[Lukemc]

So after overheating in this thread I thought my problems were almost over but really they were just starting. It ran fine for about half a day then made some crazy noises and forced me to pull over. I pulled over and my engine died as I did. Looking under the hood I saw the upper radiator hose had blow. I replaced it at the side of the road and noticed the thermostat hosing was leaking. but just a drip and I decided to try and make it home. Topping off the coolant with water as I went. I got the engine started but it didnt seem to want to start. Drove about 7 miles and decided to pull over to check my coolent and the engine died. I turned it over a few times but nothing was firing so I got a tow home and then checked my oil. Water came out.

What do I do?

Full rebuild?

New engine?

Scrap it and move on?

Someone put a positive spin on this because Im pretty bummed [mecry][mecry]

 

[iminhell]

Based on the hose that popped ... I'd look into the cooler a bit more, is it cracked, is coolant leaking into the oil through it ...

Also, a coolant temp gauge will only work if it's in contact with liquid coolant. Steam or air (as in the coolant was low to begin with) and the gauge won't work correctly.

 

[Lukemc]

Well at this point isnt my engine in real bad shape? like bearings shot ect?

 

[sailor]

Positive Spin - You can rebuild it to like new or better if you decide to. Replacements are a possibility.

Check for coolant in cylinders.

Drain coolant & oil, replace oil & spin over (plugs out).

Compression/leakdown tests as well as how it sounds when spinning can help diagnose the extent of damage before any disassembly.

For repair/rebuild, you want to determine the issues & damages as well as possible to avoid putting back together something that's still broken.

Good chance of head gasket issue from the blown hose/water in oil. Tests mentioned can help determine that. Head warpage/cracking would need checking after removal.

Large project any way you cut it, the real question would be if you or someone else ends up doing it.

Leaving water in the engine determines ONE outcome - new engine WOULD be required.

Luck dude, sorry to hear it got to this point.

 

[freemind]

Never scrap an SVT

 

[Lukemc]

Never scrap an SVT

whys that

 

[sailor]

More sports car than econobox, relatively limited production, "Hidden Gem" reputation as a truly fun to drive car, in decent condition a "Future Classic", in repairable condition a car that someone will rebuild (like other popular sports & sporty cars).

At this point they are still plentiful/cheap enough that ones with major damage plus a litany of smaller faults are still being parted out & scrapped to help keep better ones running. That is starting to change as good examples become fewer, prices for excellent examples never dropped too low & lesser examples are still in demand.

Market's like that for old Miatas or Mustangs, worth more than pedestrian models & often kept going in spite of the current or expected market value. Too much fun to toss category, value beyond basic transport.

 

[Lukemc]

More sports car than econobox, relatively limited production, "Hidden Gem" reputation as a truly fun to drive car, in decent condition a "Future Classic", in repairable condition a car that someone will rebuild (like other popular sports & sporty cars).

At this point they are still plentiful/cheap enough that ones with major damage plus a litany of smaller faults are still being parted out & scrapped to help keep better ones running. That is starting to change as good examples become fewer, prices for excellent examples never dropped too low & lesser examples are still in demand.

Market's like that for old Miatas or Mustangs, worth more than pedestrian models & often kept going in spite of the current or expected market value. Too much fun to toss category, value beyond basic transport.

I agree that its a gem but in my position what would you do? If its just a head gasket, I can do that. but if its all the internals? What then? To me I cant see putting $2k into this car even though the body and tranny are in fantastic shape

 

[sailor]

"Gem" or not, it's hard to put a positive spin on the situation. Your pride & joy suddenly became a fixer upper & even if you'd been dreaming of building an engine it would still set you aback.

I would do the "basics" mentioned earlier to preserve what's left & diagnose as much as possible without tear down. Based on those results, pulling the head for additional inspection would be the next step before a final decision. That assumes time & facilities to do the head gasket as you mentioned you expected you could do.

At that point you could make the next decision, whether it could go back together with head gasket & possible minor machine work or if it needed more inspection & possible repair that may be more than you could do.

I've been in the position (kinda), had a '53 Willys 4WD Wagon I'd fixed up a bit & paid for an engine rebuild on. Engine ate a bearing on a trip & needed new rod bearings installed where I was (Columbus OH). Poor rebuild, rod caps on wrong rods. Got a new crank/bearing set as the only warranty payoff.

At the time, I didn't have the time/facilities to do it myself. Ran fine, but I didn't know how long that would last (ran for years in light duty for the next owner, don't know when it needed engine work). Graduating College soon, I needed something dependable as I ended up living far from home in apts. (only 1.5 yrs, couldn't know then - near home later wouldn't have helped anyways)

Only sensible course was to sell it to a Collector who could maintain it as a fun vehicle, not a DD. Missed it, but I was in no position to keep a collector vehicle & other things were more important later when I could. (owner wasn't selling when I still saw it on occasion anyways, did check that once)

You could decide it's not worth diving into the head removal portion after initial maint. & checkover - depends on how that looks. I'm recommending the minimum just to preserve the most value if you decide to sell.

Don't have to decide today I assume, final decision will depend on your situation as much as the problems that can be confirmed or ruled out.

Keep in touch, folks will help out as much as possible.

 

[Lukemc]

Thanks for this write up. Im really pretty bummed about the whole situation. I havent even owned the car for a whole month and Im already pressed with some shitty decisions. I can even be mad at the previous owner because prior to this it has been A-OK.

I have the means and tools to make a big project I just dont know if I have the time or energy. Im going back to classes soon so my time is going to get crazy. Supposing I pull the head, How would I be able to tell what the real damage is? My main concerns are cracked block, warped heads, and ruined bearings. Once I get the head off how can I check some of these things? Anyone of those is wrong and it changes the project from something within my scope and means to something outside. So once I pull the heads, how can I tell if replacing the headgasket is a waste of time or not?