Old Guys Blog

Monday, February 11, 2008

The Wagon Takes A Dump

What would have been a 150 mile trip north to attend a local car show turned into much more when the wagon developed an engine knock just about a mile from the hotel in Palm Bay.

Thinking it might have been the A/C compressor, I pulled the belt, but the knock remained.

Sonny arrived, and using an engine stethoscope, we tried to isolate the knock. It wasn't in the power steering pump, the alternator, water pump, or anywhere in the valve train. And there was only a slight vibration at the tranny pan.

At this point, the weekend was already shot. No way to attend the show tomorrow, and without knowing what was wrong, no way to fix the wagon before the trip back home.

So the big plans for the weekend turned into dinner, a couple cocktails, and the Bud Shootout on TV, which we could just as well have done staying home!

Sunday morning, I started the wagon, and the knock was much less pronounced. I decided to head south, and see if it might possibly correct itself.

Twenty miles down the road, it did. The knock stopped, but the engine developed a vibration. I stopped to check it, and it felt as if the vibration was coming from the area between the block and the tranny.

I decided to have it towed the rest of the way home. With AAA picking up the bulk of the towing tab...would have been $505, but I paid $40...we were back in South Florida in less than a couple hours. And after removing the inspection plate, I could feel a crack in the flex plate.

This morning, the gang at Last Chance took a look at it. It may be the converter, it may be the flex plate, or it may be worse, like some damage to the rotating assembly. You know, like a piston separating from the rod.

We won't know what it is for sure, until it gets some lift time, which will be later this afternoon. Meanwhile, unfortunately but just in case, I'm already thinking the worst, and will be searching for a replacement engine.

posted by Barry @ 9:16 AM

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