Knocking + major loss in power, help diagnosing

[psylens]

Well, i've got a lot more news.

Compression tests came out good: 125, 130, 130, 125 - good enough, anyway.

He went over the whole car and gave me a laundry list of things that should be replaced . The list was long-ish, but i wasn't too surprised. Things like tie rod ends, ball joints, bushings, and so on; i won't bore you.

He took off the oil pan. The number 1 journal is fried: he thinks a ten-thousandth off should do it. So, to have him take out the crank and have it machined, and replace the bearings and whatever else and put it all back together, it'll be around $2800.

So i am having him wrap it up and have it towed back home to work on it. It is encouraging to hear that a guy can replace the crank in a weekend... so that is going to be my goal. Pull this crank out and see how much it'll cost to have it machined, or locate a crank and replace mine.

Anybody seen a "how-to" on this? I have the service manual, but a real person's documentation of their experience would be nice. If i don't find one, i might make that a project, too - documenting the process.

Anybody near Denver got a crank in good condition?

[bwilson27]

Seriously, is this engine worth 2800.00? You can almost certainly find a complete engine, or at lest a decent short block, used for under 500 bucks. Heck, most times you can find entire cars for 200 - 300 bucks. And an engine swap takes nothing more than a rented cherry picker.
You could save yourself some serious dough by checking around a little, I would think.

[psylens]

Seriously, is this engine worth 2800.00? You can almost certainly find a complete engine, or at lest a decent short block, used for under 500 bucks. Heck, most times you can find entire cars for 200 - 300 bucks. And an engine swap takes nothing more than a rented cherry picker.
You could save yourself some serious dough by checking around a little, I would think.

That is why i am having it towed back home. To swap the crank or an entire engine (or short block, or whatever it takes) out myself.

[So Cal Mark]

just swapping in a crank is a recipe for more failure. All of that metal from the failed bearing is scattered throughout the motor. Also a good possibility that one or more rods are out of round now. If a rod bearing failed, the piston may be damaged from contacting the cylinder head

[psylens]

just swapping in a crank is a recipe for more failure. All of that metal from the failed bearing is scattered throughout the motor. Also a good possibility that one or more rods are out of round now. If a rod bearing failed, the piston may be damaged from contacting the cylinder head

Do you have any recommendations for remedies? I was thinking there must be a solution for the scattered metal, such as flushing. If the rods are out of round does that mean they need to be replaced, or can they be machined? If the piston is damaged from slapping the cylinder head, i would assume that could just be replaced. Would it be obvious?

Sounds to me that the easiest solution is to find a good used motor around here; but then how can i know if the PO did a hack job (like maybe what i would've done ) to get one in worse shape to run good?

[psylens]

I have found a guy not too far away who has a 2000 short block, so i am going that way. He also may have a 1756 head and intake + carb that i may put on top (apparently he has a few junked spiders). Or maybe i'll just do a straight short-block swap so i can be back on the road again sooner, then work on rebuilding the other one with some performance in mind.

I didn't hear back on possible remedies to clean out scattered metal from the rod bearing. Is that block a lost cause, or is there a way to flush that metal out?

[baltobernie]

I didn't hear back on possible remedies to clean out scattered metal from the rod bearing. Is that block a lost cause, or is there a way to flush that metal out?

Seriously ... all nine respondents said to get a used engine or completely rebuild what you've got. Lean a little closer to the computer screen, so I can smack you in the forehead

[majicwrench]

That block can certainly be boiled out at a machine shop, or simply taken to a car wash or gone over INSIDE AND OUT with a pressure washer and some sort of degreaser. Then rebuilt from ground up.
Keith

[baltobernie]

"Boiling" the Fiat TC block, commonly defined as "Hot Tank" will destroy the auxiliary shaft bearings. Not expensive, but require special Fiat tools to replace. Use a "solvent bath" unless you plan on replacing these bearings. Tell the machine shop to treat the block as though it were aluminum; they'll know what to do.

[psylens]

I didn't hear back on possible remedies to clean out scattered metal from the rod bearing. Is that block a lost cause, or is there a way to flush that metal out?

Seriously ... all nine respondents said to get a used engine or completely rebuild what you've got. Lean a little closer to the computer screen, so I can smack you in the forehead

Perhaps I wasn't clear in my paragraph above the one you quoted. I am replacing the short block and then rebuilding the bad one - so I'm actually doing both of what the "nine respondents" recommended. If there is some sort of standard flush one does when rebuilding then perhaps that is all you needed to say; I was directly inquiring to that point - maybe I wasn't clear. I see in your next, more productive, post you said there is this standard flush I can ask for at a machine shop; Thanks for this info. I'll work at being more clear in the future.