Q: I was driving and when I tried to make a turn my steering wheel was hard to turn. Soon after my car cut off.

asked by on October 20, 2016

I was driving and made a turn my stirring wheel locked and it was hard to turn then my i noticed my car had cut off and i tried to re crank it but it would not start. it seems to be turning over but will not crank. How can I tell if it is my timing belt that broke and how severve the damage is to my engine?

My car has 300000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Hello. It is very possible that the timing belt broke or the engine seized. I would usually check the oil level first. If it is empty then there is a serious issue. If there is oil then I would try turning the engine over by hand. I do this at the crank pulley with a large ratchet. If I cannot move it then the engine has failed and needs to be replaced. If the engine can be moved then further diagnosis needs to be done to the electrical system. If you want to have this stall and now no start problem checked, consider YourMechanic, as a certified mechanic can come to your home or office to diagnose and repair this.

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