Rant - Car died on way home last week

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

This is very, very upsetting. I'm heading home from a rough day at work. I had just given my In-Laws a hard time about my having to take the Ford diesel to rescue their down Dodge diesel. Again. I'm listening to a nice book hoping the world will just leave me alone and allow me to work some more on my new house so I can move in. Then I hear a banging sound from behind me. I look down and notice there is less than one bar on the press even though we are doing 60 in third!

Turn off motor, coast to the side of the road, and go look at the rear. I see oil on the underside, but none on the top. I had checked the oil last at my last fill up and was about 1/4 on the dipstick. Dipstick is now dryish. I don't see any oil on the road and I get a very sick feeling.

Wrecker shows up and laughs. He remembers me from the other time I had to call a wrecker and said he was hoping it wasn't me! He also asked if my oil was ok because he had passed a long stream of oil on the road on the way to getting me. He is a VW guy (plays with dune buggies) so he understands the air cooled thing.

Get home and decide to go ahead and park her in the new garage until I move in.

Other things of note: Oil drops are from the center bottom of the case, near the number 8 bearing (where I did have a slow leak of about one quart every 600 + miles), and (and this floors me) from the external thermostats!! This is where most oil has continued to leak out.

There cannot be much oil remaining in her and I'm quite upset at this.

Guess I will have the valve guides done sooner than planned. I'm hoping that nothing started to grind and tear up. Guess we will know when I start looking for metal shavings in a couple of weeks.

Do I have a Central Texas Engine Drop Clinic? Boy am I bummed.

[cegerer]

That sucks. I'm not sure how you could run it dry that quickly, without either noticing it billowing out of the exhaust or having oil all over the underside of the engine or the back of the car??? Could the dipstick reading have been in error?

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by Groesbeck Hurricane

Then I hear a banging sound from behind me. I look down and notice there is less than one bar on the press even though we are doing 60 in third!

banging as in rod bearing or cam chains?

[Randy Webb]

"Wrecker ... remembers me from the other time I had to call a wrecker"

I asked a guy about this once - he said "Oh, we tow these cars all the time." Old cars tend to have something break. You think you updated everything, but.....

Drain the oil thru a filter anc take a close look at the drain plugs...

Good Luck

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

Chris,

I've been kicking myself wondering if I could have looked at it wrong but I always check it twice with the motor running on even ground. I never noticed smoke out the back or additional puddles of oil on the ground. I wonder if it could be as easy as a fitting backing off, after 15,000 miles...

Ron,

I don't know. I was too freakin' scared/p1ssed!! I shut it down the second I noticed the noise.

Randy,

Thanx! I'll start there.

If I change the oil and cut open the filter and see no metal, should I try tightening everything up, adding oil, and starting her? Everything in my body is telling me NO!!! But I miss driving her...

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by Groesbeck Hurricane

If I change the oil and cut open the filter and see no metal, should I try tightening everything up, adding oil, and starting her?

If it was me I'd continue with pulling the fuel pump relay, CD box connector, remove all spark plugs, and clean All oil from engine. Then have a helper spin the engine with the key while your in the engine comp looking and listning.. or use a starter jump gizmo with the momentary switch. Hopefully you'll see a leak after you get oil psi. If you have a leak from an un-known/hard to find source there is a dye you can add to the oil that shines under a black light.. again hopefully it's the oil sw next to the thermostat with the red top section, engine oil thermostat oil ring, or the oil feed lines to the tensioners.

Try Not to re-start the engine.

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

Ron,

Good advice, thank you. I've slept on this and know that I need to have the valve guides redone and that there is a leak at #8. I think this is a wake up call to take her apart and put her back together. I'll probably try and rebuild/replace the external thermostats.

Three more weeks? until the new house is finished and then I can do an engine drop clinic? Too much fun...

[ChrisBennet]

Oh David, that doesn't sound good. Once you loose oil pressure, bad things start to happen quickly. BTDT.
I've got my fingers crossed for you.
-Chris

[Jim Smolka]

Any idea where the leak might have occurred? Could be an oil line to/from the thermostat.

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

Chris,

I remember, all too well, your nightmare! Yep, crossed tight!

Jim,

There was oil all around the thermostats. I have been working on getting the new house ready for move in so I have not crawled under to see if something got loose or broke.