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oddball101
Well-Known Member
Okay, so you are witnessing my picture post virginity melt away right in front of your eyes lol. I'm not sure if the forum rules have limitations on how many pics can be posted so just let me know and I will trim it down. Also if sizing is an issue (which I do not know yet), please let me know how to correct it.
So here's my story.
Heard a slight knocking sound when I bought my 01 3.0 for a seriously discounted price. A few months later, driving down the highway, the rpm's shot up and the power dropped out. I coasted to a stop on the side where the motor shut off (seized), got her towed home and there she has been now for longer than I care to admit.
Finally got some time to tear into her about a week ago and now I have got parts coming in like it's cool so I can get her back on the road. I picked up a 99 3.0 taurus bottom end to swap over and started cleaning it up before I surface it and the heads.
"New" motor
A start on the unbuttoning process
Upper intake stuff gone
Lower intake and stuff gone
Push rods and rocker arms gone
Passenger side head gone
Drivers side head gone
Water pump and connected fan gone, A/C line still intact
I then unbolted the motor from the tranny, took out the starter and took a peak through the service plate on the other side of the tranny. Tried to get the bolts to the torque converter but failed because the crank wouldn't spin for ish. At this point I felt there was enough room to pull the motor (supported by a cherry picker) away from the tranny (supported by a floor jack). I know the preferred method is to back the tranny away from the motor when the TC cannot be disconnected. I however chose the other route thinking it may be possible for me to do this whole thing without having to mess with the tranny or detaching the exhaust.. and it worked. I was able to keep the tranny and motor level enough to slide straight back with ease. When it uncoupled from the tranny there was only a slight shift which tells me there wasn't that much weight creating pressure between the two. The reason I was concerned for this was because I didn't want to damage the torque converter.. we'll see.
Motor gone
The blown motor
Evidience.. metal shavings in the oil pan
The culprit.. looks to be a spun bearing under piston 4 (sorry, bad shot)
The interesting part which raises some questions as to the condition of the driver side head. The top of number 4 piston retains the exact shape of the combustion chamber.. Makes me wonder if when the bearing gave out, did the piston actually slap the bottom of the head to create this carbon imprint and potentially warp it in doing so? I've never seen anything like this so any input is welcome. The number 5 piston and the rest all have the same full covering carbon deposit, it just looks different because of the flash off of the cylinder wall.
So, this is how it stands now until I get the parts I've ordered in for replacement in about a week or so. Then I have to wait for payday to get the other parts I'll be needing. At the end of this rebuild project I'll be posting a complete list of everything I used and their costs so that hopefully it will help someone else in my shoes better uderstand what they can expect to be working with.
Let me know what you think about the number 4 piston and anything else that may come to mind..
So here's my story.
Heard a slight knocking sound when I bought my 01 3.0 for a seriously discounted price. A few months later, driving down the highway, the rpm's shot up and the power dropped out. I coasted to a stop on the side where the motor shut off (seized), got her towed home and there she has been now for longer than I care to admit.
Finally got some time to tear into her about a week ago and now I have got parts coming in like it's cool so I can get her back on the road. I picked up a 99 3.0 taurus bottom end to swap over and started cleaning it up before I surface it and the heads.
"New" motor
A start on the unbuttoning process
Upper intake stuff gone
Lower intake and stuff gone
Push rods and rocker arms gone
Passenger side head gone
Drivers side head gone
Water pump and connected fan gone, A/C line still intact
I then unbolted the motor from the tranny, took out the starter and took a peak through the service plate on the other side of the tranny. Tried to get the bolts to the torque converter but failed because the crank wouldn't spin for ish. At this point I felt there was enough room to pull the motor (supported by a cherry picker) away from the tranny (supported by a floor jack). I know the preferred method is to back the tranny away from the motor when the TC cannot be disconnected. I however chose the other route thinking it may be possible for me to do this whole thing without having to mess with the tranny or detaching the exhaust.. and it worked. I was able to keep the tranny and motor level enough to slide straight back with ease. When it uncoupled from the tranny there was only a slight shift which tells me there wasn't that much weight creating pressure between the two. The reason I was concerned for this was because I didn't want to damage the torque converter.. we'll see.
Motor gone
The blown motor
Evidience.. metal shavings in the oil pan
The culprit.. looks to be a spun bearing under piston 4 (sorry, bad shot)
The interesting part which raises some questions as to the condition of the driver side head. The top of number 4 piston retains the exact shape of the combustion chamber.. Makes me wonder if when the bearing gave out, did the piston actually slap the bottom of the head to create this carbon imprint and potentially warp it in doing so? I've never seen anything like this so any input is welcome. The number 5 piston and the rest all have the same full covering carbon deposit, it just looks different because of the flash off of the cylinder wall.
So, this is how it stands now until I get the parts I've ordered in for replacement in about a week or so. Then I have to wait for payday to get the other parts I'll be needing. At the end of this rebuild project I'll be posting a complete list of everything I used and their costs so that hopefully it will help someone else in my shoes better uderstand what they can expect to be working with.
Let me know what you think about the number 4 piston and anything else that may come to mind..
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