So it finally happened... Motor death!

[SonySlave]

So it finally happened...

My motor just took a major shit. Hopping on the freeway tonight, my motor started making a crazy knocking noise, so loud I could hear it over my exhaust. I tried and successfully made it home and by the time I got there, the knocking was echoing off the houses... Then I stopped, looked under the car and it was spewing coolant!

I picked up a set of JEs and Eagles off Craigslist last week for $350, and obviously it wasn't a moment too soon. So I'll be pulling the motor and tearing it down to see exactly what happened. I'm thinking a dead bearing, which pisses me off because I want to reuse this crank. I'm hoping the crank is ok and will only need a good polishing. The pistons are .020" over, so that should fix the walls if they are ####ed. I also hope that the head didn't warp...

So my parts list is short and sweet:

JEs/Eagles: $350
Bearings: $80
OEM gasket set: $215
Mitsu MLS HG: $85
OEM front case: $180
Timing Belt: $60
Machining: $450-$650

All of my timing components are less than 6 months old and I already have a BSE kit and ARP headstuds. So I planning on reusing those. Is there anything else anyone can think of? Any suggestions?

Pics and motor build write up to come after motor teardown...

 

[Auto RS T]

Sorry to hear about the motor. I guess its a good thing you were halfway prepared. Still unfortunate though. At least you made it home with the car.

The list looks good to me except for some small stuff, depending on what you take off and what you reuse.

Valve cover gasket
Intake manifold gasket
Exhaust gaskets
Of course Oil, flilter, Gear oil, coolant

I would also check out the condition of the clutch and flywheel why you are there.

Still going to make the big trip out here in August?

 

[SonySlave]

I'm really hoping to make it out there this year. I keep missing out on it everytime. This doesn't help, not one bit. I'm having to tap into what I had saved for the Shootout to get this motor built.

The OEM gasket set from Mitsu has all of the gaskets I'll need, including a new valve cover gasket and intake/exhaust manifold gaskets. All I'll need to complete the kit is throttle body gaskets, T3 turbo gaskets, and a half moon gasket. Also, of course I'll be getting coolant and dinosaur oil for the initial break in. Changing the tranny fluid with NEO RHD, and Redline heavyweight shockproof in the transfer case and rear diff.

I also plan on converting my 50-trim to T3 with external gate, FIC 1050cc injectors, and DSMLink at the same time.

 

[JusMX141]

"Spewing coolant" doesn't normally happen when rod bearings fail.

 

[anteversion]

yeah! like it have been said, coolant is not supposed to leak when a rod bearing failed down. Hope for you that one of your rod have not failed completely and busted out your block

 

[bobby180360]

spun bearing doesn't have anything to do with your coolant like they said... you had to have done damage to the water jacket to get it to spewing, unless by a stroke of luck it was giving off some major vibrations and one of your hoses where not on tight, but i don't think anyone is that lucky. Your block is probley f**ked srry.

 

[bobby180360]

...well unless you over heated on the way home, took out your head gasket and it was building pressure in the line pushing the coolant out of the over flow... another 1 in a million possibility...

 

[90laserRSfwd]

it just had to much alcohol, it'll be fine in the morning

 

[turbolover10]

If it was knocking as bad as you described I agree with these guys, probably a little more than a bearing.. Sorry to hear about the luck, hopefully you'll get it figured out!