Engine locked solid/seized

[cooter]

My Aunty has had a 2004 1.9d Berlingo for 3 years, always been a good reliable car, sluggish but just kept on going, it has just over 100,000 miles on the clock. She went away to France in it last week from Cornwall(Ferry from Plymouth), only really covered about 250 miles over three days but coming back home my uncle noticed that the oil level indicator was looking low, he stopped, bought a litre bottle, didn't check the dipstick, put some but not all the litre in, started the car up and drove home without issue.
Yesterday morning my aunty took the car shopping and when she left the supermarket her brake pedal was rock solid, suggesting to my simple brain no servo assistance. She managed to get the car back home under its own power, and an hour later my Uncle went out to have a look and it won't start, all lights come on with ignition as normal, but then nothing, there is no sound from the starter.

 I have had the car dropped to me today as Aunty and Uncle just said they would scrap it and find another cheapy run around, the Berlingo has brand new tyres and its of use to me as I have just bought my own Berlingo and didn't have the load liner and a few sundry pieces. Really I should swap the wheels over, pinch a few bits and pieces and weigh Aunties car in but I am curious now to see whats gone wrong, I have got the top timing belt cover off and can see that the belt  is still attached and in one piece, and have removed the cam cover and the camshaft is also in one piece, but the motor is absolutely solid, the oil level is quite a way above maximum so I suspect it was never low. 
Any ideas as to what it could be?, and any ideas what I can check for next, I have a very keen 14 year old son who just wants to fix it, but I don't want to have it sat on my drive in a 1000 pieces for too long,

thanks

[ajcommercial]

Easiest thing to do would be to take the glow plugs out and using the correct size socket and lever bar on the crank pulley bolt, use a rocking motion to see if the engine will free off. Don't use the gearbox to rock the engine if it is suspect seizure because there is a lot of give in the engine mounts / clutch etc and there is a possibility the gearbox might be damaged.

 Also remove the inlet manifold and hoses to see how much oil there is in the EGR etc.. It will need a clean if the oil has been drawn up into the induction, if the oil has got into the top of the engine ( cylinders ) and the problem is hydrolocking then the head will most likely need to come off..

 Also drain the oil out and put in the correct amount before the engine is run next or you will be wasting your time clearing it.

 Good luck and let us know what happens..

[oilyrag]

Might the starter motor be jammed - lights on dash would normally dim as you try starting if it is jammed. Not difficult to remove starter to check this.
Also possible for the starter to stay engaged after starting and fry itself on the journey and then not allow engine to turn over as by the time it stops it's killed itself. Normally a strong smell of burnt electrics near the motor itself if this happens - can be caused by ignition key return spring snapping and leaving motor in engaged position with the engine already started.
Lack of servo on brake - servo pump runs off of cam - may be coincidental ......or not!!

[ffrenchie]

Get a bar on the crank pulley nut or jack a front wheel up and put the car in 4th and turn the wheel by hand.

[cooter]

ok, Enthusiastic son was adamant he wanted the camshaft out, as this is a "better than being on the xbox" car and it doesn't really matter where we end up with it I let him go along with the haynes manual and I now have a boot full of components, he has loads of photos on his tablet and we have an engine with no belt on, no camshaft in, glow plugs out, jacked up in the air in 4th gear and the thing is still solid. out of gear on the floor with a socket on the crank and a decent length breaker bar and the thing is still solid, attempts to move the crank anticlockwise has undone the crank nut so we are giving it a good go. I haven't got him to look at the starter yet school has got in the way today but would a knackered stuck starter really lock a motor up as much as this?

[Kokain]

http://i.imgur.com/5A0eNLh.png
Send it straight to the trash while its out. Now is the perfect time to drop a XU10J4RS from 2.0 GTI-6 or even better a V6 from the 406 coupe. Tips fedora

[oilyrag]

Starter motor has a lot of leverage at the edge of the flywheel ....unless the crank or rings are seized there's not much else that will stop the (part dismantled!) motor from turning.

[ffrenchie]

 would a knackered stuck starter really lock a motor up as much as this?

Yes.

[cooter]

starter out still solid, car jacked up one side in gear wheel solid, clutch pressed in wheel turns freely, car on the ground in neutral, crank won't move, car on the ground in neutral, clutch in still solid, engine going in bin Mi16 motor running on a carb going in . Next serious thing son wants to do is remove the head, I am happy for that to happen as we are either going to just pull the thing to pieces and weigh it in, or maybe toy with a petrol engine conversion gti-6 or something with a turbo, but if the head is off we may possibly have more of an idea about what is going on in there, it is still better than the xbox and he is still enthusastic

[geoff]

Weigh it in .... there is a laugh .... get a price first before booking that holiday !

I know the prices vary per tonne on a daily basis, about a year ago I weighed in an Astra for £85 and around six months ago I weighed in / was offered between £12 and £16 for a 306 - sold it for parts in the end for £70

Anyway you seem to be having lots of fun which is the main thing and you are stopping the boy from being an X-Box Moron ! .... been there and that isn't fun ! ( grandson living with us ).