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14/08/2026 2:48 am
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2012 Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi diesel, 792,000 km on the ORIGINAL engine — mechanic says "seized, worn out, low compression" with NO tests done. Drove perfectly the night before. Video + photos attached.
[VIDEO LINK — engine smoking during failed start:
Picture link:
The engine has been meticulously maintained its whole life: full synthetic oil every 5,000 km without exception. It drove flawlessly the night before it died — full power, no noises, no smoke under load.
Coolant side: For weeks, coolant has disappeared with no visible external leak — the cabin heater stopped working until I topped it up. Intermittent white smoke at idle when warm (comes and goes, no sweet/acrid smell, clears under load). Oil is clean, no contamination. Crankcase pressure test at the filler cap is normal. No oil in turbo pipes. Injectors replaced 8 months ago; EGR valve replaced with OEM 2 months ago after a cheap aftermarket one caused surging. I suspect an internal EGR cooler leak.
Electrical side / the failure: Months of intermittent slow cold starts. Days before the failure I may have sprayed coolant into the alternator while topping up. Next morning: cranked briefly, stalled, smoke from the alternator itself, both battery terminals overheated, a ground wire melted. Found the brown exciter wire broken out of its crimp at the alternator connector (frayed copper — photo attached). Battery: 12.2V at posts but 11.7V at the OBD port, and draining while parked (11.7V one day, 10.3V the next) — suspected shorted alternator. Scan: P0336 crank sensor (logged during the failed start), P0047/P2563 (history). The mechanic towed it in, glanced at it, and pronounced it "seized/worn out" — no compression test, no hand-turn, nothing.
Questions: (1) Can a well-maintained engine that drove perfectly at night seize from "wear" parked overnight — or do seized engines always fail running, with warning signs? (2) With a confirmed coolant leak, is removing the glow plugs and hand-turning the crank the right way to rule out hydrolock before cranking? (3) Should I pay for a proper compression test before accepting the verdict — and can my electrical damage alone (flat battery, smoked alternator, melted grounds) explain the no-start? Funds are tight — what's the cheapest path to a definitive answer? Thanks Scotty.
This topic was modified 1 day ago by Mannan960
1 Answer
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14/08/2026 4:29 am
Well with that kind of mileage they can be seized at any time they can seize. When you start them up they can seize when you drive them or they can seize right after you turn them off and then they don't start again. You can watch my video fixing and inching the cranks but doesn't start up, Scotty. It's on YouTube. Mainly you get a long long extension bar and a socket that fits the front of your crank pulley and if you can't turn it over 360°. It is indeed locked up
