just bought a relatively clean, and straight 02 Stratus at a State Surplus auction. BUT it reportedly has a seized 2.4L DOHC engine with 130k miles on it. I pulled the dipstick and there is just a drop of oil on the end of the dipstick. i don't know much about the 2.4 I-4 engine, but before i make any decisions on how to proceed, I need to assess the actual condition of the engine. I wanted to pull the pan and check the crank and rods, but can I actually check them? Is there some kind of plate and balance shafts in the way? I don't have an FSM to go by, and there isn't much info on the web.
I was going to pull the filter and cut it open, tomorrow. Any suggestions?

 

turn the engine over by hand...put a socket on the crank pulley...if its seized, it won't turn over. if it turns by hand, add some oil and crank it over. if the oil pan is a easy to remove...no harm in dropping it and looking for debris in the pan.