1994 cetnury 2.2 shut down

[pynchon]

There was a ticking sound while driving. About 1 week after this sound started the car shut down while driving. The car would not restart, although it seemd to be turning over okay - just not firing up. I have had it towed to dealer - they ruled out electrical problem. Said lifters have collapsed and that there is an oil problem with only 1/2 inch between pistons and rocker arm. Any idea to what the root of the problem may be? Engine has roughly 79,000 miles on it.

[public]

Very odd. Sounds like someone did not change the oil regularly. OR Used Quaker State oil in a warm climate. Now for the fix.

Replace the lifters. Change the oil and filter. I would change the oil VERY frequently(every 200 miles or so) for two or three more changes to get all the crud out. Do not use any "Motor Flush" type products as they will eat your seals. Lifters on this car are cheap and you only have 8 so nothing too bad. Good Luck.

[pynchon]

thanks Public.... I had been changing the oil every 3,000 - last time it was about 4200 - but oil was changed about 2 weeks prior to this happening. I'm paying for 4 hours of diagnostics - mechanic said simply changing lifters would be a bad idea because it would just likely happen again within a week or two dues to all the crud backup in there - so he had to take apart oil pan, etc. to see what's up. Seems as though a few oil changes every 200 miles may do the trick. If it comes down to them telling me I need a new engine I will have them replace lifters, then do what you suggested. It's worth a shot. Thanks again!

[public]

I agree with the mechanic that a good cleaning is in order. But having done some "Shadetree" work over the years for folks who short of cash ,I can say that the old lifters worked in there for quite a while before they clogged. You would be in a possition to clean and inspect when changing the lifters anyway. I seriously doubt that you need a new engine.

[sky2k4]

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[pynchon]

Mechanic go tback to me. Someone apparently put sugar in the gas tank destroying the car