If an engine makes a clicking sound when you try to start it, that means it's seized?

How do you unseize an engine? What're some tests you can do? My friend is over his head right now with a Firebird, which so happens to be the car I walked away from over a year ago!

 

The easiest way to see if the engine is siezed is to get under the car and try to turn the fly wheel with a large screwdriver or small pry bar. The clicking could be a dead battery or faulty starter/selenoid. Don't fret yet!

 

that clicking sound your hearing is your starter eather a bad cealanoide or the starter is locking up haft a friend try turning it over and hit the starter with a hammer if it frees it up its the starter going out if not have the starter looked at

 

I just had an engine clicking after replacing the starter and it turned out being a dead battery. The damn thing wont even take a charge anymore. Sometimes its something overly simple.

 

No. it means your battery is dead. a siezed engine would have one loud "clack" of the starter and then no movement from the engine at all.

 

Ok I ran my car one day and it ome but overheated. I made it home but the overflow tank was going crazy. I started it the next day and things seemed fine. When the car sprung a hole in the radiator and my car overheated again and died.I had to push it in a parking lot. After I fixed the radiator the car still ran but was rough. Everything seemed fine except for an idle like a radical cam. Doesnt really matter because Im pulling it and putting in a 385ci
this week.Just kinda curious what could have gone wrong?

 

The solenoid will take less energy to energize so you will still get the click of the solenoid. If the appropriate power isnt goint to the starter motor then you will only hear the solenoid engaging. Sometimes the battery cable will have a bad contact with the starter but still able to energize the solenoid. This also happens with a bad solenoid.

 

Yeah youre jumping to the wrong conclusion.... Try to turn it like they said by the flywheel, or by the balancer center-bolt...if the motor won't turn over that way, then you have issues.

redlsone....as far as you go, overheating it those couple times....I imagine it could have hurt a cylinder or two, causing your erratic idle.... Do a compression and leakdown test on the motor if you wanna know for sure, or if it's that bad, you should have one or two plugs that arent combusting properly like the rest.