2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GT2 Overheated & Won't Turn Over

[mmcdo26]

Hey guys, really hoping somebody has some advice on what may be the issue here. Really hoping I didn't fry the engine.

Yesterday I was driving my Grand Prix home and noticed the vehicle was
running rough, but I never saw the temperature gauge notify me it was
overheating. Eventually, as I was driving, I heard what I would describe as a
metal fork banging back and forth in a tin can coming from the engine, as I was accelerating. About three miles after that started roughly, my RPMs dropped to zero, I lost power steering, and the engine seemed to have cut out. I pulled over, and it would not start. The tow truck driver informed me the car had overheated, and I seem to be missing a large amount of coolant, the coolant was orange and I am assuming corrosive, though I never noticed any smoking coming from the radiator or the engine as if it boiled over. I towed the vehicle home, and left it overnight to cool down. This morning, I attempted to fire it, and it barely started to crank for about a half-second to a second, then dead silence. Next attempted crank, a simple click. I figured the battery may be dead, since I sat with the battery running the A/C until the tow truck driver arrived. But after charging the battery, it still didn't fire. I tried jumping it, it still didn't fire. If I repeatedly try to start it, after the first attempted crank, when I attempt to crank it is one simple click. If I come back to it after a few minutes, it will attempt to crank (again, only for a half second), and then right back to the single clicks. I was hoping somebody would have some insight, I am hoping this engine is not shot but whenever I look up the issue it all seems to point to the absolute worst.

[Blue Bowtie]

What engine is in the vehicle? Analysis may depend upon that.

[Stealthee]

04 GT2 is a 3.8 non supercharged.

04's still had the paper upper intake gaskets and they are known to fail and could cause hydrolock.

[mmcdo26]

The engine is the 3.8L. The most common analysis has been that the vehicle has thrown a rod, which I'm hoping that is not the case. If it goes into hydrolock, is there any way to revive this engine, or is it simply done?

[Stealthee]

Hydrolock can cause the bent rod. Water cannot compress so when a moving piston hits water in the cylinder it will try to keep going to TDC and will bend/break the weakest link. If the cylinders are full of water it will not let the engine crank over.

[Tech II]

Hard to believe no smoke from engine area or tailpipe.....

Just the fact the engine seized while driving is not good.......

You should disable fuel and spark....don't add coolant.....then remove all plugs........have someone crank over the vehicle and look for which cylinder(s) has coolant coming out of the spark plug hole(s)......

Does it crank over easy? Does it make noise?

Now would be a good time to check compression...... especially look at compression in the hole(s) that spewed coolant......

If ok, crank vehicle over several times, to remove all coolant....then make sure all plugs are clean and dry...install them and wires...enable fuel and spark....

Crank engine, and see if it starts, and if there is any engine noise...... don't run it more than 30 seconds......