My son has a 2004 Chrysler Sebring Convertible with the infamous 2.7 engine. Obviously, I should have done a little research on the vehicle before he bought it. He fell in love with it because it was a Convertible and there was no convincing otherwise.... Anyway, I think he has siezed up the engine. To check this, I am trying to turn the engine over by hand. So, now for my dumb question...

Do I need to remove the drive/serpentine belt in order to turn the engine over by hand?

I removed the inner wheel well fender and can get to the bolt. It will turn maybe 5 degrees in both directions without too much force, but before I really throw any weight behind it, I thought I should probably remove the belt. (In my limited mechanic experience, that seems to always be the recommended/required procedure.)

Any advice otherwise is greatly appreciated!
Shayne

 

What leads you to believe it has seized? Does it turn over with the starter?

Please describe what the car was doing just before the engine stopped, any noises/clattering, starting from a stop, if moving what was the speed?

What is the engine oil level? Does it look like coffee with cream (water in the oil) or is it black or honey-colored (ready for a change or fresh oil)? Is the coolant level good? Did the engine overheat?

 

If you can turn it 5 degrees it's probably not seized. There should not be 5 degrees of slop in the crank.

 

probably not seized, but...
pull the spark plugs so you're not fighting compression while you're trying to turn over the motor.
should be able to turn it over without killing yourself.

 

Sorry in advance as this is not helping your problem(i hope it didn't seize or something that serious of course).
But i feel i gotta defend that 2.7L engine a bit. The impression i get from reading on the internet, is that the vast majority of problems with the 2.7L occur mainly b/c people neglect the oil change intervals and/or not use proper oil. I own a '06 Sebring sedan with the 2.7 and it runs very nicely, i maintain it exactly as Chrysler says.
The only real problems i've had with the car is the electrical wiring harness between the driver door & body, it wears from the open/shut movement as the years pass, and the wires eventually break. That was a bit annoying to fix myself, but got them re-connected even though that space is small to work in. Symptoms were power windows not working properly, and the central locking acting weird. Found help for this on google.. ;D
To summerize my experience; It's a very solid car when maintained correctly(it's crucial), maintenance on time & using good quality oil/parts is very important.
Oh, and this car's ran in Finland its whole life, was bought new here. And winters here are real rough on cars(it can easily get down to -30C in the winter, which lasts for months..).
So it's a well built car overall speaking IMO, especially considering these tough weather conditions. I mean it shifts from +30C in the summer to -30C in the winter months, that really tests a car you use all year. In fact, i often see these "premium" cars like Audi, BMW, Volvo and such that have stopped on the road for whatever reason in the winter especially, and French cars of course (sorry i just think they are trouble, can't stand French cars, personal opinion as well as witnessing them "dead" on the road real often..)..but rarely Chryslers. And there are quite a lot of them here too, especially Voyagers.

 

I agree. I wasn't going to get into the whole defending the 2.7 engine though, as over the years I've determed it's just not worth it. Personally owning two that are knocking on the door of the 200,000 mile club, and haven't seen multiples go past 300,000 miles, I'm firmly in the not worried camp.

 

Absolutely, that MoPar powertrain seems bulletproof(so tranny too), but the reputation that engine's gotten is so misleading i feel. Well, you obviously know from experience too.