FEAR THE LS1

iTrader: (1)

First off here's the hardware I'm running:

Stock Bottom End LS1
Stage 1 Ported Heads
-Rev Double Springs
-Rev Titanium Seats and Retainers
TR 224/224-112 CAM
TD Hardened Push Rods
Rollmaster Double Roller Timing Chain
SLP Headers
JW Race Built TH400
JW 3400 Stall
Nitrous Steel Driveshaft
Moser 12 Bolt w/ 3.73

I drive my car everyday, and race every other weekend if possible. Well last Friday I went out lunch in my car to run some errands. The car was running sweet. I get back from lunch park the car and go inside. About 4 hours later I leave work to head home. I turn the key the starter turns the crank over for a sec then stops. I try to start again, I hear "thunk" each time I turn the key. Definately the starter trying to turn the flywheel, but the flywheel aint moving.

Anyway I leave my car at work and come back the next day (sat) with my jack and some tools. I jack the front up and check to see if the starter maybe loose and isn't engaging the fly wheel. Everything is tight, I had my friend turn the key and the start tries to turn the crank but can't. I grabbed my torque wrench and socket and try to turn the crank over manually. The crank would not turn at all. Felt like a valve is fighting me, like a piston is trying to come up and the cam is pushing a valve down. I have a double roller timing chain and its solid, I know there is no way it could have jumped a tooth and made the timing off. Anyway I used my wrench to turn the crank counter clock wise and was able to turn the crank like normal, but if i went clockwise my wrench comes to a dead stop in the same spot everytime. At this point I said screw it and decided to rotate the crank counter clock wise again and try to start the car. I turned the key and the car tried to turn over but wouldn't fire up, tried again but had to give it alot of gas for it to fire, it finally fired up, but would not idle unless I fed it gas. There was a "clanking" sound coming from the engine. I shut it down and called a tow truck.

So I towed my car to my garage and was just able to work on the car tonite. I pulled my air filter and noticed a small pool of liquid inside my throttle body. I pulled the TB and examined the liquid, it was coolant! There was also a little blackness from some oil, but the liquid was definately orange coolant. It looks like the coolant got into the TB from the fresh air hose that runs to the pas. valve cover. I didn't pull the intake yet to look further, but I did pull the valve covers and spark plugs. I got my wrench and tried to turn the crank manually. I got like 2 rotations then the crank came to a dead stop again. Tomorrow I will be pulling my intake and heads. I examined my Rev valve springs and everything looks good. I will be able to examine them better when I pull the heads.

Anyway WTF happened to my engine? Cars been running friggin awesome then I goto leave work and it comits suicide!

So far I'm guessing that maybe I dropped a valve? I don't know how this explains coolant inside the TB, I dont think its a blown head gasket just by the way it was clanking when it finally started.

Any opinions? help? anything you guys got I could use it!

Thanks,
Lee

JPR

I read your post and I must say I am pretty lost too! I would just start taking things apart I guess? I would pull the timing chain cover too and check to make sure the oil galley front plate bolts didn't back out and hit the timing gear, I have heard of that before and that will "lock" the motor. just food for thought. Pull the valve covers too and do a comprehensive inspection to the top end, remove the rocker system and place a steel straight edge across all the valve stems too.

Good luck!
Joe.

BurnOut

iTrader: (1)

Cracked block/head perhaps?? The main thing that's bothering me here is the coolant through the PCV tube.

Warbird

If you found coolant it sounds to me like you have hydro-locked the motor. When the cylinders are full of coolant you can't turn it over because you can't compress a liquid.

My guess would be a cracked sleeve or head. Pull off the heads and you'll know for sure.

Good luck

Paul

<small>[ February 21, 2003, 01:20 PM: Message edited by: Warbird ]</small>

FEAR THE LS1

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the info so far guys, I'm getting off work in like an hour. Last night I pulled the radiator, valve covers, plugs and headers. The intake and heads are next.

I'll know more tonite and update this post.

Thanks,
Lee

Jim98WS6

Doesn't sound good. Do you have metal in your oil?

Liquidnutz

You blew a head gasket and while you were in work it hydrolocked your engine so that you could not turn it over but when you spun the engine over backwards you opened up the valves and pushed the coolant back up top thus freeing the cylinder of the water and allowing it to turn over and you had to give it all the gas to start it because of having fouled plugs. Yank the heads, check for cracks around the water jackets if no cracks then examine the head gaskets and see what water jacket they were leaking from.
Good luck

wrencher

iTrader: (2)

Have you pulled the plugs & see if you got a coolant soaked cylinder? Or turn it over w/wrench & see if coolant come out a cylinder?

red90cobra

iTrader: (36)

This is what happened to a friend of mine here in texas, he dropped a valve spring due to a valve spring breaking then cause the cylinder wall sleeve to crack and was spewing coolant into the cylinder and when the piston would come up it would push the coolant into the intake. This happened and the car still ran. It was running like *** but it still ran. But that's how he got coolant into his intake and tb. Best of luck to u.