Can a seized accessory pulley cause a no crank situation?

I'm trying to figure out how to diagnose and repair SWMBO's vehicle while spending as little time doing so outside in the MI winter...

A little background... It's a 2002 Ford Escape 3.0 V6 4x4. It was my brothers car, but he can no longer drive for health reasons. For that reason, it mostly sat for 2 years before being given to me to fix up and drive. I gave it to my GF, because I literally can't take working on her POS Jeep Patriot anymore. Escape only had 90k when we got it, not it's at 102k. It pisses out oil in common 3.0 Duratec fashion, but I make sure to top it off when needed.

I rarely ride in her car(s), as we do most trips and errands in my Honda Fit. However, I was in it this past weekend and noticed that something was making a horrible almost "air rushing" noise and it was emitting an unfamiliar burning smell while at a stop that was more electric or rubber than it's usual toasted 5w20 scent.

The noise did not get faster or louder at higher RPMS. I noticed that it was overdue for an oil change so I figured I'd change it and check into it further. Changed the oil on Monday evening, but only had time to notice that the sound was coming from the belt side of the motor. For the record, oil was mostly full and no signs of coolant. I figured I'd make space in my garage for some further investigation. No lights on the dash other than the common "low coolant" light, which comes on due to a faulty sensor. She had complained about the burning smell the past couple of days as well.

Fast forward to last night, and my GF calls saying the Escape won't start. With the battery at full charge, the starter makes one big click and then drains some battery power. Didn't really try anything else. For the record, my GF reported no strange sounds or behavior on her last drive with it, and no lights came on the dash. That being said, she does usually drive with music loud enough for Helen Keller to hear. Had it towed to my parents place, since she was close enough to make it free with AAA. I'll likely have to mess around with it outside. :(

Everyone seems to be convinced that it needs a new starter, but I'm not so sure considering the symptoms it was showing right before. I've never run into this before. Is it possible that something like the Alternator or A/C compressor seized and won't let the starter turn the motor over? If it is, I'd rather pinpoint that before dropping the coin on a new starter and whatever else it entails...

Thanks for any help...

Bought a sentra se-r that "needs a motor". Wouldnt crank, or even spin ove. Cut the ac belt off and drove it for a year.

Its possible. Take the belt off and see if it starts.

Edit; I seem to recall those had problems with alternators, and the alternators suck to replace.

Pull or just loosen the belt and see if the accessories are seized then?

Double check battery connection is solid and with good grounds.

If you have another battery to swap in, try it, sometimes they show full when they are down a cell and give you headaches like that.

Then perhaps consider hitting the starter with a hammer in case its a bad spot. (or removal and bench testing the starter)

Yep I bought a Ranger with a sized engine. Junkyard alternator later it was good. Shouldn't be hard to inspect the belt for damage and then pop it off to see what's preventing it from turning.

Very common.

Yep. Happened to my S10 pickup. Alternator seized and wouldn't crank at all. Replaced the alternator and was good to go.

Like others have written: common. My old Sentra's alternator seized after 4 months in the garage. Wouldn't let the engine turn over.

If the starter isn't strong enough to slip the belt on the pulley, yeah, a seized accessory will cause a no crank.

My power steering pump locked up hard enough to stall the engine, so, yeah, it wouldn't crank.

+1, happened on a friend's car when the AC seized.

For me the key is the loud click and then voltage drop you described. That sounds like a starter trying to do its job. The quickest thing to do is see if you can turn the motor over with a socket at the crank (if accessible). If the engine does turn then more likely a starter. If it doesnt turn then take the belt off and see what you got. That's how i'd do it because being cold sucks!

Thanks for all the input.

Here's the conclusion:

Cut off the belt (which badly needed replacing anyway), turned the key and the Escape fired right up. A/C compressor pulley wouldn't budge, and upon closer inspection was actually crooked... Tore down the clutch/pulley assembly on the compressor and found the clutch and bearing had failed. The pulley was rubbing against the plastic coil thing to the point where it appears to have been on fire at some point. Installed a bypass pulley I found in stock at a somewhat close Autozone and a new belt and it's good to go.

Bittersweet, because I was hoping for an excuse to go buy another 5 speed 93-97 Geo Prizm...

Thanks for posting the solution.