First off - Howdy all and I hope the Holidays were good to all!!!

Okay - a week or two before Thanksgiving I went out to fire up the van and warm it up to take my kids to school. This is the motor I rebuilt 5 years ago - all the racing, high temp summers and hauling my girlfriend and her stuff here from Santa Rosa - etc. etc.

Not too mention my really, really heavy foot!!! High speed downshifts etc.

So I'm sitting there listening to it purr nicely and all of a sudden it starts to make a racket like the 5 or 6 piston have slammed themselves through the block! I guess I should mention that the day before we had gone shopping in town and nothing even close to a problem showed up.

I shut it off, waited a few minutes and tried it again - same thing.

After running the kids to school in the girlfriends car I came back and started looking at stuff. Nothing looked out of place and there were no leaks anywhere. No oil in the water, no water in the oil etc. Oil pressure never moved during this either. So, I drained the oil and dropped the pan - no metal and nothing that even remotely looks wrong. I pulled the valve cover and looked at everything there too. Nothing looks wrong. I have not pulled the push rods to check them, but they look all straight - just by looking with a flashlight.

So, here I sit trying to figure out what to do next.

Have not tried a compression check yet - but was thinking that may tell me something? While laying underneath and checking stuff - I noticed that the cylinder walls and everything under there looked clean as can be with no scratches or anything? Looks like the day I fired it up 5 years ago!

Anyway, suggestions and ideas are greatly appreciated ya'll.
Talk with ya later,
Dan

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"I may be slow, but at least I'm not very fast!"
'69 A108 - 225, 727, 3.55, MSD6AL, a.k.a.-the brick

Check for external causes...loose/missing torque converter or flywheel bolts and parts, something being hit by the cooling fan, a problem with the belts, a broken flex plate.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Ditto. Check the dipstick. I have heard that sometimes it can hit the crankshaft.

Out of curiosity, are you running an automatic? Any chance that the problem lies in the torque converter or front pump?

Rod bearing ?
Pull the caps and check them

Good luck

_________________
Jim

1964 DART G.T. 225
2008 JEEP WRANGLER UNLIMITED
1950 SCHWINN PHANTOM

Okay - dipstick - very clear.
Nothing near the fan.

FLEX PLATE - all 4 bolts were loose! Now they were not falling off loose, but loose. Took at least 1/4 to 1/2 half turn to re-tighten them.

Would this all of a sudden create a noise like I heard? It actually sounded like the rear cylinder area - and I was thinking that maybe it could be something in the tranny.

Now I have to put it all together and try running it again and hope??? Is this what I am up against now??

Thanks guys!!

Dan

_________________
"I may be slow, but at least I'm not very fast!"
'69 A108 - 225, 727, 3.55, MSD6AL, a.k.a.-the brick

Possibly. Fire it up and give it a listen. Do you have a "mechanic's stethoscope" to help pinpoint the problem noise?

Hahahaha - actually I do have many versions of the "mechanics stethoscope", but did not want to leave it running like it was!

So, now I have to get another pan gasket and more oil to even give it a try! This is killing me - bad back etc.

_________________
"I may be slow, but at least I'm not very fast!"
'69 A108 - 225, 727, 3.55, MSD6AL, a.k.a.-the brick

I second JLC 64's suggestion of pulling the con-rod and main bearing caps while you are under there and checking their condition. Might as well since you have the pan off and are wrenching already.

You gotta be kidding me!!!!
It's taken me this long just to get this far!!
I tore into it before Thanksgiving lol.

Guess I can hope for the weather to hold a few more days. I have no way to get parts today and tomorrow is already spoken for.

Wish my kids were a little older! I have one of my twins that wants to help me work on the van, but they are only 10. It also figures that after they head back to school tomorrow, they will not be back here for two weeks!

On a side note - anyone looking for a border collie puppy??
Mine is due any day now! That's another of those sucky things - the kids love her and are hoping she pops today or tonight so they can see it happen and it looks like they may miss it.

_________________
"I may be slow, but at least I'm not very fast!"
'69 A108 - 225, 727, 3.55, MSD6AL, a.k.a.-the brick

If money/time is an issue. Just button everything up and fire it up. If it turns out that it needs to come back apart the gaskets will be fine. As should the oil if there isnt metal floating around in it.
Frank

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Scrapple: Because a mind is a terrible thing to waste.
73 Duster - Race Car
66 Dart Wagon - DD
178" FED
82 D150
All Slant powered

Actually, for me, it's the bad back thing that kills me.
I have nothing but time - and I mean no money either!! LOL
Not that bad - really, but at this time - I dumped the oil already after I checked it. It was close to time to change it anyways.
Mobil 1 since day one!

If it wasn't for that, I would probably just slap it together and try it.
But, it's gonna have to wait a day or 4 now and with my luck, it will snow here now!! LOL

Thermometer outside on one of my tables showed 90 today! Tough living in this state! 32 at night and 90 during the day!

Thanks for the help ya'll - will let you know what I find out.
Dan

_________________
"I may be slow, but at least I'm not very fast!"
'69 A108 - 225, 727, 3.55, MSD6AL, a.k.a.-the brick

Too bad you didn't pull the plug wires "one at a time" while it's idling.

If it's a bad rod bearing, when you pull the right one, the knock goes away.

A very simple trick i learned in high school.

2 months on the jack stands
$88.00+ for new gaskets, filters and oil

AND it was the freekin 4 little bolts on the flex plate

it's back on the road again

dang dang dang

later
Dan

_________________
"I may be slow, but at least I'm not very fast!"
'69 A108 - 225, 727, 3.55, MSD6AL, a.k.a.-the brick

High temp high strength loctite is your friend for those torque converter bolts.

I had an issue where they repeatedly loosened up. Turns out when the engine and trans were re-assembled the locating dowels were left out.

High-strength Loctite (the red stuff) requires heat to release. i.e. you'll need to use a torch. The medium strength variety (blue) is sufficient. Just be sure that the threads are clean and dry. You can use Loctite primer to cure it quicker.

Ken