Here's one for ya......
Here's one for ya......
Author
Discussion

Kitchski

Original Poster:

6,551 posts

261 months

Friday 7th November 2014
quotequote all
Right technically minded people, think outside the box for this (I know the answer, so it's not a request for help):

Engine spec:

Sub-2000cc DOHC, electronic multi-point injected mid-'80's era engine. Runs Motronic ML4.1 distributorless ignition. Roughly 150bhp, standard state of tune.

I pull away from lights in my car fairly gently. Red mist descends as somebody tries to cut me up and I dip into immature mode for a brief period. I give the engine a bootful and wind it to the top of second gear (it's just a 4-cyl hatchback BTW).

At 7000rpm, I get a bang, some grinding and the engine dies instantly. I roll another few hundred yards down the road, looking an even bigger to the guy who attempted to cut me up. Bad times.

I pull over, I turn the key. Engine won't crank, sounds seized. I rang for backup to get a tow back to base. 5mins later, engine cranks again, only making some horrid noises. After the 1 mile tow back to base, the engine now cranks over fine, but won't start.

Compression test:

1) 170PSI
2) 200PSI
3) 220PSI
4) 220PSI

Not ideal, but not enough to cause a big problem.

Check cam-timing. All good.

Check for fuel, no fuel.

Check for spark, no spark.



Go on then, who can work out what happened? biggrin

IanCress

4,409 posts

196 months

Friday 7th November 2014
quotequote all
Engine has ingested something? Maybe a valve.

edit: You've added extra info since I replied. Or I didn't read it fully.

Edited by IanCress on Friday 7th November 12:17

a1burns

198 posts

178 months

Friday 7th November 2014
quotequote all
Engine mount gone and pulled bits off the engine?

kambites

71,556 posts

251 months

Friday 7th November 2014
quotequote all
Catastrophic main bearing failure?

If it's shifted far enough that the crank shaft position sensor isn't picking up the crank (or a bit of metal in the sump destroyed the sensor) it'd explain the lack of fuel and spark and you would also expect it to release a bit as the engine cools down, explaining the refusal to turn over initially than gradual loosening up. Movement in the crank might be able to explain the low compression too, although it's equally possible that's due to unrelated wear.

Edited by kambites on Friday 7th November 12:07

ferrariF50lover

1,834 posts

256 months

Friday 7th November 2014
quotequote all
Given your propensity to anger at very little provocation and then allow yourself to engage in dangerous and thoughtless willy waving in order to "show him who's boss", I think the answer is that it doesn't matter what's wrong with the car, the real concern is what's wrong with the driver.*

Simon.

I really don't care about your driving, I've just always wondered what it would be like to be 'that guy' who posts something like this. Now I know. Sorry I can't help with your actual problem, good luck with it though.

Siy

464 posts

249 months

Friday 7th November 2014
quotequote all
"Check for fuel, no fuel"

errm - out of fuel?

homologeo

394 posts

196 months

Friday 7th November 2014
quotequote all
A poor ground connection?

Loose or corroded wiring?

TankRizzo

8,024 posts

223 months

Friday 7th November 2014
quotequote all
ferrariF50lover said:
Given your propensity to anger at very little provocation and then allow yourself to engage in dangerous and thoughtless willy waving in order to "show him who's boss", I think the answer is that it doesn't matter what's wrong with the car, the real concern is what's wrong with the driver.*

Simon.

I really don't care about your driving, I've just always wondered what it would be like to be 'that guy' who posts something like this. Now I know. Sorry I can't help with your actual problem, good luck with it though.
Be quiet Simon.

Al U

2,394 posts

161 months

Friday 7th November 2014
quotequote all
Engine cut off switch tripped?

Al U

2,394 posts

161 months

Friday 7th November 2014
quotequote all
Al U said:
Engine cut off switch tripped? ETA scrap that it probably doesn't have one.

CrutyRammers

13,735 posts

228 months

Friday 7th November 2014
quotequote all
It's stripped the gears off the dizzy driveshaft hence no spark and horrid noise? Compression's a red herring. I can't work out why the fuel is not there though!


homologeo

394 posts

196 months

Friday 7th November 2014
quotequote all
homologeo said:
A poor ground connection?

Loose or corroded wiring?
If not this, then crank sensor.

DID I WIN YET?

bigvanfan

378 posts

162 months

Friday 7th November 2014
quotequote all
Flywheel came off the back of the engine?

Kitchski

Original Poster:

6,551 posts

261 months

Friday 7th November 2014
quotequote all
IanCress said:
Engine has ingested something? Maybe a valve.

edit: You've added extra info since I replied. Or I didn't read it fully.

Edited by IanCress on Friday 7th November 12:17
You didn't read it fully smile

Kitchski

Original Poster:

6,551 posts

261 months

Friday 7th November 2014
quotequote all
ferrariF50lover said:
Given your propensity to anger at very little provocation and then allow yourself to engage in dangerous and thoughtless willy waving in order to "show him who's boss", I think the answer is that it doesn't matter what's wrong with the car, the real concern is what's wrong with the driver.*

Simon.

I really don't care about your driving, I've just always wondered what it would be like to be 'that guy' who posts something like this. Now I know. Sorry I can't help with your actual problem, good luck with it though.
Wow.

Kitchski

Original Poster:

6,551 posts

261 months

Friday 7th November 2014
quotequote all
kambites said:
Catastrophic main bearing failure?

If it's shifted far enough that the crank shaft position sensor isn't picking up the crank (or a bit of metal in the sump destroyed the sensor) it'd explain the lack of fuel and spark and you would also expect it to release a bit as the engine cools down, explaining the refusal to turn over initially than gradual loosening up. Movement in the crank might be able to explain the low compression too, although it's equally possible that's due to unrelated wear.

Edited by kambites on Friday 7th November 12:07
He's good! That bit is correct. Luckily the bit about the crank isn't!

S10GTA

13,806 posts

197 months

Friday 7th November 2014
quotequote all
Kitchski said:
ferrariF50lover said:
Given your propensity to anger at very little provocation and then allow yourself to engage in dangerous and thoughtless willy waving in order to "show him who's boss", I think the answer is that it doesn't matter what's wrong with the car, the real concern is what's wrong with the driver.*

Simon.

I really don't care about your driving, I've just always wondered what it would be like to be 'that guy' who posts something like this. Now I know. Sorry I can't help with your actual problem, good luck with it though.
Wow.
Re-read it

Kitchski

Original Poster:

6,551 posts

261 months

Friday 7th November 2014
quotequote all
Some good guesses there. This is what happened...

M6x15 bolt securing one side of the ignition coil to the inlet manifold came loose (on close inspection, threads look about as good as you'd expect in an alloy inlet manifold made in 1990). It fell out of the hole.....



Down past the bottom hose, past all the breather hoses, missed the expansion tank bracket and fell straight in here:



It got carried around by the flywheel, attempted to turn down the edge of the pickup ring for the crank sensor, before finally being collected by that or the ring gear, and thrown into:



Which was 1,000 miles old.

The partial seizing must have been the bolt wedging between the bellhousing and flywheel, which released after a few bumps on the tow home.

Good news, engine not blowed up. Bad news, gearbox has to come off as there is a nat's dick clearance between edge of flywheel and bell housing.

I'll get the pic showing how far the bolt had to fall and how much it had to miss up later if I remember, but it's amazing a tiny M6 bolt could stop a 1000kg car dead in it's tracks as easily as that laugh

Kitchski

Original Poster:

6,551 posts

261 months

Friday 7th November 2014
quotequote all
S10GTA said:
Kitchski said:
ferrariF50lover said:
Given your propensity to anger at very little provocation and then allow yourself to engage in dangerous and thoughtless willy waving in order to "show him who's boss", I think the answer is that it doesn't matter what's wrong with the car, the real concern is what's wrong with the driver.*

Simon.

I really don't care about your driving, I've just always wondered what it would be like to be 'that guy' who posts something like this. Now I know. Sorry I can't help with your actual problem, good luck with it though.
Wow.
Re-read it
Ah, had to engage third gear on my humour detector - I was a bit slow on the uptake hehe

Apologies, I'll pipe back down again!

Kitchski

Original Poster:

6,551 posts

261 months

Friday 7th November 2014
quotequote all
bigvanfan said:
Flywheel came off the back of the engine?
Wouldn't have been able to crank it on starter if that were the case.