3.0 Engine Carnage
 

I just finished taking apart the 3.0 core engine I purchased.
I knew I'd need a few parts like a head and rod (already have a spare cylinder). Oddly, the crank looks fine, but the oil pump is toast - big hole in it from a piece of piston getting knocked around by the rod.
I'll let the pictures do the talking now!

Regards,
Andrew M

Cylinder Head:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1125961467.jpg

Hey - Wait a second - There should be a piston in #3 cylinder!
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1125961523.jpg

Well - I guess thats PART of a piston!
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1125961570.jpg

Part of the pistons and 2 rockers that sacrificed themselves for the rest of the valvetrain
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1125961622.jpg

Can rods be straightened?
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1125961672.jpg

I think I found the rest of the piston!
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1125961733.jpg

Throw that rod in a vice, heat it up a bit and it will be fine :D . I'm surprised that the head doesn't look too bad considering what's left of the piston. So were the rod bolts still in tact and the bearings ok?

It's always fun seeing an autopsy!

Rod bolts were done up, but fairly loose on the one rod. The piston was in 2-3 larger chunks and lots of bits - bearings looked ok, but I've only taken a brief glance at them - it was getting pretty dark!

I'll take some pics of the cylinder in the next day or two - quite interesting how it seemed to melt the nikasil plating.

I suspect the oil cooler will have to be tossed to avoid any metal bits in the rebuild.

AM

That must have sounded AWESOME coming apart!

Pitch the cooler. Better safe than sorry. What caused this mayhem?

Jeff

I sold the roller it came from some time back. I think it was done in by someone used to owning a chevy instead of a porsche. Instead of replacing the oil return tube seals, they smeared some ultra copper on trying to stop the leak. The car also had an enormous amount of oil in it when I got it. It would not surprise me one bit if they filled the tank to the top.

The car was for sale a few months before I bought it by someone else, and at that time the car didn't run, but turned over fine, no strange noises. It was advertised as needing a fuel pump. A kid out bid me on the car, and after not being able to get it to run, resold it to me at a loss three months later. He had replaced the fuel pump, and claimed not to know why the engine would no longer turn over. It made a heck of a parts car!

My guess is he got it started and went for a victory lap that went all wrong http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/shake.gif

Shoot - when I've had rods come loose (at either end - I had a piston break once and a rod with wrist pin attached as you have is a mighty powerful hammer) I've always lost the case (at least it had to be welded, etc. to be reused. This looks like a good deal as such things go.

Walt Fricke

More...
 

Here are the pics of the oil pump that was damaged, the collection of metal pieces that used to be the piston, and the case halves.
While the case had all the metal bits in the sump area, it looks like the bearings are fine. I don't think metal got cycled through the oil system and the crank may even be ok - it's getting checked by my machine shop now.

Regards,
Andrew M

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1126323921.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1126324002.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1126324074.jpg

Uff Da, I must say, as a person of Norwegian Descent.

Wow, that's some carnage. You need to completely remove all of the aluminum plugs from that case and have them cleaned out. Do not put this engine back together without doing that - there's probably bits of metal in there, blocking oil passages. Your shop may or may not be aware that this needs to be done.

Frankly, I probably wouldn't reuse anything from this motor - you can get a worn out core for cheap that hasn't seen such carnage previously.

-Wayne

Hey Wayne - thanks fo the tip on the plugs. While the pics look pretty dramatic:
- All the piston pieces were at the bottom of the case - pre oil screen (not circulated thorugh)
- The bearings on all mains and rods were really nice
- There are no bits visible in the oil cooler (still tossing the cooler in the garbage as a precaution)
- No cracks or other damage visible inside the case halves
- Basically the piston seems to have broken apart very easily (maybe a weak casting?)

- Other than the rod, piston, head, cylinder and oil pump, everything is amazingly clean and undamaged

In fact, I heard back from the machine shop and the crank is straight and the mains and rods are well within spec.

Regards,
Andrew M

Awww, that'll buff right out. All it needs is good ole fashion elbow grease
and it will be good as new! ;)