KKPony - I Broke My Engine

I Broke My Engine at the NorCal SAAC 2002 Fall Classic

Here is a sound clip of the death of my engine. It's a ~800Kb MP3 file.

Day One Discovery (Monday).

Driver side valvetrain. Passenger side valvetrain. Distributor Distributor gear closeup. Air cleaner bases with all fasteners intact.

I pulled the valve covers off to check the valve train. It looks perfect.
I pulled the distributor to make sure I didn't chew up my gear. It too looks perfect.
I then pulled the air cleaners to make sure one of the retaining nuts didn't get swallowed. All present and accounted for.

Days Two and Four Discovery (Tues and Thu).

After closer inspection I discovered that the exh valve on #6 was not quite right. Here is the valve stem with the retainer still on it. Where did the valve itself go? You don't suppose it's in the engine, do you? This does not look like an impact break to me...

See the black pebbled surface? That looks like a failure, not a break. Compression ring and cylinder or crank particles. Look at all the debris in there. This does not bode well at all.

I took a closer look at the rocker arms at the suggestion of Bossman (Randy Dickerson). The rocker on the exhaust side of cylinder six looked a bit suspicious, so I pulled the rocker. Guess what? The valve pulled right out of the guide. It had no head. Uh-oh...
I then drained the cooling system and removed the radiator. No picture of this because it is pretty dull.
Next up was to drain the oil. Take a look at the little goodies that were on the drain plug. That appears to be a compression ring and perhaps a bit of cylinder wall.
Day three was a day of rest.
Day four, Halloween, I pulled the intake manifold. It looks good in place, but what a pain to work on. I only took one picture, which was of the metal particals in the intake port of the #6 cylinder. Hints of what is still to come.

Day Five Discovery (Friday).

Wow! That's quite a view. Look at all the goodies down there.

Check out my "breaker bar". He goes by the name of Roberto

Does this look fixable? Hmm.... something does not look quite right. Roberto is a hard worker.

I got lucky and had some help tonight. Roberto L. came over (VMF ID: CAPonyBoy) and helped out immensly.
As you can see, we got the heads off the car.
The first picture is of cylinders 6 and 7. Note the lack of a piston in #6 and the orientation of #7. #6 is in the bottom of the pan and #7 appears to have a broken rod or wrist pin.
Pictures 2 thru 7 are various angles of the debris that can be seen by looking into the hole that used to be the #6 cylinder. I think it is safe to say that this block is done.
Picture 8 is my new found friend, Roberto, showing off his massive muscles.
Pictures 9 thru 11 are of the damaged head. It looks like the head may be salvageable.
Picture 12 is a closeup shot of the #7 piston. It looks to me like the piston is cracked as well as twisted in the hole.
Picture 13 is Roberto flexing again. What a studly guy :)

Tomorrow's excitement will be dropping the pan and inspecting the bottom end of the engine. I fully expect it to be really ugly.

Day Six Discovery (Saturday)

View from below View of contents of windage tray #4 & #8 look ok. Can you see the wristpin trying to get out of the tray? Wrist pin trying to get away

The contents of the windage tray.  No, I did not pile them in there. Honest, this is the way the tray looked when we dropped it. I'm not sure, but I think the crank is pretty much toast. #7 lost it's rod too. That piece of piston is the only one that still looks like piston.

A good view of the #7 piston from below.  It looks like it was on the way up when the crank stopped moving abruptly. #6
Look Ma, I can see the sun!!! #2 took a beating too. #3 doesn't look good either. #7 lost it's cylinder wall too.

#5 looks ok, but that poor crank :( #7 piston.  The wrist pin just ripped the bottom half of the piston away. The only things holding this together are the rings.

Look at all the goodies in the pan. Wow!!! The pan got holed too. This looks like wrist pin impact. I didn't know rings could bend like this.

Wanna buy a piston?  Slightly used. Trophies.  Left rod is #7, right is #6. #6 con rod #6 con rod with cap.

I got to meet another VMFer as part of the day's excitement. Ken Keck (KENK66) came over and helped pull the oil pan. I'd like to say thanks to Ken for his assist and apologize for forgetting to get his picture. Ken, if you want to come back by I will be happy to add your picture to the collection.


Driver side valvetrain.	Passenger side valvetrain.	Distributor	Distributor gear closeup.	Air cleaner bases with all fasteners intact.


After closer inspection I discovered that the exh valve on #6 was not quite right.	Here is the valve stem with the retainer still on it.	Where did the valve itself go?	You don't suppose it's in the engine, do you?	This does not look like an impact break to me...

See the black pebbled surface? That looks like a failure, not a break.	Compression ring and cylinder or crank particles.			Look at all the debris in there. This does not bode well at all.


Wow! That's quite a view.	Look at all the goodies down there.

		Check out my "breaker bar". He goes by the name of Roberto

Does this look fixable?	Hmm.... something does not look quite right.	Roberto is a hard worker.


View from below	View of contents of windage tray	#4 & #8 look ok.	Can you see the wristpin trying to get out of the tray?	Wrist pin trying to get away

The contents of the windage tray. No, I did not pile them in there.	Honest, this is the way the tray looked when we dropped it.	I'm not sure, but I think the crank is pretty much toast.	#7 lost it's rod too.	That piece of piston is the only one that still looks like piston.

A good view of the #7 piston from below. It looks like it was on the way up when the crank stopped moving abruptly.	#6 Look Ma, I can see the sun!!!	#2 took a beating too.	#3 doesn't look good either.	#7 lost it's cylinder wall too.

#5 looks ok, but that poor crank :(	#7 piston. The wrist pin just ripped the bottom half of the piston away.			The only things holding this together are the rings.

Look at all the goodies in the pan.	Wow!!!	The pan got holed too.	This looks like wrist pin impact.	I didn't know rings could bend like this.

Wanna buy a piston? Slightly used.		Trophies. Left rod is #7, right is #6.	#6 con rod	#6 con rod with cap.