Is it a blew engine?

My wife was driving this 96 Villager (60,000 miles) last night, oil lamp turns on, she did hear a rattle noise from the engine, she drove no more than 1/3 of a mile, she felt a bump in the car, engine stalls, all lamps on (obviously), she managed to stop out of the road. I went there, strong battery, engine not even turn, it sucks battery voltage to half of it, as if the engine is locked down or something. Jumper cable to my car's battery, same thing, it seems the starting motor can't turn the locked engine. Oil level was really low, even that it was changed less than 60 days ago. There was no previous smoke at the tail gate or something to call my attention. Oil lamp was never on before, last night it was on for less than a minute to then lock the engine.

Is it seems to be a blew engine?
Blew engine locks down mechanicaly like this?

I will return to the road today (Sunday, yeah!) to see if I can see better with the daylight. Will try to turn the engine by some belt, see if it is loose of locked. A blew piston can lock the whole engine, right?

The first impression was exactly as a bad battery. Battery was replaced less than 5 months ago by a brand new one. Remember that I used a jumper cable to my car and it presented the same problem, sucks battery current but no engine movement. Not sure about to hear the start motor solenoid clicking or no, since it was in the middle of the traffic, can't listen nothing. Will check today.

Blew engine?
How much it can cost to fix something like that?


Thank you.

My wife was driving this 96 Villager (60,000 miles) last night, oil lamp turns on, she did hear a rattle noise from the engine, she drove no more than 1/3 of a mile, she felt a bump in the car, engine stalls, all lamps on (obviously), she managed to stop out of the road. I went there, strong battery, engine not even turn, it sucks battery voltage to half of it, as if the engine is locked down or something. Jumper cable to my car's battery, same thing, it seems the starting motor can't turn the locked engine. Oil level was really low, even that it was changed less than 60 days ago. There was no previous smoke at the tail gate or something to call my attention. Oil lamp was never on before, last night it was on for less than a minute to then lock the engine.

Is it seems to be a blew engine?
Blew engine locks down mechanicaly like this?

I will return to the road today (Sunday, yeah!) to see if I can see better with the daylight. Will try to turn the engine by some belt, see if it is loose of locked. A blew piston can lock the whole engine, right?

The first impression was exactly as a bad battery. Battery was replaced less than 5 months ago by a brand new one. Remember that I used a jumper cable to my car and it presented the same problem, sucks battery current but no engine movement. Not sure about to hear the start motor solenoid clicking or no, since it was in the middle of the traffic, can't listen nothing. Will check today.

Blew engine?
How much it can cost to fix something like that?


Thank you.

Sounds like you broke a timing belt and seized your engine (possible bent valves and what not).......but if on for less than a minute, that sounds strange to seize an engine?

Went back to the mini-van Sunday afternoon, it is far from home. Day light couldn't help much, the Nissan engine used at the Mercury Villager is so crowded that the only exposed belt is the one to the AC compressor, and impossible to grab it by hand to try to rotate. Tried it somehow, nothing moves even a 1/16 of an inch, seems it is locked for good. Could hear the started solenoid latching strong, but not a single move at the belt while trying start it.

Later on, talking to a mechanic friend, he said the Nissan engine is terrible to move by hand, it is very difficult. He said the "try to move the ac compressor hub by hand" it is not a valid test, since it is really heavy and difficult to rotate or at least move a bit the engine by hand.

He doesn't believe the engine was blew up, he thinks something different happened, could be even the AC compressor (according to my wife memory of the rattle noise, it was much fast to be a cylinder, while making the U-turn in very low speed), could be the timming belt, really, or some other belt, water pump, oil pump, anything.

According to him, and I think the same way, a blinking oil indicator means still oil in the pump, and at the bottom of the engine, where the cylinders and the cam shaft are bathing in oil, it would run for several miles until blew the engine, noise, smoke, water steem at the exausting pipe would be notice before that, even strong reduction in power, but not just a strong and fast engine locks up.

Will tow it tomorrow to the mechanic shop, that it is more than 30 miles away, and expect for the worse.

Went back to the mini-van Sunday afternoon, it is far from home. Day light couldn't help much, the Nissan engine used at the Mercury Villager is so crowded that the only exposed belt is the one to the AC compressor, and impossible to grab it by hand to try to rotate. Tried it somehow, nothing moves even a 1/16 of an inch, seems it is locked for good. Could hear the started solenoid latching strong, but not a single move at the belt while trying start it.

Later on, talking to a mechanic friend, he said the Nissan engine is terrible to move by hand, it is very difficult. He said the "try to move the ac compressor hub by hand" it is not a valid test, since it is really heavy and difficult to rotate or at least move a bit the engine by hand.

He doesn't believe the engine was blew up, he thinks something different happened, could be even the AC compressor (according to my wife memory of the rattle noise, it was much fast to be a cylinder, while making the U-turn in very low speed), could be the timming belt, really, or some other belt, water pump, oil pump, anything.

According to him, and I think the same way, a blinking oil indicator means still oil in the pump, and at the bottom of the engine, where the cylinders and the cam shaft are bathing in oil, it would run for several miles until blew the engine, noise, smoke, water steem at the exausting pipe would be notice before that, even strong reduction in power, but not just a strong and fast engine locks up.

Will tow it tomorrow to the mechanic shop, that it is more than 30 miles away, and expect for the worse.


The oil light is an indication of oil PRESSURE not LEVEL.....You lost oil pressure some how....could be anything that can reduce oil pressure.....bottom line is could be ANYTHING...anyways , as far as turning the engine, those engines are NOT hard to turn by hand, get a right size socket and ratchet and give it a good turn and see....if you do have a seized a/c compressor, it'll definitely be harder, as it would if something else was seized up connected to the belts.....

What would be ideal is if you can get the all belts off and THEN try.....I would also take off the distributor cap when you try....if you are able to turn it AND the rotor in the distributor does NOT turn... then you just may have a broken timing belt....

Anyway, GODD LUCK>>>>>>>>

Went back to the mini-van Sunday afternoon, it is far from home. Day light couldn't help much, the Nissan engine used at the Mercury Villager is so crowded that the only exposed belt is the one to the AC compressor, and impossible to grab it by hand to try to rotate. Tried it somehow, nothing moves even a 1/16 of an inch, seems it is locked for good. Could hear the started solenoid latching strong, but not a single move at the belt while trying start it.

Later on, talking to a mechanic friend, he said the Nissan engine is terrible to move by hand, it is very difficult. He said the "try to move the ac compressor hub by hand" it is not a valid test, since it is really heavy and difficult to rotate or at least move a bit the engine by hand.

He doesn't believe the engine was blew up, he thinks something different happened, could be even the AC compressor (according to my wife memory of the rattle noise, it was much fast to be a cylinder, while making the U-turn in very low speed), could be the timming belt, really, or some other belt, water pump, oil pump, anything.

According to him, and I think the same way, a blinking oil indicator means still oil in the pump, and at the bottom of the engine, where the cylinders and the cam shaft are bathing in oil, it would run for several miles until blew the engine, noise, smoke, water steem at the exausting pipe would be notice before that, even strong reduction in power, but not just a strong and fast engine locks up.

Will tow it tomorrow to the mechanic shop, that it is more than 30 miles away, and expect for the worse.



BTW forgot to tell you that the socket and ratchet go on the crankshaft bolt ( that holds down the crankshaft pulley).sorrry

must be nice to live in a place where you can leave a car overnight on the side of the road.
if i left a car on the side of the road for more than two hours around here the wheels would be gone and the windows busted out.

Hey,
I would suggest you spend $1 and try QuikMechanic at:
http://www.ineed1.com/quikmechanic.html

I used them before, and they helped alot. It's alot cheaper than going to the shop and they don't fix it, but charge me $68 or more per hour. It's just $1 anyway, so you can't go wrong.

Chutch

A member on car domain with a 99 villager mentioned that he had a timing belt break on his car. He did his research before he took the car to a shop and found out that the engine is a non interference engine. When the mechanic at the shop told him that the enigne was toast and he was wasting his money putting a new timing belt on the car, the owner insisted and the mechanic had to eat his words when, after he had installed the new timing belt, the car started right up and ran fine.

My question is, if this is the case, why should I spend $400 to have someone put a new timing belt in for me? Why not just wait for it to break? Mine is a 99 Villager with 112k

To avoid a breakdown. People generally replace fan belts on cars before they break. A timing belt is not much different, it wears out over time. By having it replaced before it breaks allows you to schedule when it gets done. If you wait till it breaks, it might break at a most inconvient time and place and can take longer to get repaired because you will have to have it towed, broke on a Sunday, or the shop may not be able to fix it right away because of other customer cars.

I understand your point and thank you. Seems to me that the most common cause of roadside breakdown is radiator hoses.

My point with the timing belt is there seems to be a lot of hysteria on this forum about what kind of damage it would do the the Villager engine if the timing belt were to break. From what I have read, that may not be the case.

Thanks.