sand_man

Are you related to DonE? He is the only other human besides you and maybe Rob S that have the mental resolve and patience to see a project of this scope through to perfection!!!! When I think about Don's trials and how times that engine was in and out...I know for certain that I would have hung myself with the factory fan belt!!!! Or at the very least, crawled under the car with no wheels, supported only by a jack that I could kick while I laid on my back!

jimculp

The diagnosis is in.

The second rod on the right side is seized on the crankshaft. The heads appear fine (to be taken apart and inspected). The P&C's look very good. The case isn't opened yet but will be opened today. The crank still spins well (on the 5 degrees that it can) so hopefully the case is OK.

It's pretty bad, but it could have been much worse if the Pauter rod had come apart.

Looks like we will need another rod and a crankshaft so far.

jimculp

Here's the rod:

JFairman

Thats a real bummer. I feel for ya.
That happened to a BMW 2002 I had years ago... when I took it apart it turned out the previous owner installed one rod cap backwards so down the road it eventually spun and burned at high revs under load.

Metal fragments from the bearing shells that were in that rod have circulated throughout the engine, oil lines, thermostats, and coolers so you'll have to flush out everything really good.
You probably need a new oil pump too.

jimculp

Thanks for the info. We are going to upgrade the oil pump for sure. The P&C's look good, but is that all that matters? Do we need to re-hone the cylinders from oil starvation? We definitely need to re-do the rings I think.

nathanUK '81 930 G50

That was my thought too, the bearings installed incorrectly and blocking the holes. Are you sure that wasn't the case Jim? Weird how everything else looks alright. A mechanic I know in this area who is very good once put a camshaft in back to front hehe. These things can happen.

Rob S

Jimculp,

Sorry to hear of the specifics. It's true that it could have been worse, had that rod broken and wiped out the crank, case, piston, head, and whatever else. But that rod sure makes a cool conversation piece. That bluing is gorgeous in its own way, isn't it? A metallurgical masterpiece.

I'm sure you'll get it straightened out and probably don't need too much advice from people who can't lay eyes directly on your engine. But I'd like to second the thoughts of JFairman in his suggestion to clean out that oil system -- there's nothing more devastating than metal bits lurking in there. I would definitely remove the oil tank and flush it very thoroughly, and I'd send all oil coolers to Pacific Oil Coolers in Californina to be ultrasonically cleaned. Perhaps there's a vendor closer to you (I'm almost sure there is); just be sure that it's a place that's certified to do this work for aircraft. Simply flushing the coolers with solvent will not be enough to assure they're clean. And it would be best to remove all your oil lines, including those that run the length of the car, and flush them well also. Little bits of metal like to hide in the fittings and come out just after you've started the new engine. Some people go so far as to take apart Aeroquip lines to get metal bits out of nooks and crannies.

Sand_man,

Thanks for the compliment; others use different words like "nuts" or "needs 12-step program." My most recent EFI build took well over two years to "complete," but like anything, it's never really done. Fortunately, I've had no major problems or setbacks so far. The trade-off was that it took me forever. But I had it on the track a few weeks ago and it was all worthwhile -- every bit the sensation and thrill I was seeking.

I'm convinced that the problem with these modified engines is not solely related to EFI. It has to do with the serious departure during the mechanical build. The EFI changeover itself, though not straightforward, is one thing. But building an engine to use the new potential from EFI (and to last) can also be a real challenge. My guess is that Jimculp's problems had nothing to do with the EFI settings. But we'll see.

Rob

jimculp

Rob S- I'll take all the advice I can get. Thanks for the tips.

A930Rocket

Jim,

Sorry to hear about the engine. Were you able to look at the bearing to see if it was in backwards or did it just spin? Obviously it got very hot and I'm guessing from a lack of oil.

JFairman

The main and con rod bearing shells have a tab on one end and can only be installed one way.
Some rod caps can be installed backwards though. Match up the score marks where the bearing spun in that rod pictured, and see if it was on backwards.
The rod is sized or machined with the cap installed so reversing it will screw up the big end dimension (it won't be perfectly round) and the locking tab will be at the wrong end... No oil holes will be blocked if the rod cap is on backwards because there are none in the connecting rod. Oil flows from the holes in the main bearings through the crank to the rod journals to the con rod bearings.
When you split the case the mystery will unfold.

Did the mechanic use plastigauge to make sure the bearing shell oil clearance was correct?

That rod was red hot where it is blued and I imagine the running surface of the #5 crank jounal was too. That crank is toast and usually the crank is not perfectly straight anymore after something like that happens.
You can't put a main bearing in backwards either because the tab on one end will only go one way.
I wonder if all your piston oil squirters, and cam spray bar holes were clear and spraying.
Hopefully your pistons and cylinders are still ok.
If you built a motor a little tight you have to break it in very s l o w l y.

jimculp

JFairman,

I'll take a look at the rod end and see if it might have been put on backwards. I think it is odd that that particular rod took so much damage while no other parts appear to have suffered at all. As I said above, we will be putting in a new crank and rod and will be upgrading the oil pump.

Jim

sand_man

Do you suppose if these had been "stock" rods that you'd have a hole in the crank case? Just wondering if under these circumstanes, it was a good thing you had the hella nice Pauters in there?

jimculp

Pictures don't do the rod justice. It got HOT hot. I don't know if the stock rod would have let go, but it wouldn't surprise me.

I just visited the shop. The Pauter was installed correctly. There is only one way for the bottom to attach and it was done correctly.

The main bearing did not spin. There is shrapnel all over the inside of the case. The oil pump is obviously shot.

Brumos is quoting a new crank at $7000. Good golly.

schnele

Jim a 3.6 crank works in there with the Pauter rods you can pick on up for around 1500 or pm me I can tell you where to get a 3.3 crank you have a few options here. Sorry you have to go through this, it is gut wrenching I know.

jimculp

The second rebuild is complete and I picked up the car last Friday. It's running very well and it's great to be able to drive the car again. This time around I'm checking the oil level and temps even more religiously.

We still have some throttle tip-in issues. Steady constant throttle results in some bucking. It is fixed with 1/4 throttle or lifting completely. I put over 100 miles on it yesterday. I'm happy to report that the coil configuration works great in heavy rain