vigman
Motor head!!!!
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2001
- Messages
- 3,471
- Location
- Valencia, CA,USA
- Corvette
- 88 Convert ( SOLD ) /1973 coupe 4 speed/1964 Vert!
Ok guys.. here's the deal.. my girlfriend's roomie has a 1979 C3.
80K on motor.. coming back from the beach.. gettin on the freeway..
A belt tosses off.. puts a dent in the hood.. total power loss.. 2 hr's later
Up on a flatbed it went .. and PLOP in my driveway.
To make a LONG story short ( er )
She noticed a belch of smoke that came out the back ( noticed in the rearview mirror )
So there was NO OIL in the block when it arrived. and what was on the stick was NOT pretty
( Can you say burnt coffee ?)
We tried to start...The distrib would not turn.. the rotor had a HUGH crack in it.
The engine DID spin over.. but no spark ( for obvious reasons ).
Fuel BELCHED out of the top of the carb as we cranked.
Now here's where it get's weird ( er )
I removed the valve covers
spun the engine
ONLY the first rocker on each side went up and down.
the rest of the valve train.. static.. not even a quiver.
The gear on the back of the distrib is fine & meshes and has ALL IT's TEETH & the pin is in tact..
There ARE at least 4 bent pushrods
and one isn't pretty at all
YE GADS~
I told her this.. and showed her this..and did a VERY BRIEF ENGINE 101.. but she didn't want to hear ANY OF IT!
So My thinking is... the cam SNAPPED behind the 2nd lobe ( of 4 ) between the first & second bearing supports...
So here are my questions
I have lost timing cam before on some NON VETTE Chevy small blocks in the past ( Thanks GM for that Nylon wonder )
But a tooth or 2 only.. nothing like this where I suspect valves & pistons were gettin FUNKY....Doing the bump & bend.
So anyone had a similar DIRECT experience.... not a " Well I heard from my 2nd cousin Luke".
I have NEVER seen a cam SNAP in a street car.. but if the CAM timing went totally out.. I can picture that.
So My " suggestion " was just replace that motor.. based on the potential amount of rework.. it would be cheaper to get a crate motor & toss it in.
Her " racer " friend thinks this CANNOT HAPPEN.. and is feeding her a line of BS ( IMHO )
So I open this up to the forum....
Thanks
Vig~
80K on motor.. coming back from the beach.. gettin on the freeway..
A belt tosses off.. puts a dent in the hood.. total power loss.. 2 hr's later
Up on a flatbed it went .. and PLOP in my driveway.
To make a LONG story short ( er )
She noticed a belch of smoke that came out the back ( noticed in the rearview mirror )
So there was NO OIL in the block when it arrived. and what was on the stick was NOT pretty
( Can you say burnt coffee ?)
We tried to start...The distrib would not turn.. the rotor had a HUGH crack in it.
The engine DID spin over.. but no spark ( for obvious reasons ).
Fuel BELCHED out of the top of the carb as we cranked.
Now here's where it get's weird ( er )
I removed the valve covers
spun the engine
ONLY the first rocker on each side went up and down.
the rest of the valve train.. static.. not even a quiver.
The gear on the back of the distrib is fine & meshes and has ALL IT's TEETH & the pin is in tact..
There ARE at least 4 bent pushrods
and one isn't pretty at all
YE GADS~
I told her this.. and showed her this..and did a VERY BRIEF ENGINE 101.. but she didn't want to hear ANY OF IT!
So My thinking is... the cam SNAPPED behind the 2nd lobe ( of 4 ) between the first & second bearing supports...
So here are my questions
I have lost timing cam before on some NON VETTE Chevy small blocks in the past ( Thanks GM for that Nylon wonder )
But a tooth or 2 only.. nothing like this where I suspect valves & pistons were gettin FUNKY....Doing the bump & bend.
So anyone had a similar DIRECT experience.... not a " Well I heard from my 2nd cousin Luke".
I have NEVER seen a cam SNAP in a street car.. but if the CAM timing went totally out.. I can picture that.
So My " suggestion " was just replace that motor.. based on the potential amount of rework.. it would be cheaper to get a crate motor & toss it in.
Her " racer " friend thinks this CANNOT HAPPEN.. and is feeding her a line of BS ( IMHO )
So I open this up to the forum....
Thanks
Vig~