Well, I done screwed myself. I fear that I destroyed my engine.
I've been procrastinating (surprise surprise!) about a coolant leak. Once it got so low that the "Temp" light came on. I filled it and it was fine, but that was late spring. Now it's summer and I'm using the air conditioning. The "Temp" light came on again, and it wasn't a good time to park, wait for it to cool and add coolant/water...and I was almost home anyway. I nursed it gently, trying to keep the "Temp" light off, but I was in hill country. Shortly after the "Temp" light, the "Engine" light came on briefly then went away. That one is only hooked up to an oil pressure switch that trips below something like 4psi. Shortly after that I started hearing a clear rattling sound. A few miles later it stalled. It didn't seem to seize, no sudden engine braking, but it could have seized after I shifted to neutral. I have not tried to restart it. A tow truck dragged it home for me.
So, overheating, momentary oil pressure below 4psi, rattling, stall. Is this thing trashed? Should I bother trying to start it? Could it just be heads?
I'm hoping it's heads...I found a CL listing nearby for $100 with a 3.8 that ran before it was stored for 15 years and an extra set of heads. My 4.1 is the 3.8 with wider bore, reinforced crankshaft, and 4 barrel carb, the rest of the engine is 100% identical including the heads, so I could either drop in the 3.8 or replace the heads. If I put in the 3.8 I'll lose 20hp and 20ft-lb.
|