near catasprophic failure =(

so, i was going down the road today, and apparently one of the lines on the oil cooler was low to the ground, and worked itself so low that it started dragging the ground...who knows how long, and on my way to town earlier this afternoon i noticed my engine running funny. Then i noticed my oil light came on, which never happens...

so, i try to make it to a nearby gas station to get a little oil and i almost get there and the engine starts making a terrible grinding sound and is knocking like HELL, so i cut the engine as fast as i could and steered it down the rd and into the gas station. i parked it, and looked underneath the car, and everything was covered in oil. so i had my gf start the car if only for a few seconds to see if i could quickly see the problem(after i put 3 qrts more oil in, of coarse). when she did, i looked underneath and saw oil literally spraying out of the line that goes from the oil filter to the oil cooler, right in the middle, like as fast as it could. so i patch it with duct tape to make it down the road less than a mile to her parents house. i go to advance in a diff. car, and get some hose, come back, repair the hose(in the dark, and rain) and now its running just fine like before, except it now has the most terrible knock noise...like i drove it home and it knocked like hell, but it held together...

it wont be driven again until after its rebuilt, of coarse...but what could have happened? i know, when i pulled into the gas station and removed the oil cap, it was smoking...

:frown:

its being rebuilt in mid january or so...

You just cooked a rod bearings. If the oil light came on you should have cut the motor immediately, dont even slow down if at all possible and you probably could have probably saved the motor.

Oh ya it's gone. Lack of oil for even a split second can do severe damage.

The oil lights on car come on when they start getting low and/or low pressure (depending on car). So it usually gives you some time. But with it spraying like it was, there was no saving it.

Sucks dude. Start that rebuild

The oil light comes on in our cars around 5psi. So when that thing cuts on you dont have but a few short seconds to save it.

+1. If you see the light throw it in nuetral and shut her down. Sucks about your motor though.

Well you know...it was a matter of time before i pulled it off the road and began tearing it down. itll be december or early jan b4 i get the money im getting to be able to buy the parts and machine labor.

So, here she will sit until then.

But, one more question, it drove home fine last night, just knocks pretty good. Later in the year when it comes time for me to take it to Fayetteville NC(2 1/2hr trip) would i be able to make it there? It only has to make it there and then its being torn down and rebuilt...i mean other than the fact that it might crap out on me on the way, in which case i can get a tow truck to carry it the rest of the way, will it really hurt anything to do that?

Do not drive that car anymore, its done. Your lucky it hasn't thrown the rod already

gotcha.

Wow... I certainly hope it's parked now after that... Time to start planning out a new motor I guess.

DO NOT EVEN START IT UP.

If you're LUCKY (and very lucky) all you did was smoke the rod and/or cam bearings. But by the sounds of you running it without oil pressure for that long probably scored the cylinder walls, crank journals, and rod bearing journals, cams, and cam journals. In other words, you're fucked.

AGREED!!!....You are way off the deep end here! if you scored your journals. i would suggest getting a new block of even a known good junk yard motor (if you can find one) and rebuild that motor in the meantime. its easier to just pull the old one and put the new one right back into the engine bay! because if your rebuilding it, it will be a few days or even weeks before you can put that motor back in. and by then you may forget how some things go back together(or not).

But i could be fun to take it in a field and do some donuts and blow that motor and put the new one in afterward. You mind as well have some fun with the busted motor. It would make the whole situation a little brighter!!!:rofl:

lol...

well i mean, i have two other cars that im driving, so im not pressed for time...

so, if time isnt an issue, and im going to rebuild near the end of this year when i have the spare money, then i can still re use my engine correct? I had actually planned to have it machined and bored over...so the block should be ok since its getting a makeover right? meaning, i dont nec. need to buy a new one?

yeah i mean, the oil lamp was prob on for about 3 or 4 mins, and i hadnt even noticed it and when i did i turned the key off and rolled into a nearby gas station =/

when i cranked it again, on the way home it started getting pretty noisy:crying:

in january ill have about $3k set aside to spend on it...so im not worried about that =) hopefully she will live again

you won't know anything for sure until you pull it apart..you may need a new block, you may not, it all depends on what went on inside the motor

this is true.
:frown: