Sorry I didn't have time to read everything so I was just going to ask you, after it dies can you wait a little while then start it back up with no problems? And are there no warnings whatsoever of it dying? If so I have a guaranteed solution for the problem. I just dealt with it less then 2 months ago.

Johnny Rockit

The coolant under his valve covers might explain some of it...

So, I doubt it'* vapor lock, hehe. Hydrolock, ehh...

HEAD gasket? No. I have yet to see a single failed head gasket confirmed on this site in 5 years.

Bill...how would you think that coolant got on top of the head then? I doubt the gaskets were that bad. 96-97 are known for cracking heads.

The intent was to remove the plugs from the engine so that if hydro-locked, the coolant in the cylinders would not be under pressure the engine could be turned over. It wasn't to keep the plugs from firing. Disconnected could mean plug wires off and belts off, but plugs still in engine, leaving the engine still hydro-locked. Removed would have been a better term. Coolant in the valve covers could have been forced up there from a hydro-locked engine.

-sp4149

I don't think it is something electrical at all. Check the Crank Shaft Position Sensor... When it gets hot it will lose the shaft signal and when it cools off it will regain the signal and should start again. It'* not too expensive to change if that is in fact what is wrong with it.

Johnny, this is on a cold engine, and it won't crank or turn. It'* physically LOCKED and there is coolant under the valve covers. This isn't a sensor problem.

The coolant under the valve covers could be from the LIM gaskets, mixed into the oil, then pumped up to the valvetrain, and then sit there long enough to seperate back out. I don't know if the coolant would fully seperate, but the water should.

If this is from cracked heads, it would be the first time we've seen this symptom. Failed head gaskets are unheard of on our engines, and can't cause coolant to get up there anyway.

I agree about the gasket, I was just kind of grabbing at straws at that point if it'* not a cracked head.

I also have difficulty believing that coolant could have been pressed into the valvetrain by the piston in a filled cylinder. I would think it would be pressed out the exhaust valve rather.

That'* exactly what I was thinking. Think I should just throw the hands up for good now and get a used motor and swap my parts over? Or try to figure out what it is for sure and fix it?

With water/antifreeze sitting in the motor as long as it has, I would be inclined to swap that motor.

Look at it this way..it'll take less time to swap the motor than it would to rebuild your current one in the car.