Engine seized?

FAP........ unlikely to have seized, stick it in gear and rock it back and forth then try (take it out of gear first)

Now I see what you mean about the starter. Yes, the starter is fine. I'll have a look tomorrow and see if I can turn the engine over by hand.

If it struggles take the head off and using your finger put oil on the side of the bores it won't do any harm. It will ease the piston so it can move. Don't soak it but don't be shy.

Isnt it the bendix ?

Hamsterberg said:

Isnt it the bendix ?

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Okay, so I tried turning the engine over with a socket, still no luck. Is there anything else this problem could be caused by, before I take the head off?

take the glowplugs out and see if it will spin over with them out

Fluid in one bore above the piston is enough to cause a hydrolic lock,with glow plugs out try turning engine over, keep well clear of motor as any fluid will be ejected with some force.If this the case its likly head gasgit has gone.

Hamsterberg said:

Isnt it the bendix ?

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The whole thing is the bendix,the gear is the pinion.

Thanks for all your replies.
Still not cranking without the glow plugs, so I took off the head and put some oil down the bores, as suggested. Still no luck. Is there anything else I can try before I tow it to a mechanic?

So it won't turn with the clutch depressed and a socket on the end of the crank? Doesn't sound good

You did try to turn it clockwise didn't you?

instantsquid said:

So it won't turn with the clutch depressed and a socket on the end of the crank? Doesn't sound good

You did try to turn it clockwise didn't you?

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Turned it clockwise, and as I said, it won't crank with the starter connected either. I've had the head off and there is no foreign material in the cylinder. I wasn't exactly chavving around last time I used it so I can't see it being a blown engine...

had it lost any fluids?

Pour loads of oil down the boar so it covers the piston and comes up the bore .5mm and leave a few hours to seap through then turn by hand. Use the longest bar you have (breaker bar 1/2 inch) and put anothe extension on the end for extra leverage.
If this don't work it's a rebuild job or new lump job.

Has the motor stoped with pistons at top and bottom dead center?

cambolt said:

Turned it clockwise, and as I said, it won't crank with the starter connected either. I've had the head off and there is no foreign material in the cylinder. I wasn't exactly chavving around last time I used it so I can't see it being a blown engine...

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This is probably gonna earn me nob of the week (except I think that title got awarded to some one earlier today )

But is there any reason why trying to turn it counter clockwise wouldn't be a good idea. ( I'm assuming though that the siezure is being caused by something having come adrift in the block )

Yup. It can cause the timing belt to jump teeth.

Thank you instantsquid.

I had a similar problem a while back, when my 300 tdi 'appeared' to be siezed, it turned out to be that the Alternator had siezed, and was stoppimg the whole thing from turning over!
Might be worth looking at it?

Thanks for your replies everyone. So I towed it to the mechanic yesterday to have a look. He took one look at it and told me to come back in a few hours. So I did, and when I came back the news wasn't good. Apparently, one of the connecting rods had previously been replaced with a duff unit, and had broken, gouging out some of the crankcase (not all the way through though). I find this really confusing though, since the last time it was used was just a trip down to the corner shop, and I wasn't redlining it or anything (not that there is a redline anyway). And as I said before, it sounded fine when I turned it off, though I wasn't really concentrating. So the only cause I can see of this is if the conrod broke at the exact moment I turned it off, or if some bastard stole my motor and went joyriding

When you came back to it to find it wouldn't start - did it turn over even a little bit? That could have been the point at which the con-rod went. Seems incredible to me too - but I can't imagine that it broke just as you switched the engine off.