Engine wont roll over

[otis]

Hey guys i feel pretty embarrassed to say but when doing an oil and filter change on my 1974 2.25 petrol i must of put the oil filter housing on incorrectly.

I was driving into town and was herd a knocking sound that seemed to be coming from the engine, as a slowed the rpm on the engine the sound slowed with it. i was about to pull over when the car lost power and died.

After looking underneath the car i seen that oil had been leaking out from someplace and i had run the car about 1 km or so on no oil. :eek:

So i got a ride home and got my uncle to help me retrieve the landy off the side of the road.

The next day i put the oil housing on correctly (i hope) and attempted to start the engine but all i get is a click.

I was thinking that maybe i have seized the engine and thats why the engine wont roll over?

Any ideas or suggestions on where to start?

my uncle told me that i should take the sump off the engine and i might see the problem, he thought it could of been a broken or detached con rod. but im not sure if he knows what hes talking about:confused:

[JDNSW]

Unfortunately, the problem sounds serious and expensive.

Your uncle's suggestion of pulling the sump off would sound to be the right first step, and it is possible that the engine has just got seized bearings - in this case the minimum repair would be new bearings and probably reground crankshaft. If it has broken a connecting rod, you probably should be looking for a new engine. It is almost certain that the engine will have to come out.

This engine is quite forgiving of abuse, but even it will not run for long without oil.

John

[otis]

Thanks for the fast reply John.

Do you have any idea what the banging sound coming from the engine might of been?

I was thinking of having the engine rebuilt anyway so i am not terribly worried about spending the money.

If the connecting rod is broken would a rebuild still be a viable or would i just be better off looking at a new engine?

thanks again

[101RRS]

Look for the easy things first.

The click - is it just the starter trying to turn the engine over or just solenoids clicking - could be a starter problem.

If you are happy that it is not a starter problem and it is trying to turn over a dead engine with not luck - then remove the spark plugs and see if the engine will turn over by hand - if yes - go back to look at the starter.

If the engine is locked then maybe your worst thoughts have come to true.

You need to clarify whether there is a starter problem first. If you only drove for 1 km you are unlikely to have seized the pistons and bore (though possible) but the bottom end is different - even if damaged I would expect the engine to still fire and run - albiet like crap and noisily.

Look for the easy things first and as they are discounted move to more complex things.

Garry

[Blknight.aus]

just put the crank handle in the front chuck it in nuetral and try to turn the engine over.

if it turns over then your starter is dead.

if it doesnt the engine is siezed up for one reason or another and its time to drop the sump to work out why.



If it IS siezed theres some butchery that can be done to free it up enough to get it back to running but lets not go there unless we have to.

[JDNSW]

Thanks for the fast reply John.

Do you have any idea what the banging sound coming from the engine might of been?

I was thinking of having the engine rebuilt anyway so i am not terribly worried about spending the money.

If the connecting rod is broken would a rebuild still be a viable or would i just be better off looking at a new engine?

thanks again

Without having heard the noise, I would be guessing. What will usually happen if the engine is run without lubrication is that the most heavily loaded bearings, which are the big end bearings, will fail first This is likely to have one of two results, either the bearing will seize and the engine will stop, or, if the engine is turning fast enough and developing enough power, the bearing will be completely destroyed allowing the big end and its cap to flog back and forth on the crank journal and for the piston to hit the head. This could make the noise, but if the engine was going at any speed, and an attempt is made to keep going, the shock loading is likely to cause the failure of one or both bearing cap bolts. This is likely to result in the big end being jammed against the side of the bore such that it is hit every revolution of the crank, with resulting damage to the bore and the crank. In addition, it is possible that the valves could be hitting the top of the piston. If there is only one bearing bolt broken, the bent cap could be hitting the side of the crankcase.

Whether a rebuild is viable will depend on whether the block is damaged (If the block is damaged, almost certainly a new engine)and the cost of a replacement engine. If the crankshaft is damaged beyond being reclaimed, this is likely to make the engine beyond economic repair, unless this is almost the only damage. But it will all depend on what you can get another engine for and how much needs to be spent on that engine.

John