97 TSI, Car Died While On HighWay, Starter Spinning Not Cranking Now

[Omegax1]

Ok the car is a 97 Talon TSI FWD, It recently had an engine swap done after the first engine hydrolocked. The engine that was swapped in was from a 99 GSX supposedly. I reused my FWD flywheel. Car started ran fine for a couple days.

On the highway later on I was cruising at about 70mph and just started bogging down and losing power, pulled over and car died. Did not start again. Car has sat for a week since then, I tried cranking it and I hear the starter spinning but it does not crank the engine. I checked the starter and its fine. We tried push starting the car with the starter out and we hear a horrible clunking grinding noise, like tiny chunks of metal in the bellhousing moving around wether its in neutral clutch in or out.

I turned engine by hand at the crank also. Previous owner told me the throw out bearing went out??

Any ideas on whats wrong?

 

[beachbum2185]

maybe the ring gear broke?

 

[Omegax1]

Would that cause the car to turn off and lose power though?

 

[beachbum2185]

is your alternator any good? im no mechanic by any means, but i have heard of it happening to people.

 

[red94gsx]

Maybe the flywheel came off inside the bell housing, gouging into it and slowing you down. Then when you stopped the engine stalled from the excess resistance. This sounds kind of ridiculous, I would have thought that your clutch would have exploded were it not for this:

Now that the flywheel is not lined up with the starter, the starter will turn freely.

If you look on the underside of the transmission there is a little sheet metal cover on the bell housing, and if you take that off you can see if there is carnage or not.