5.7 Engine seized. Advice/Precautions appreciated

Volvo Penta Engine Model 572 (5.7L GM). Approx year: 1993

Ran fine fall of 2011. Sat up since then. Now cannot be turned by hand.

Using info learned here, I have pulled plugs, lubricated cylinders, waited a couple days.

No water noted when pulling plugs. Plugs look fine overall, no rust, a little dark as if running rich.

Squirted 2 oz of Marvel mystery oil in each cylinder using a cajun injector syringe.

Attempted to turn via alternator nut with tight belts. No help. Pulled sea water pump from crank pulley. Attempted breaker bar on 5/8 bolt in crank, but am leery of stressing the bolt too much. Bolt turned a little but not engine.

Decided to try starter, which just spun. Pulled starter and bendix is frozen and won't extend.

Teeth on ring gear and starter seem fine.

Cannot get any leverage against flywheel to try and turn engine with it.


Ideas to try possibly:

Should I pull lower unit, just to ensure it's not something besides pistons? Is there anything else that might be causing this.

Using the three bolt holes in the crank pulley where the sea water pump was mounted, get longer bolts that extend out enough to allow a pry bar against them.

Impact driver on crank bolt hoping that vibrations will help loosen pistons. Unsure if air impact will ultimately break the bolt.

Spin the oil pump with an oil pump primer tool to circulate oil through valve system, etc. Probably add an additive to oil first.

Buy a new starter and run it against the engine. Not sure what happens to a starter when it meets an immovable force. Don't want to break things, especially on a brand new starter, nor the ring gear.


Also, yesterday I decided maybe there wasn't enough lubricant in the cylinders so I added a 50/50 mixture of ATF and acetone, based on some advice I'd read and filled them to the brim. I noted that the port bank of 4 cylinders took a little over 3/4 quart. The starboard bank took much less, may a little less that 1/4 qt for all 4. Does that make sense? I'm not that smart on internals.

Thoughts? Thanks!

Re: 5.7 Engine seized. Advice/Precautions appreciated

Impact driver on crank bolt hoping that vibrations will help loosen pistons. Unsure if air impact will ultimately break the bolt

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Don't use that bolt to try to unstick the motor. You will break it.

When you pulled the starter, was the end of the starter all rusty? If it is all rusty check the drives ujoint bellows for water? If you had water getting into the flywheel housing the bearing could be locked up causing seize.

With the starter off, you should be able to use a screwdrive to pry on the ring gear teeth to turn the engine.

Re: 5.7 Engine seized. Advice/Precautions appreciated

Don S said:

When you pulled the starter, was the end of the starter all rusty? If it is all rusty check the drives ujoint bellows for water? If you had water getting into the flywheel housing the bearing could be locked up causing seize.

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Yes, very rusty. I sure it's the main reason the bendix won't extend. The starter shaft is covered in rust. The flywheel teeth look a bit rusty too as best I tell with the limited visibility.

By 'bearing' do you mean gimbal bearing?

I'm new to I/O systems, but I've tried to smarten up as much as possible before asking questions. I've obtained the Volvo Penta 'Workshop Manuals' for 'Drives (280 -> DP-C)' and 'Engine Unit (AQ211 -> 572)' but neither seem to discuss the 'Transom section'.

Do you know of any documentation for this section? Or particular threads that cover this (I'll search after this reply)

If it is indeed the gimbal bearing, I'm thinking that's a better problem to have than damaged pistons. Looks like the lower unit is coming off, or at least the upper gear housing. I'm guessing that corrosion due to bad bellow means I'm going to have grief getting the drives shaft/u-joints separated from the engine.

Don S said:

With the starter off, you should be able to use a screwdriver to pry on the ring gear teeth to turn the engine.

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I've tried, but what little leverage I can get working down there won't budge it.

Re: 5.7 Engine seized. Advice/Precautions appreciated

Those don't have a gimbal bearing. Just a bearing in the flywheel housing on the primary shaft. Flywheel Cover, Primary Shaft And Clamping Ring Kit, Late Type 500B, 501B, 570A, 572A, 740B - 7736260 - Volvo Penta

There are no other manuals except the 2 you have. Volvo didn't put a lot of info in the manuals back then. The manuals were meant for Volvo trained techs. They have done about 100% better since 94 and about 1000% better since 2000. Still lacking in some information, but that's just Volvo.

You need to pull the upper gear box and check for water in the bellows, and remove the aft seal in the flywheel housing and see if the bearing is all rusty and locked up.

Flywheel Cover, Primary Shaft And Clamping Ring Kit, Late Type 500B, 501B, 570A, 572A, 740B - 7736260 - Volvo Penta

Re: 5.7 Engine seized. Advice/Precautions appreciated

Don S said:

You need to pull the upper gear box and check for water in the bellows, and remove the aft seal in the flywheel housing and see if the bearing is all rusty and locked up.

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Thanks! That diagram is very helpful. I assume the next item in the drive train would be the u-joint yoke? If so, I think it gives me a complete picture of the entire drive train.

Will pull the upper gear housing next and see what I'm up against. I'm guessing the aft seal is bad anyway or else how would water get from the bellows into the flywheel housing... or else it's not necessarily designed to stop water.

Assuming a frozen bearing, is an engine removal required to change it?

Also, I'm wondering if its worth considering to unbolt the flywheel housing from the block (if I even have room to do it) and see if the engine crank will at least wiggle a little. I'd love to assure myself that the engine is ok.

Re: 5.7 Engine seized. Advice/Precautions appreciated

Finally got the stern drive removed after fighting the steering pin for 3 days. Engine now turns over easily by hand!

Here's a look inside the flywheel cover. The camera makes it look like a lot more rust than the naked eye. A lot of that is from me wiping it out grease after WD-40 spray, mixed with rust particles that came from the U-Joints. Did find a 1/4" hole in the bellow. No water present but the boat's been sitting 18 months. I think it's OK up in there around the PDS, but will likely pull the seal to be sure. Next priority is to find out what's binding.







Here's the nasty U-Joints. In neutral, I can only turn the UJ about 1/8 of a turn.

Re: 5.7 Engine seized. Advice/Precautions appreciated

Holy Bat-Crap!