Did I Blow The Engine? HELP NEEDED!!!!

[DigDeez]

Driving on the eway, in my atx, I discovered that I was driving in 2nd gear. Without coming to a complete stop, slowing down to 40mph, I shifted into Drive, waiting a few seconds and then got back up to speed. The car seemed to shift back fine, but a few minutes later, the car ******, and soon after I pulled off the eway, and when I came to a stop, the engine/car was already off. I tried restarting and it would want to turn over, and when it did there was this loud clicking/rattling metal noise sound coming from seemingly up under the engine bay. Could that have been the teeth of the starter on the flywheel? I quickly shut the engine off, and it wouldn't turn anymore after that, not even wanting to do anything, not even a wanting to sound like it was trying to turn over. Now, it just clicks one time!

Another issue here is that I've had a leaky oil pan gasket for months. It causes smoke from the rear while driving from time to time, but not all the time. When I drove in 2nd gear, the smoke became highly cloudy and much much thicker.....I don't know if 2nd gear makes the oil pressure higher thus forcing more oil to leak through parts of the unsealed oil pan gasket. When I pulled off the eway, I checked my oil level and little to no oil was seen on the dipstick. I put 2 quarts of oil in and the dipstick read Full.

Also, could this be my tranny went out and/or my engine locked up? Help is needed asap! thanks!!!!

***I was driving for a total of less than 10 minutes all while this happened at a high speed (70-80mph). It's hard to get an accurate reading on my tranny fluid level since it's suggested the car be running for a good 10 minutes to get a good reading. As it is now, the tranny fluid level is normal, and the fluid looks very clean!

 

[Mr Anonymous]

More likely you smoked the tranny. Let the car cool off and try starting it again. The converter may be grenaded.

 

[1993MTXSHO]

shifting from 2nd to drive while moving wont hurt anything I know that much, Iv done it numerous times

 

[DigDeez]

More likely you smoked the tranny. Let the car cool off and try starting it again. The converter may be grenaded.

Just had the tranny rebuilt less than a year ago for $1800. I'd rather that to be the problem more than the engine. However, I can't see myself putting that much more money into this car. The labor is too much!

Any reason why one would think it was the tranny when most of the motor oil leaked out, thus potentially locking the engine up?

Thanks guys,

DigDeez, aka Mr. Down & Out!!!!!:cry:

 

[DigDeez]

shifting from 2nd to drive while moving wont hurt anything I know that much, Iv done it numerous times

Yeah, I've read on here a few guys doing that for racing purposes in their ATX's. That's why I didn't feel a need to completely stop, although I slowed way down.

What do you guys think the metal clanging was coming from? Rod Bearings coming loose? Within the engine?

What's the average cost of an engine replacement w/ labor? Where should I looks? I really doubt if I'm going to do anything else with this car as it has taken all of my money since acquiring it some years ago.

Thanks!

 

[1993MTXSHO]

if you've got a real bad clanging and you think your rod bearings are that bad, heres a vid of a car with bad rod bearings, if you've got really bad rod bearings you'll know it

http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d135/nanotoxin55/?action=view&current=shoknock.flv

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Just had the tranny rebuilt less than a year ago for $1800. I'd rather that to be the problem more than the engine. However, I can't see myself putting that much more money into this car. The labor is too much!

Any reason why one would think it was the tranny when most of the motor oil leaked out, thus potentially locking the engine up?

Thanks guys,

DigDeez, aka Mr. Down & Out!!!!!:cry:

You don't say how long you were in 2nd, but presuming it was a bit you probably overheated the snot out of the tranny and started blowing tranny fluid out the vent.

But, at the same time if you were running low on oil already and running high RPMs due to the tranny being in 2nd you could have smoked the motor too.

Drain what's left of the oil and see how it looks (ie any crap in it). If it looks OK then drop the tranny pan and do the same thing.

Motor or tranny, it sounds like either way you broke it good.

 

[thecrew2999]

dont worry about hurting the engine by hammering second its got a rev limiter.. but if you did it with low oil then you coulda damaged it... hope for the best... trans well screw them because atxs suck anyways...

good luck tho man

 

[93silverbulletSH0]

I put 3 quarts of oil in and the dipstick read Full.

I'm suprized nobody has commented on this yet. It seems that if you were missing 3 out of 5 qts. of oil you have likely done damage to your engine.

I quickly shut the engine off, and it wouldn't turn anymore after that, not even wanting to do anything, not even a wanting to sound like it was trying to turn over.

Sounds like the engie siezed, if it was tranny problems the engine should still turn over/start.

 

[DigDeez]

I've heard that the engine swap in a '93 atx is "easy", and the engine can be had between $300 & $500. Does this sound right?

 

[Mike93]

I've heard that the engine swap in a '93 atx is "easy", and the engine can be had between $300 & $500. Does this sound right?

Yes, you can find an engine in the pricerange...and in my opinion an engine swap in these cars is a piece of cake. I've had mine out twice now and have pulled two mtx engines out of parts cars and both were equally as easy. I've also had the engine in my Mustang out several times and I'd rate the SHO as being almost as easy as that car is...

 

[MetalheadSHO]

shifting from 2nd to drive while moving wont hurt anything I know that much, Iv done it numerous times

Yeah, I always did that in mine when I got into a little street race. The first two gears were always shifted through manually in my car, then into drive.

Now, onto the question.

I think its the converter, like someone previously stated. If it was smoking really bad, I would say that you blew a headgasket.

 

[DigDeez]

I think its the converter, like someone previously stated. If it was smoking really bad, I would say that you blew a headgasket.

So, are you saying I ruined both the tranny & the engine? I may need a lil' more elaboration! Thanks, I dunno.......:wave:

 

[DigDeez]

Well, I ran the codes and came up with a 636 code. This isn't good as I wasn't pulling this code previously. I've had a tranny rebuild about a year ago, and I think I remember seeing this same code before having the rebuild. :cry: Someone mentioned to me that I could have grenaded the converter, from describing the puff/**** slight movement the car did before it shut down while driving and seconds after I had shifted back to DRIVE from 2nd GEAR. Anyone think that feeling I felt was the converter? Didn't hear anything, just a slight ****.

The engine should still come on, if its just the tranny that's bad, right? I'm wondering if I blew both the engine & tranny? I'm trying to take the starter off, but one of those screws is impossible to get off. I will have to get lots of WD-40 AND a breaker bar to get it off and have it tested. My battery voltage has went down to 12.30 which isn't good.

There's still this one click when I turn the key to start. The lights will greatly dim when I do this. But, I doubt if the only problem is just my starter....."HOPING"!!!!

Any help is appreciated! Thanks!!!!!

 

[socialdeviat]

from the first posts, it sounds like a damaged flexplate. There is a quick way to test this. You Start your motor, Rev to about 3k RPM, Shut it off while its revved, When the RPM drops to just around Idle, Start it back up, It will make a VERY distinct Noise. Knocks are easy to figure out too. I will write out how to decipher the Knocks between, Pistons, Rods, crank. Quite easy I might add too.

P.S. You got a cheap deal on that Tranny rebuild Mine was more than I purchased the car for. At an alarming $2600+ And thats only cuz they knocked off $200 for me paying in cash.

 

[Devin]

He can't start his motor.

My opinion is the motor, if there is only one thing wrong. The first bit about being 3 quarts low is telling, especially if the rate of 70 - 80 MPH is normal. You gotta drop the pans but if the engine is seized there doesn't necessarily have to be anything wierd about the fluids.

As far as I am aware the tranny does not control the ability to turn over unless it won't allow the crank to rotate.

Does the starter make any noise? I'd think it'd be grinding or just destroyed if the engine won't turn over at all.

 

[Howdy_Doody]

I vote for a blown motor. The bearings are probably seized to the crank, so the engine can't turn over, the starter is drawing lots of current (lights are dimming) but it can't rotate the engine.

Try to turn the engine over by hand with a wrench on the crankshaft bolt. You should be able to turn over the motor, not really easy since there are plugs in, but still turn.

 

[sdpatt]

To determine if the engine will spin or if the starter is bad, put the ol' 19mm socket on the crankshaft damper bolt and try to turn the engine in the clockwise direction with a 1/2" drive socket wrench. You should be able to turn the engine and feel only the resistence from the compression in the cylinders and the compression of the valve springs. These forces are not constant so if you find a steady, strong resistance to the wrench, the engine may have failed a bearing. Since the starter is not even able to turn the engine, if the engine is seized, you won't be able to turn it with the wrench either. Let us know.

 

[DigDeez]

Cool! I'll try this soon! thanks!

 

[socialdeviat]

hehe... guess I shoulda read everything through, instead of skimming over it all.