I think I FUBAR'd it...
 

I've not been over here much lately but I spend way to much time on the dorkiphus board. They have been trying to help me with my most recent problem. I was cruising home on the interstate when I heard a light rattle (I assume the famous death rattle) and the car died and I lost all power. I called a tow and ended up at the house.
I tried to diagnosis what the problem was and I found that the #5 piston seems to be stuck at TDC. I diagnosised this by pulling the spark plug on #5 and listening for the pufft, pufft, pufft that it should make. I didn't hear it. So I replaced it and pulled #4 and it made the pufft, pufft, pufft and my heart sank. After that I re pulled #5 and found a wire to put in the spark plug hole. I then cranked the motor over by hand hoping that the piston would move and movet the wire and I couldn't get the wire to move. So I and the dorkis think the #5 piston is stuck at TDC. I know I need to drop the sump screen and see what damage or chunks maybe in there but I haven't found time to do that yet.
I'm posting over here to see what else I might check or look at before I drop the motor. Or is a motor drop my next step?

Thanks

sounds like a loose nut behind the wheel to me.

Yeah I'll have to pick up those ball bearings for my gas tank too.:rolleyes:

If the piston does not move when you turn the crankshaft it's drop and teardown time.

This is simple enough to ascertain, although I prefer to use something that doesn't easily bend.

Sorry John I said wire, I actually cut a coat hanger to fit in the hole because I thought a little extra weight might be needed for me to see if the piston moved. As far as I could tell it didn't.

If you indeed have a piston that you have confirmed is not 'moving', time to disassemble the engine.

Evaluate slowly as you tear it down. You not only want to know what happened, but why it happened.