Engine help needed! ASAP

**scared2mosh** · 01-15-2011, 09:58 PM

Ok so as most of you know I have a 96 tracker with a 1.6 sohc MFI I4. Anyways yesterday I filled my tank at Speedway (like I always do) and apparently they had just finished refueling their underground tanks. So my fuel was contaminated with water and sand etc. that had been stirred up.

Anyways it started running weird shortly after I got gas... it felt like the engine's timing was way off or something. anyways... it ended up stalling at a light right after it went green which left me in the middle of a 4 lane divided highway. I barely managed to push it into the middle without getting run over... anyways I got it running but it kept stalling so I got it in neutral and revved it up to 5k and threw it in low gear which just barely got me out of the intersection. After that My dad met me and we managed to get it home.

Anyways today we took all the plugs out and they all sparked, we checked the compression (supposed to be 170-199 w/ less than 14psi difference) and we got 95,100, 135,80. then we checked the timing and it is really really far off. My dad believes when I revved it and threw it in gear the timing belt must have slipped which may have done permanent damage to the valves and such. We tried putting dry gas/ fuel injector cleaner and that did basically nothing.

Tomorrow or monday we are going to tear it all apart, fix the timing, clean the injectors, put in new fuel filters, and redo the compression check. It should run at that point but if the compression is still that low that'll be a serious problem.

Any ideas on what else to check? Or how to go about talking to the manager at speedway? (who I am going to talk to on mon morn)

mulletman · 01-15-2011, 11:28 PM

I'd drain the gas that you have, and take a sample. Perhaps have it analyzed.

**scared2mosh** · 01-15-2011, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Phantom Mullet

I'd drain the gas that you have, and take a sample. Perhaps have it analyzed.

I drained some fuel from the fuel rail into a clean glass jar and you could clearly see water and what appeared to be metal shavings.

mulletman · 01-16-2011, 12:25 AM

Save that. Drain and look at more gas. Remove and examine fuel filter.

**scared2mosh** · 01-17-2011, 08:37 AM

Well... I took everything apart today. When I went to check the markers to reset the timing I noticed the crank gear was incredibly wobbly and when I touched it it fell off. Basically the end of the crankshaft broke off. Besides that being an obvious problem there is almost definitely a lot of damage to all the valves and rings and such.

So... I have 3 options:
Rebuild engine- No time for that kind of project
New car- I'm way too poor
New engine- barely enough money or time.

So out of the several crappy options I have I currently think the best option is to get a different engine.

**scared2mosh** · 01-17-2011, 09:20 AM

Update:

My dad talked to a welder he works with and there is a way to fix the crankshaft (devcon) and I am gunna order a new gear... but I might have to pull the engine out to do that. That'll only cost like $100 (versus $350 for a new crank) but it'll be really labor intensive.

Also since the timing was so screwed up the valves and rings are almost certainly destroyed which mans it may still not run... and if it does it'l be really underpowered... even for a tracker.

Bushman · 01-17-2011, 11:16 AM

What about a used crank from a junkyard?

gtrdave · 01-17-2011, 03:10 PM

If it were me, I'd search out a used (good) engine for a swap. Fixing the crank would not even be an option in my book.
craigslist, wrecking yards, local papers...I'd search them all until a replacement was found.

mulletman · 01-17-2011, 03:14 PM

I've never heard of anyone welding a crank back together.....

roscoestring · 01-17-2011, 04:15 PM

Welding the crankshaft back together would be about like putting a band aid on a broken leg. Chances are it's not going to work. Even if you made it run again I wouldn't trust it.

Tim Possible · 01-17-2011, 05:49 PM

Yeah....I'm on the new engine boat as well.

***Art*** · 01-17-2011, 06:34 PM

I will jump on the new (used) engine bandwagon.

funkStrat_97 · 01-17-2011, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Art

I will jump on the new (used) engine bandwagon.

This...

Quote:

Originally Posted by scared2mosh

Update:

My dad talked to a welder he works with and there is a way to fix the crankshaft (devcon) and I am gunna order a new gear... but I might have to pull the engine out to do that. That'll only cost like $100 (versus $350 for a new crank) but it'll be really labor intensive.

...not that!

**scared2mosh** · 01-17-2011, 10:48 PM

I've been searching for new engines (and trans... might as well get a 5speed rather than keep the auto3 if I'm at it) Not looking good though. And to clarify the crank isnt "broken off" parsay. The key on the cog didnt fit right and that resulted in the gear wobbling which gouged out a spot on the crank. The current plan is to used the metal putty (devcon plastic steel epoxy) and rebuild the crank/key. it'll cost $35 to fix and according to this guy it should be good for at least a few thousand miles (assuming the internals arent smashed to bits) if not forever.

I dont see that as a permanent soultion though. I just need a car in the meantime so I can get to work so I can buy a new engine... or maybe even a new car. Like I said... the only reason I'm going along with this is cause it's cheap and I dont need to pull the engine to do it.

abock33 · 01-17-2011, 11:24 PM

Devcon works well. I've used it in the same application. I've also used it on cylinder walls in over the road diesel trucks. It is usually stronger than the surrounding metal when mixed and applied right. But I'm with the replacement engine crowd. If you do decide to go the repair route. I think your valves might be ok. If I remember correctly the 1.6l isn't an interference engine.