New sound from the TransAm on starting

[TransAmDan]

New noise today.

Bit hard to tell in the video. But I disconnected the coil packs so it wont fire up. Turning the engine I get a bang. Like as if a conrod bolt was loose and catching on the block.
Also noticed that my oil pressure shows zero. This usually shows something when cranking.

It drove fine yesterday, gave it some beanch. Parked it on the drive, all seemed normal. Went to start it today, and heard a bang during starting. A sound simular to leaving a ratchet on the bottom pully and turing the key. I left the car. Pushed it in the garage later. Took off a valve cover the rockers that came loose last time all look fine. Will check the other side tomorrow. Also remove the spark plugs to manually turn the engine.
I turned the engine a bit, until I got out of puff, its touch going with that compression. Nothing sounded or felt odd when turning the enginge by hand.

Maybe a bad pump? Hope if it is oil pressure it died on the drive and not driving.

 

[saleen 192]

Should of got swmnbo to turn the engine over for you lol. If you ran out of steam.

 

[TransAmDan]

Say if sensor is good, pump is good., and there was a loose contod bolt banking on the block, I guess oil would pour out of that bearing and not make it to the oil pressure sensor at the end of the cam.
Maybe something bad in the pump. There isn't a lot in those pumps, just a cog.
Its just a back plate, front plate, and a cog withing a cog. its amazing it pumps oil at all. Little to go wrong.

 

[saleen 192]

Just move SWMNBO car to other side of garage so you can use the pit you have might as well put it to good use and take the oil pan of and look at lower half of engine, until you start to investigate you are not going to know, . be alot easier to turn the engine over as well being over the pit,

 

[TransAmDan]

Couldn't spend too long out there. Plugs removed, jacked up. Rotating engine on the bottom pulley completes a turn. No obstructions, however I think I hear something, but non conclusive. Will do more tomorrow.

 

[TransAmDan]

Okay something interesting. I took off the aux belt.
Manually turn engine, it moved relatively smoth, occasional more resistance, but not really noticibly. No odd noises.
Then I turn each of the pulley wheels by hand, Power Steering, Alternator, Waterpump, idler wheels, everything seems smooth.

Now with nothing attachched I go to start it, its spinning quick now, no odd noise at all. It was definately banging the other day.

Still no oil pressure when cranking.

Now its on a tilt, perhaps something moved. Probably still needs a look inside the sump, a pig of a job, need to release engine mounts and remove stuff off the top of the engine, then ratched strap the engine to a cross bar to lift it 2 inches so the sump can be removed.

 

[TransAmDan]

Done a compression test on 1 cylinder so far. It read 200psi, which I beleive is pretty good.
Aiming to test the other 7.

Then I tihnk its sump off to take a look in there. Both rocker covers off and I can see the rockers doing their thing.
Perhaps pump got james and fallen apart. The reason I think this is that there is no oil pressure during cranking.

 

[TransAmDan]

Compression test on the other 7 cylinder are also all over 200psi.

Seems higher than numbers I have heard, but I guess this is a high compression engine. Standard was 10.2:1, this is cloer to 11:1, so not a huge difference.
Atlesst i know valves and seating must be good.
Videod the rockers moving on each side, all movement looks correct (so not a stuck lifter or worn cam lobe)

Job for today, is looking at getting the bottom pulley wheels off and also the sump. Drained the oil last night, not inspected for glitter yet.

 

[TransAmDan]

Gonna take the sump off this afternoon. Look for bits and around the oil pump, look for a reason of no oil pressure when cranking.
Oil pumps available in summit racing and Rock Auto, similar prices in each. The one I currently have is a Melling High Flow oil pump.

 

[TransAmDan]

Sump has no clearence to take it out, need to lift the engine up. I had an old strut brace, ideal. Have two ratchet straps pop it around the exhaust.

Next it to take the bolt out form the engine mount, one each side.

Drivers side was a pig as couldn't pull out the bolt as the alternator was in in the way. To get to the bolts on the alternator I needed to remove a pulleywheel assembly and the wires for the alternator. Now i can slide out that bolt.

Passerger side was easer.

The strut brace was an idea that didn't bear fruits in the end, as could only lift about 1 inch before the intake manifold it it.

Next idea was to jack it under the car, jack with wood on the pulley wheel. The intake touched the body now. Loads of lift.

 

[TransAmDan]

Intake manifold touching the top.

Sump touching the crossmember now.

A bit lower at the back. If the bell housing wasn't there, I could gt the sump off.

 

[TransAmDan]

Can see though the gap,, you can make out the puckup tube and the bolt that holds in into the pump.

Pick up tube end further back in the sump. You can see the dipstick tube there too.

Close up of the pickup tube and pump is above it, it was that bolt screws in to.

Can see anything odd in the sump, thats not the bottom, it has a cover/baffle plate

 

[saleen 192]

Can you get swmnbo to turn engine over with you watching the engine turn over through the gap with sump and block? With no oil pressure from early on it could be the oil pump broken????

 

[TransAmDan]

Can't see much of the pump, so even if I turned it manually there are no moving parts to see. That will be a front pulley off job to see that.

 

[saleen 192]

Can you see rest of the engine moving parts if swmnbo turns engine over and any sounds that should not be there?

 

[TransAmDan]

Plan for this morning.
Put that strutbrace back on and secure the engine with ratchet straps. The reason I@m doing that again is thats lifting the engine wont give me enough clearance, so the only other way to get more distance between the engine and k-member, is to drop the k-member.
Dropping the o-member is 6 huge bolts. The fron wheels will come in a bit when the k-member drops. Need to keep an eye on brake lines. I need to remove the steering rack. I have another one to replace the steering rack.

I dont know if I will get the steering rack off today. I've let a track rod end soak in penetration oil, it may need some heat. The other area I think will be a challenge is where the steering column meets the rack. That joint has been present for 24years.

I must attempt to remove the bottom pulley to give me access to the pump, to get access to that pulley I need to remove the cooling fans and radiator, also the waterpump to be able to get the front cover off once the pulley is off.

 

[saleen 192]

Good luck with doing all of that

 

[TransAmDan]

Picture didn't come out as well as i wanted. Basically this is the engine mount, and now when I lower the engine it wont sit in the right place, it resting on top instead of sliding between. This is stopping me getting the strut place in place to support the engine, as the engine wont go low enough now. It's like the engine have moved back 20mm.

Anyway to get the bottom pully off I need to remove the rdiator.

Drain plug at the bottom, so I can just let it empty out into a large buket with out making much mess.

Not achieved as much as i wanted. More time on it after walking in the woods for around 3 hours.

 

[saleen 192]

Cars never go to plan

 

[renchero]

i got engine hoist, if you want to take it out