mjeff87 Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Well, my MJ is once again my DD :roll: The engine in my '94 escort blowed up on Saturday, or at least the #1 piston did. I've got 0 compression in it (and 180 in the other three). Valvetrain is intact and functioning normally, and there's no evidence of a head gasket failure. The piston is moving in the bore, so I know it's not a snapped rod..... It pains me to do it, but I'm gonna drop the front DS, put the summer slicks back on, and unload the half ton of crap I'm carrying in the bed toolbox, so I can (hopefully) get some decent mileage with it until I can get another econo-box. Anyone wanna buy a project vehicle :D ? 94 Ford Escort, 165K miles, 1.9L AOD, hatchback.....needs engine work. Comes with a spare head and a fully mounted set of new tires. Best offer over $750..... Jeff p.s......and yes Pat, I did make it back home. It died later on. Needless to say, I didn't get the bumper mounted up Sunday :cry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87manche Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Sounds like what happened to my 88 323. Same engine practically. I burned a hole in the top of a piston. Honestly, that engine is so simple to take apart you should fix it. I dropped the pan and took off the head of my 1.6 while it was in the car and pulled the piston that I had scorched. The wrist pins are pressed in, so you'll have to take the new piston and connecting rod to a machine shop. Had them put a new piston on that rod, put it back together. I didn't even re-ring the other pistons, or do any other rod bearings. Might as well do the water pump while you're in there, since the timing belt is a b*@$£. That was the first engine I had ever taken apart, didn't have anything other than the import chilton's from the library. Did you blow the oil filter? That's what happened when I burnt my piston, apparently my timing was about 20* too advanced. ran real good though :evil: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pingpong Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Jeff that sucks :cry: it was probrably all the weight from the bumper and rock rails that put the extra strain on the motor :brows: I now think it is time to transplant a v-6 or v-8 into it :evil: and then swap some full widths under it ;) and flog the piss oput of it :deal: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted April 25, 2006 Author Share Posted April 25, 2006 LOL Pat... :cheers: My neighbor has access to one of those nifty mini-cameras that I'm gonna fish thru the plug hole and see what the top of the slug looks like. I've got a feeling there's a hole in it. Funny thing is that the last 2 tanks of gas I ran thru it I was getting SPECTACULAR mileage....like 40-45 mpg in mixed driving. It went out in fairly short order while I was going down the road at @ 45 mph on light throttle......about 5 seconds of LOUD tinging/pinging, then a muted "thwump", then I had 3 cylinders. Luckily I was only about 4 miles from the house.....I just limped it the rest of the way :roll: Maybe I will just replace the piston (then sell it quickly LOL...). I was gonna pull the head anyway to replace it. My concern is that the bore is fubared. I won't know that until I pull the head, though. This is a case of really bad timing (both literally and figuratively). Not fun working in a pissy subdivision in your driveway! Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87manche Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 likely the bore will be fine. I know that on the 1.6 block I had the friggin cylinder liners were uber thick, like 1/4" and the piston was aluminum. When I popped the hole through mine it ran fine after I put a new piston in it. I gave it back to my brother, then he sold it to a buddy for a commuter car, still goin strong after 2 years. Looking back I shoulda kept it, freakin 1.6 and a 5 speed, thing got lik 40 on the highway :headpop: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted April 25, 2006 Author Share Posted April 25, 2006 Well, $20 for a new piston from AA, another few $$ for a ring set, $10 for shop/press work, $35 for a new timing belt, $50 to resurface the new head I got, $70 for the head gasket set (with new head bolts, etc...), plus an oil pan gasket and fluids. Oh yeah, add another $15 for a t-stat and gasket, and $40 for a water pump. I'm at $230 and counting :eek: plus I gots nowhere to wrench on it except my driveway (very uncool). At least, as it sits now I can still move it around if I had to (pull the plug and injector wire on the cylinder). I've already cxl'd the insurance on it and deactivated the plates at the DMV 'til I figure out what I'm gonna do. Anybody got any cheap garage space around Richmond, VA? :D Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87manche Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 if I could help ya out, then I would. I guess depending on what kind of shape the body is in is the deciding factor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyComanche Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 With me and my DD it came down to this: $1200 in transmission work would buy a lot of gas. Therefor, I can drive the MJ instead. Sound theory. Practice, well, that's a different story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feerocknok Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 Does it still work on 3 cylinders? It's fun way to drive, and it sounds cool. Maybe unbolt the exhaust too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff-B Posted April 29, 2006 Share Posted April 29, 2006 My DD is a '96 Saturn SL 5-speed. 185K without any real problems yet, knock on wood. Gutless, but I don't mind downshifting to make a hill when it's getting 40+ on the highway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted May 1, 2006 Author Share Posted May 1, 2006 I should have that micro-camera sometime this week, so I can see what the damage looks like. The more I'm tinkering with it, the more I think it's a burned exhaust valve rather than a hole in the piston. I'll find out soon enough. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87manche Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 well, if that's the case fix it, you already got a junkyard head! You should be abe to do that in an afternoon, so the subdivision nazis shouldn't go all insane on you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted May 31, 2006 Author Share Posted May 31, 2006 Well, I was finally able to get time to work on it, and pulled the head off last night. Turns out that about 2/3 of the intake valve seat is AWOL. Looks like it broke off in a couple of pieces and got mangled/burned up inside the cylinder :eek: There's a bunch of pock marks on the top of the piston, as well as in the chamber in the head. (I'll take some pics and post them.....it ain't pretty). So....I'm dropping the junkyard head off at the shop this afternoon for some R&R. Hopefully I can get it back by the weekend and get it all buttoned up and running again Any ideas on what I can use to smooth out the top of the piston head? The nicks aren't that deep, but I don't want to ignore it. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87manche Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 I wouldn't bother with the nicks in the top of the piston. You'll be removing material to smooth them, and that's likely to cause even more problems with balance and weakening. If you're really concerned then I would just replace the piston. I replaced just one piston on a Mazda 1.6, it's basically the same motor. it's still running today and that was 3 years ago. I think it cost me about $20 for the replacement pistons and $15 to have it put on the con-rod. You'll have to take it to a machine shop because the wrist pin is pressed in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pingpong Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 No he won't.. I have acces to a connecting rod oven :eek: Thats onlyy if he want to travel over an hour each way though :roll: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87manche Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 for what gas would cost I'd just have a machine shop do it. Took'em about 15 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted June 1, 2006 Author Share Posted June 1, 2006 Well, here's some pics of the damage. First one is the head (aluminum) that took the worst of it. Notice the black gap around the intake valve from about 2 o'clock to about 11 o'clock.....that's the missing bits of the seat :roll: The other pic is of the piston head, and you can see the nicks in it. There's only one of them that's "bad" enough to worry me about (the big blob at 5 o'clock). I'm just gonna carefully file it down (I think it's a part of the seat that fuzed itself to the top) and call it good. Shop is running about a week behind, due to it being race season down here, so I might not get the new head back until next weekend :mad: Jeff p.s. thanks for the offer Pat :cheers: Once I get this thing fixed and back on the road, your bumper is going on the MJ permanently. I'm dying to bust out the sawzall! Image Not Found Image Not Found Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pingpong Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 Just let me know. BTW sorry I never replied to you, but anytime I am off, you can head down this way and I will do some welding for you. Just remember bring beer :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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