welll, i think i killed my engine today.

[vortec]

went offroading with some friends for about 10 hours, today. lots of fun. but, ended crappy. not long before we left, there was a faint tick that improved after i added a little oil. but, on the way home, it started burning oil, bad, and as i was pulling over to check it out, the tick came back and before i could even exit, the engine stopped turning. i had it towed 100 miles to dallas (on my friend's AAA membership) and am taking my pickup out there tomorrow to tow it the rest of the way home. we are thinking i may have dropped a valve (or part of one) into a cylinder jammed between the piston and head, or piston and cylinder wall. does that sound about right? if that is the case, i expect a lot of damage to the piston, head, and cylinder. any experiences with this? are we way off on this?

just glad the k5 isn't my dd.

 

[resurrected_jimmy]

not a bad guess, how was your oil pressure before failure?

 

[Pookster]

wonder how the temperature was that day. Maybe the engine over heated, lost viscosity?

 

[fortcollinsram]

I am curious as to your oil pressure at the time of the noise too. Inspection is the only way to tell for sure though. Main bearing knocks can be VERY slight while rod knocks are TYPICALLY louder. valve train destruction can also be clued by ticking...I would first pull the oil pan and check for metal shavings and then systematically pull the main caps and rod caps to check the condition of the rod and main journals and bearings. Remember, while one rod bearing may look just fine, the adjacent one may be uber-focked. so check the all; one at a time then pull the valve covers and look for anything out of place...

Chris

 

[Pookster]

I've known a few guys who didnt exactly change motor oil at a regular interval, and the oil sheered itself away, and they spun a bearing. I know they all lost oil pressure right before that.

 

[vortec]

oil pressure was fine a minute or two before. however, i've seen people's engines be fine one second and then see the oil pressure dive just seconds before hearing a rod go through the block. temp was in the high nineties all day. texas is fun that way. but, the engine was not getting unusually hot at any point. i always watch the gauge, and i pop the hood frequently, offroad, just to be sure it's not too hot in there.

i trailered it the rest of the way home with my pickup, today, so as soon as i get some free time, i'll start tearing it apart. i've the last time i rebuilt a 350 was about 8 years ago, but i've worked on many since, so i'm fairly familiar. once i get in there, the problem should stick out like a sore thumb.

maybe the blazer was telling me it was ready to die. speedo/odometer crapped out on the way out there. that's as many miles as it wanted to go. ha. while i can't affor it now, a deisel might find its way in there. i like the mileage and longevity. stinky, though.

 

[Pookster]

run vegetable oil, not so stinky. Smell like french fries.