2001 ram 5.2 only half crank no start

[JMikk]

Found a beautiful ram 1500 on Craigslist. Posted cheap, says needs engine. Sent him a message asking what it’s doing to warrant and engine replacement and he says you turn key and it’ll only rotate half a turn or one full turn, says replaced starter and battery and all the related components. What could be the problem here, should I buy it for a couple hundred and drop an engine in it? Truck only has 107k...

 

[ouch1011]

Depends on the condition of the rest of the truck. If you go look at it, take a breaker bar with you and see if you can turn the crank by hand. If you can't, the truck is really only worth scrap value ($200 +/-)