odie

The dipstick is bone dry. Not even a drop of oil hanging on the tip. Pulled the oil drain plug and I got less than 3 quarts of oil. Maybe 2.5-2.75 quarts. Black oil too so it's been in there a while.

There were the typical metal powder on the magnetic plug. And one sliver (2mmx5mm) that was paper thin....casting flash or rod bearing????

I'm gonna fill it with oil and see what happens. Should I do anything special like pouring some Marvel Mystery Oil in the spark plug holes? What about pouring oil down the filter mount? I would pre-soak the filter but it installs upside down.


I'm guessing the lifters are completely dry. Will they start priming as soon as the oil pressure comes up? Should I expect some rattling for a few seconds until they fill?

What about the oil pump? I saw some old posts talking about having to prime or bleed the oil pump or it won't work? The Haynes manual didn't mention this in the engine rebuild section. It says to crank the engine over until oil pressure builds, then re-connect the ignition.

I'm hoping that this low oil level is the cause of the problems. Hopefully it was only brief and no damage was done.

How low is the oil pump pick up? With almost 3 quarts there should have still been oil pressure...unless the oiling system engine can hold that much before it "overflows" at the valvetrain and drains back to the oil panfor another trip. I guess maybe the oil pump pumped the pan dry before any oil could make it back to the sump.

Tom Carson

total neglect - that kid beat that car to death

you can try pouring some Marvel Mystery Oil down that kid's... naaa, don't even waste it doing that

you already said the PO was told 'rod bearings' and you have the metal slivers to prove that at a minimum

save the cost of the oil, put it towards the parts you're gonna need after you get a good look at that crank

(and add the model/year to your signature, it will be a big help)

Boricua944

run him up and down a pipe with no lubrication see how he feels lol

v944god

Pretty sick man

jonnybgood

I don't know what is going on here, it appears you just purchased this car? I had a lot guy start a 944 I was looking at and the lifters clattered for what must have been 5 minutes. I would try cranking without spark first.

If you have 2x5mm pieces of metal loose in there like Tom said, save the money for the rebuild.

Yabo

i know how you feel.. i got mine and found out it had no air filter. (although, i bought it froma 50 year old bull rider not a 16 year old...)

Danno

That sliver is most likely a rod bearing. At a minimum, I'd drop the crossmember and oil-pan and replace the rod-bearings. You can also inspect the condition of the rod-journals as well; the crank may be toasted.

After you've reassembled the car, you can use the vacuum-cleaner trick to suck oil up into the oil-pump. Use a vacuum with a hose attached to the end and suck oil up the side-hole in the oil-filter housing. Then crank the car over about 10-50 times with the distributor wire disconnected. You'll see the oil-pressure build up to 3-4.5 bar, then you're ready to start the car.

odie

I'm surprised this thread got re-started...

I finally got rid of the 914 shell for $50...beer money!!!

I just rolled the '44 into position and plan to drop the oil pan next weekend.

I'm afraid of what I'll find.