockwise and counter-clockwise directions.

Shouldn't I be able rotate the engine completely around? I have not pulled belts yet, but i can see all the accessories (alternator, p/s pump & A/C comp) turning, but i guess it is possible that one of them may be partially siezed...

Any thoughts? Thanks.

[smcdermott326]

Was starter giving an indication of trouble previously? Probably a bad starter solenoid. Give it a whack with a hammer. Yes you should be able to rotate the engine all the way around. IF something else seized, even partially...you'd expect some squealing like a pig noises. I'd say timing belt but your starter would spin free as air when that breaks.

[SnPaC]

I agree that it does not look good, but I still have this nagging feeling that I might be overlooking something. When I move the crank, I cannot hear any noise; squealing, scraping. Even when the car first died, there was no discernable noise…strange
I have to pull the belts to ensure that one of the accessories are not prohibiting movement. Although I’d imagine that it would just “slip” as I was turning the crank…
BTW, since I’ve got the car I’ve been running a high end synthetic oil (BMW LL04) and the PO told me the same. He also “claimed” to had reworked the entire top end including new timing chain, rollers, profile gasket etc. I even had the car on the lift before I purchased and talked with the mechanic about when he had done. The bottom end was never done. The mechanic told me that “it did not need”, but could not give me any details as to how he arrived at that conclusion…
How can I tell if the starter pinion is jammed in the flywheel ring gear? Could this keep the motor from spinning freely?
Thanks…

[SnPaC]

Update 2

Pulled the valve cover. The timing chain broke and one of the cam sprockets has a broken tooth. Not sure of the condition of the head until I pull it.
The question now is what to do. The previous owner supposedly had a lot or work done to the top end, including the timing chain. I never expected that I would have a problem with the timing chain because of this….
What is the likelihood that the valves are not bent? I anticipate none? So I guess I’ll pull the head and oil pan and assess the damage. I might have a line on a used engine with a good head (it had a knocking bottom end but ran ok before it was pulled ). The downside is the the whole engine has been outside with the valve cover off, so I’m not sure of the head’s condition.
The other option is to pull my head and have it rebuilt, but I have no idea what that might cost. The other is to part the car, but that is the least attractive option. I would really like to get this back on the road….

[twright]

Some or all of the valves are bent. The bottom end (pistons, crank, rods and block) are probably OK.

Start looking for a new head or a new engine.

Sorry

[Grade_Ray_Racing]

That sux!

[EN318isPDX]

ouch that sucks!!

[KenC]

Pull the head and check out the damage. Hopefully the valves didn't scar the pistons.

Oh, and take pics please.