I think I FUBAR'd it...

[pookie]

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

[gigem75]

sounds like a loose nut behind the wheel to me.

[pookie]

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

[304065]

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.

[pookie]

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.

[Mo_Gearhead]

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

[shbop]

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