I got my engine tore down today, took a while to get the rod that blew a hole in the block out, as well as the one that was stuck in the crank.

I found a fair amount of oil throughout the motor, and had a good amount left in the oil pan, so I'm not sure if a lack of lube would of caused this ?


I have some pictures that are closer up of the crank & pistons in my build thread, if that would help. The site wouldn't let me double post pictures in 2 seperate threads


I have the receipts from about $3,000 of mainenance work done to the engine roughly 40-45k before I bought it, so if it's something the shop did wrong than I'll be making a phone call for some help in my new engine.


Any input would be appreciated greatly.

Did it ever make noise and steadily get worse? Or one day it just blew? Any history of excessive overheating?

98gst14b said:

Did it ever make noise and steadily get worse? Or one day it just blew? Any history of excessive overheating?

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Here's the thread I started for it back when it happend..

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/newbie-forum/452916-car-looked-sounded-like-exploded-wont-start.html

But if you dont want to read it ...

I was driving to work, 60 mph, felt a complete sudden loss of power, rpms started to steadily decline. Slowed down to about 50 and then it just exploded like an IED went off under my car & the car just fell on its face I went from about 50 to a complete stop in the middle of the highway in less than 5 seconds.

Man thats weird, whats the block bore look like? Does it look like the piston siezed?

Did they use a balance shaft removal without the oil gallery?

Balance shafts were still there and OEM, however the upper one on the exhuast side was slightly bent.

I was actually surprised on how the bore looked.. I could still see the cross strokes on the walls in every cylinder. None of the pistons were seized, and came out pretty easy.

Oil pump gear clearance out? What do the cams/caps look like?

Did you have an oil pressure gauge?

This definitely looks like oil starvation to me. Notice how the more severely damaged the rods/pistons look dark and dirty compared to rod 3? That dark discoloration is a sign that things got really hot in there, most likely from metal to metal contact. The rod journals also become gradually more damaged and discolored as they move farther from the oil pump. Rod journal 4 looks almost completely clogged with sludge and debris.

At the bare minimum the entire short block is junk. It's possible the rest of the engine also suffered as a result.

WES_393 said:

This definitely looks like oil starvation to me. Notice how the more severely damaged the rods/pistons look dark and dirty compared to rod 3? That dark discoloration is a sign that things got really hot in there, most likely from metal to metal contact. The rod journals also become gradually more damaged and discolored as they move farther from the oil pump. Rod journal 4 looks almost completely clogged with sludge and debris.

At the bare minimum the entire short block is junk. It's possible the rest of the engine also suffered as a result

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Hmm.. Well I was just trying to get an idea of maybe what was the cause of this, whether it be oil starvation or something the shop did. Thanks man.

And yeah, the block has a nice hole from where the rod blew threw it on the exhaust side, and there is about a 4" crack on the intake side. I've decided i'm not even gonna try to salvage any thing from the block.

Time for a new long block!

What does the oil pump look like?

What do the cam bores look like? What kind of work was done right before the failure?

Standby.. I'll upload copies of the paperwork I have from the shop.

I was reading your build post, but I can't understand if you have used your N/A block or you got a turbo block for the swap... If it is a 7bolt there are no oil jets on the bottom of the cylinder...probably causing what's happened..

^ Those oil jets are meant to cool the piston. They've been proven as an unnecessary precaution. Plus, removing them will increase lubrication along the crankshaft.

A shop that hasn't touched the car for 40,000 miles isn't going to do a thing. The engine spun a rod bearing, and was driven until it demolished itself.

donniekak said:

A shop that hasn't touched the car for 40,000 miles isn't going to do a thing. The engine spun a rod bearing, and was driven until it demolished itself.

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I agree with this 100 percent. The shop that worked on the car before you owned it is not liable for anything at this point. Don't forget this is a 19 year old car, things are going to break.

The work wasn't done right before engine failure, but I babied this car as soon as I got it in my posession & did all the necessary maintenance + a little extra to make me feel better.

The cams looks normal besides normal wear, the head actually doesn't look bad & I saw nothing to indicate that anything In the head is the cause of this. It's probably fine with the replacement of the valves & I was surprsied to see that none of the valves struck the top of any of the 4 cylinders - even with timing belt tore to shreds in numerous places.

It is a n/a 7-bolt, so no oil squirters.

Its highly unlikely, but if the cause of this can be nailed down to something the shop did, I would love a little relief from how much a new 6-bolt(yes I'm swapping) is going to run me, absolutely nothing is salvagable in the short block... maybe the dipstick

Sebba said:

What does the oil pump look like?

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All the accessories look to be fine, but I will probably replace a few to be on the safe side.

codym said:

Its highly unlikely, but if the cause of this can be nailed down to something the shop did, I would love a little relief from how much a new 6-bolt(

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Won't happen. Might as well throw those receipts in the trash, they are no good to you.

I can't belive that the oil jets are useless...

Please try again with a more descriptive thread title. A generic thread title like this does not help me when browsing new threads to see if I can offer help or when searching old threads for info to help myself or others.