Misadventures in wrenching and riding

Message

#171 Unread post by **Skier** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 8:29 pm

This does not inspire confidence:

#172 Unread post by **Skier** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 5:36 pm

After popping open the oil pan, looks like we found the culprit:

Oh snap:

The edge got hammered:

At this point in time you just can't help but laugh:

Mains looked roasted:

Scoring on the crank, game over:

Looks like it's new motor time. Ah well, a new motor shipped is two or three months payment on a newer car and the new motor should have another 200k left in it.

My diagnosis: oil pickup screen was clogged and oil pump was starved at high RPMs, spinning bearings.

#173 Unread post by **Skier** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 8:06 pm

My gasket kit comes in tomorrow and the rebuild of the new motor will start.

#174 Unread post by **Wrider** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 8:54 pm

I keep telling you, Twin Turbo is the way to go! You'd have the ultimate sleeper and one heck of a fun driver!!!
Wrider

#175 Unread post by **Skier** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 7:32 pm

I am done with the bottom end of the new motor. Tomorrow I will throw on the new water pump and reinstall the cylinder head. I should be on track for an installation this weekend.

The Hornet got a few miles on it this week with commuting duties. Now it's supposed to snow for the next week. What the hell?

#176 Unread post by **Skier** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 3:07 pm

Motor and tranny are in the car. Engine runs!

Tomorrow I get to install a new power steering bellow that tore and install cotterpins in the usual suspects: axle nut retainer and tie rod ends.

#177 Unread post by **Skier** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 3:44 pm

She's moving under her own power again!

#178 Unread post by **Wrider** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 8:59 pm

WooHoo!!!

Congrats Skier! Now that you've dropped a new motor, new springs, redone a bunch of things on that Carmy, I think it oughta last ya another 200K miles!

Wrider

#179 Unread post by **Skier** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 5:06 am

The Carmy keeps trying to overheat on me! I have the following new parts installed:

water pump
thermostat
upper/lower radiator hoses
radiator cap

She still overheats in both city driving and highway driving. Turning the heater on full blast helps for a little bit then it continues to overheat. I've bled the cooling system and it shows the same symptoms.

The fans are not turning on as they should, so my water temp switch is probably broken: I need to pull it and test it. However, even with turning the fans on manually by pulling their connection to the water temp switch, temp still creeps up after five or six minutes of driving to the red, where I turn it off.

There are a few possibilities: the radiator is clogged, my new temp sensor (not switch!) is reading too high or the new water pump's impellers are cavitating something fierce.

I'm getting kind of tired of spending so long wrenching on the car and still having to play taxi for the GF.

On the other hand she fits nicely on a Yamaha Vino Classic and I have a nice, out-the-door price on one.

Tonight I am going to pick up a radiator flush kit and will go to town on the old radiator. I can see bits of silt at the top (

) so the flush may help, but it's probably new radiator time. $130 or so for a new one isn't horrific but it's another $130. Doh!

#180 Unread post by **Skier** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 3:18 pm

Temp gauge and temp sender checked out ok. Items left to check:

radiator (clogged?)
coolant passageways in engine
water pump

I will pull the radiator sometime this week and bring it to a radiator shop to be flow tested. If it fails, $130 will get me a new radiator. If it passes the flow test I will have to flush the crap out of the engine cooling system and see if that fixes it. If not, I will replace the new water pump and probably go with an OEM part.

Bloody car. It has rapidly moved past the daily driver repair stage and is now firmly lodged in the "experience for rebuilding my '71 Plymouth Duster when I get a garage" area.