Author Topic: My heart is breaking  (Read 647 times)

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Bigmorgs

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My heart is breaking
« on: September 02, 2019, 04:31:40 PM »
Hi All,

Long story short not so short ! I took the moke for a drive yesterday to the shops. On the way home it felt like it was restricted like I was driving with the handbrake on a touch. Just around the corner from home it stalled making a chuff chuff sound like a tractor and I could not get it to restart. It was like the battery was low but I knew it wasn't it cranked over a bit.. 

Checked the temp gauge at this point and it was at 90c runs much lower normally! Was overheating...

Lifted the hood to find oil smoking out of the oil filler cap. Looked underneath and the sump plug had fallen out all the oil had gone.

Pushed home and that is where she is sitting now..

Tracked my steps back and found the plug and oil on the road in the shop car park 4km from home!

I have researched and its all bad bloody hell just 4km!! . I have a worked 1275cc that I have spent some $$ on in the past..

I rung the local mech and $600 just to tell me the extent of the damage and advised not to even try and fill with oil and start.

I'm worried If I try and start I might tear teeth off the ring gear or something may come flying out of the engine... Or break more in it.

I see 1275 on ebay for 4.5k but mine is better than that one for sale... 

I'm absolutely gutted... Does anyone have any advice of what I could do next???? Mech says worst case 6k-7k! The motor is less than a 1000km from a complete rebuild..Sump plug hole lost its thread by the way....


 
Why me!!

Terry

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Re: My heart is breaking
« Reply #1 on: September 02, 2019, 06:52:08 PM »
BM,

that is not the best thing to hear about your Moke but before you think the worse get your Mechanic or whoever to look at the damage and see what is really needed.

Darthmoke did something similar during his time here and he got away with a new set of bearings and a crank grind in the end. You wont really know until it gets pulled apart..

I agree with the mechanic about not starting it, you will just make whatever damage worse. However if you can refit the sump plug do that and put 5 litres of the cheapest oil you can because the gears will still be turning when you are pushing it around on and trailers or trucks, even in neutral, so the oil is to stop them from running dry.

Terry

Bigmorgs

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Re: My heart is breaking
« Reply #2 on: September 02, 2019, 07:24:59 PM »
Thanks for the advice Terry will do.

Great to get some advice from someone who doesn't have a vested interest.
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Drakman

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Re: My heart is breaking
« Reply #3 on: September 02, 2019, 07:34:36 PM »
I really feel for you, what a pain.

 How long was it running without oil? how far did you go? Was it making any knocking sounds? Does it still turn over or has it locked up? If it didn't lock up, still turns over and you didn't go to far, i might be tempted to fill with oil and try BUT i don't know all the circumstances here. If the sump plug thread was stripped it has probably been loosing oil  for a while.

 Does anyone know if it would be possible to get a camera, one of those plumbers drain inspection cameras, in through the sump plug hole and up to the bearing caps to look for excessive heat?  I'm clutching at straws here but hey just maybe.

In another life i worked for GMH experimental engineering in the engine dyno section at Fishermans Bend  in Vic.  Anything that came into the section had to be destroyed.

 We had engines that had done a lot of time in the performance dynos and then were consigned to the endurance dynos running transmission tests, so lots of hours on them.

  When it came time to replace/destroy them someone came up with the idea of running an engine until it blew up, we removed the sump plug, not much oil came out with the engine running, we had to stop it to drain it completely.  It was then run WOT, it ran for hours, the hydraulic lifters collapsed and got very noisy but the poor old thing kept going.  In the end it was decided that the only way to kill it was to turn off the water circulation and when it was nice and HOT turn the flow back on.  That sure did the trick and as the HDT use to say it suffered from an electrical fault, number one rod came out through the block and knocked the alternator off.

 Personally i would pull it out, strip it down and check everything.  At best it will only cost gaskets and bearings.  My concern is why it stopped running.

What area/state are you in.

Dave

Bigmorgs

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Re: My heart is breaking
« Reply #4 on: September 03, 2019, 09:02:41 PM »
Thanks Dave.

Wasn't leaking at all i had just done an oil change.

I drove back found the plug and trail of all.

4km from the giant puddle of oil and sump plug to home.

Seems locked up now...

No enough funds to do too much at the moment so will just have to sit and wait. Have filled with oil and sprayed some wd 40 down the plug holes...
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Halfpint

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Re: My heart is breaking
« Reply #5 on: September 10, 2019, 08:31:51 PM »
Crikey,
I cant really add anything other than I feel for ya.
What a bloody rotten thing to have happen.

I remember many years ago when I did a service on Boydies 850 Mini doing exactly the same thing, except I only went around the block and saw the oil trail as I returned. My heart sped up big time. Luckily this time I didnt go far enough to do any damage.

Good luck with it, hopefully you wont find too much damage.

HP
The happiest of people don't always have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything they have.

Bigmorgs

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Re: My heart is breaking
« Reply #6 on: September 28, 2019, 07:41:01 AM »
Update!

I added in the lightest oil as advised and sprayed some WD40 down the spark plug holes and left her there.

About a week later I had to move the moke in the garage so I put it in N and unlocked the steering..

I thought I will just give it one turn of the key...... Brumm off she went...

Quickly turned off... Ordered a new tapered sump, oil filter and bought some new oil.

The next weekend swamped it all out and started her up... No strange noises or anything sounded normal.

Ran it for 5 mins to see if it would overheat or do anything weird and no it was fine.

The next weekend I took it for a drive and all seemed normal except a metal vibration noise at high revs from what seemed to be the outside of the engine and the tappets seem noisey too like loud sewing machine (might be in my head).. Weird!

Sending it to the mechanic next week to get the cam changed as I had it rebuild as few years but less KMs ago and the race cam in it is a real mongrel down low... Pig roots and fowls the plugs constantly. Doesn't like to idle either... Spoke to Matt Read and he said this is normal when the cam is too big.... 266 I think I will go too.. Anyone else put this one in? Cam sound awesome though Blump Blump Blump...

He will have a look while the engine is out to see if there is any other damage fingers crossed!!!!!!! Please please please...   





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Terry

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Re: My heart is breaking
« Reply #7 on: September 28, 2019, 08:58:21 AM »
Hi,

I would suggest you get the gearbox taken off and look at the main and big end bearings as I think they are most likely bits to be affected by a lack of oil. Even be prepared to replace them to avoid being up for a new crank.

Terry

Bigmorgs

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Re: My heart is breaking
« Reply #8 on: September 28, 2019, 09:03:53 AM »
Thanks Terry Will do! Fingers crossed hey!
Why me!!