Firehawk Trouble
06-23-2007, 03:44 PM
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Firehawk Trouble I just bought a '93 Firehawk with 19K on the miles. It has been sitting up for quite a while. The lady that I bought it from did not know a whole lot about it, due to receiving it in a divorce. She claims after the divorce she drove it down the road every month or so, but it would die after it got hot. So she would have to wait until it cooled down a little and then drive it back home. So after we made the transaction, I trailered it to the house, drained all the fluids, and found some startling evidence. There was about a quart of water in the oil, and a little oil in the radiator. That has me pretty scared. This car does have motor work done to it, I am not sure what all it has done though because all I have to go by is what the lady told me. But I poured in some oil and coolant, and tried to start it and all I got was a "clack". I pulled the starter and took it for a bench test and it was deemed just a little short of what it should be, so i bought a new one and went back home and installed it. Now when i turn the key, the motor turns ever so slowly maybe a half a turn before it stops, and I have to let the battery rest and charge a minute or two. Im dying to get this car running, its supposedly very fast. 8's is what I have heard. Any ideas of where to start?
06-23-2007, 03:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Red96TA
I just bought a '93 Firehawk with 19K on the miles. It has been sitting up for quite a while. The lady that I bought it from did not know a whole lot about it, due to receiving it in a divorce. She claims after the divorce she drove it down the road every month or so, but it would die after it got hot. So she would have to wait until it cooled down a little and then drive it back home. So after we made the transaction, I trailered it to the house, drained all the fluids, and found some startling evidence. There was about a quart of water in the oil, and a little oil in the radiator. That has me pretty scared. This car does have motor work done to it, I am not sure what all it has done though because all I have to go by is what the lady told me. But I poured in some oil and coolant, and tried to start it and all I got was a "clack". I pulled the starter and took it for a bench test and it was deemed just a little short of what it should be, so i bought a new one and went back home and installed it. Now when i turn the key, the motor turns ever so slowly maybe a half a turn before it stops, and I have to let the battery rest and charge a minute or two. Im dying to get this car running, its supposedly very fast. 8's is what I have heard. Any ideas of where to start?
06-23-2007, 04:04 PM
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thats what i was thinking but it still turned over...i didnt think it could be "locked up" if it still turned over, even if it was just a quarter turn or so.. and 8's in 1000 ft
06-23-2007, 04:56 PM
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do you think it could be anything else by any chance or is that the only probability. i know you are trying to help and i thank you very much but thats not the answer i was looking for lol
06-23-2007, 05:31 PM
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Did you say you charged the battery? Check the voltage on the battery. It could of died because the alternator isn't working properly. Those are some simple things you might rather hear.
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06-23-2007, 08:38 PM
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thats what i was hoping for...that it had just been sitting so long...i know she didnt pour water in the oil lol. im thinking either blown head gasket or intake gasket though because it was quite a bit of water for it all to be from "just sitting"
06-24-2007, 12:33 AM
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It can't be an intake gasket because coolant doesn't run through the intake. Your only possibilities would be a head gasket or even an oil cooler if equiped. If you have oil in the radiator, my bet would be on a faulty oil cooler adapter.
I'd suggest changing the oil asap. Then eliminate the oil cooler as a possibility by looping the coolant lines from the radiator to the water pump. If the cooler leaks oil and there isn't any more signs of coolant in the oil, you should be ok. As for the motor barely turning, I would pull the plugs to see if ther is any water/coolant in the cylinders. CRank it without the plugs in it and see how it turns over and if anything foreign comes out of the spark plug holes. Just make sure that you unplug the injectors or pull the fuse for the f/p so you don't was the rings out with fuel (cause you to loose compression). If coolant is pressent, then you're looking at replacing the head gaskets.
Have you checked to see if the fuel regulator was ruptured? I've seen them dump so much raw fuel into the cylinders that it can cause simular symtoms. Then again, that won't cause oil in the water.
I'd suggest changing the oil asap. Then eliminate the oil cooler as a possibility by looping the coolant lines from the radiator to the water pump. If the cooler leaks oil and there isn't any more signs of coolant in the oil, you should be ok. As for the motor barely turning, I would pull the plugs to see if ther is any water/coolant in the cylinders. CRank it without the plugs in it and see how it turns over and if anything foreign comes out of the spark plug holes. Just make sure that you unplug the injectors or pull the fuse for the f/p so you don't was the rings out with fuel (cause you to loose compression). If coolant is pressent, then you're looking at replacing the head gaskets.
Have you checked to see if the fuel regulator was ruptured? I've seen them dump so much raw fuel into the cylinders that it can cause simular symtoms. Then again, that won't cause oil in the water.
Last edited by Formula WS6; 06-24-2007 at 12:41 AM.
06-24-2007, 01:27 PM
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Thanks man. We pulled a few plugs (to save time, we all know how all of them are a bitch) and there was water on the plugs. Also I do not know if this had anything to do with us taking out the plugs or not because it was not noticed until afterwards, but when its turned over, a good amount of water comes out the back of the motor, im not sure where i was not the one checking. This was last week or so.
06-24-2007, 02:12 PM
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Did you drain the radiator to see if it was full of water, or actual coolant? Could still be a blown gasket if it's only running on water.
And like the other Formula said, enough gas can get pushed into the crank case, but if you think it's water, it's a fair bet it is.
And like the other Formula said, enough gas can get pushed into the crank case, but if you think it's water, it's a fair bet it is.
06-24-2007, 10:30 PM
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I had just got the car and did not know a thing about it. All I knew is what she had told me: That it is fast, that it had been raced, that her husband was afraid of it, it had sat for about 2 years, last time she drove it it would run until hot then die unless above 2000 rpm. So I checked the computer, no codes thrown, checked the fluids and changed them, so we just tried to start it to get a bearing point as to where we were on the car. When all we got was a clack we started trying things to see if it was locked up or if it was wiring or if it was the starter or whatnot.
06-25-2007, 12:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Red96TA
so we just tried to start it to get a bearing point as to where we were on the car. When all we got was a clack we started trying things to see if it was locked up or if it was wiring or if it was the starter or whatnot.
If its been that way for awhile, water will start to cease internal parts very quickly.
If the car doesn't/hasn't seen much driving and the leak is recent, it might not be that bad.
So I look at it this way, what do you have to lose?
For the first oil change, run 10W40 and 10W30. 2-3 quarts of each.
The thicker oil will be better for the seals/gaskets and help revive the important things like lifters, crank bearings, etc...
(its just a tiny thicker then 10W-30 and won't do anything to a SB 350)
In fact, high mileage Gen 1 350's run 10W-40 to extend thier life.
Thats the route I would go.
There is a chance that nothing has been difinively damaged yet.
And if it has, either way you have to rebuild the motor anyways so might as well do the best you can for it and go from there.
I would also recommend driving the car easy for a couple hundred miles with the half and half 10W-40/10W-30 mix to really help lubricate them motor as good as possible.
If there are no major ticks, knocks, rattles or noises after a couple hundred miles you might just luck out.
06-25-2007, 04:18 PM
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Originally Posted by burnzilla
It depends on how long water has been leaking into the oil, and the amount of usage during that time.
If its been that way for awhile, water will start to cease internal parts very quickly.
If the car doesn't/hasn't seen much driving and the leak is recent, it might not be that bad.
So I look at it this way, what do you have to lose?
For the first oil change, run 10W40 and 10W30. 2-3 quarts of each.
The thicker oil will be better for the seals/gaskets and help revive the important things like lifters, crank bearings, etc...
(its just a tiny thicker then 10W-30 and won't do anything to a SB 350)
In fact, high mileage Gen 1 350's run 10W-40 to extend thier life.
Thats the route I would go.
There is a chance that nothing has been difinively damaged yet.
And if it has, either way you have to rebuild the motor anyways so might as well do the best you can for it and go from there.
I would also recommend driving the car easy for a couple hundred miles with the half and half 10W-40/10W-30 mix to really help lubricate them motor as good as possible.
If there are no major ticks, knocks, rattles or noises after a couple hundred miles you might just luck out.
If its been that way for awhile, water will start to cease internal parts very quickly.
If the car doesn't/hasn't seen much driving and the leak is recent, it might not be that bad.
So I look at it this way, what do you have to lose?
For the first oil change, run 10W40 and 10W30. 2-3 quarts of each.
The thicker oil will be better for the seals/gaskets and help revive the important things like lifters, crank bearings, etc...
(its just a tiny thicker then 10W-30 and won't do anything to a SB 350)
In fact, high mileage Gen 1 350's run 10W-40 to extend thier life.
Thats the route I would go.
There is a chance that nothing has been difinively damaged yet.
And if it has, either way you have to rebuild the motor anyways so might as well do the best you can for it and go from there.
I would also recommend driving the car easy for a couple hundred miles with the half and half 10W-40/10W-30 mix to really help lubricate them motor as good as possible.
If there are no major ticks, knocks, rattles or noises after a couple hundred miles you might just luck out.
