Engine overheated, steering locked up and I had no brakes

[Ken]

They were able to actually get the engine to turn over and start, so I think that's probably a bit of good news.

I don't know anything else at this point though.

[marko]

as long as your pistons / rings aren't fried - you are cool.

Originally Posted by Ken

They were able to actually get the engine to turn over and start, so I think that's probably a bit of good news.

I don't know anything else at this point though.

[Ken]

Decided against going with that radiator, the one from my mechanic is only about 30 bucks more, but comes with a 12 month, 12k warranty.. whereas the ebay one only had 30 days.

They said they want to put in the radiator and go from there, but wont really no anything until they get that in and can do compression tests etc.. so, I should know more by tomorrow afternoon.

[dgroebl]

Lets us know what the mechanic says but I'm betting your looking at at least a $1000 dollar bill.

possible causes:
Blown head gasket
Cracked radiator
Leaky hose - not checking the coolant level

possible damage:
warped or cracked head
seized engine
radiator/hoses
possibly nothing but probably not

If your head is truly damaged it might be much cheaper to pick up a used M44 and just have someone swap it in for you. And then make sure to fix the problem with the cooling system of course!

P.S. the condenser is for the AC system and it should not have been effected by the over heat

[aceyx]

Originally Posted by Ken

Well, it turned a little bit because I was able to get it on the side of the road after crossing the freeway (Road had curved and I had to go with it since my brakes weren't stopping me)

So I guess it was just extremely difficult to turn.. it wasn't locked like when you lock the steering wheel when getting out of the car, it just didn't respond

Okay, probably a lack of manifold vacuum.

With my car off and in neutral, the brake pedal almost feels like it's welded solid. If you have any sort of speed, you have to stand on it to get it to slow down.

[Ken]

Originally Posted by dgroebl

Lets us know what the mechanic says but I'm betting your looking at at least a $1000 dollar bill.

possible causes:
Blown head gasket
Cracked radiator
Leaky hose - not checking the coolant level

possible damage:
warped or cracked head
seized engine
radiator/hoses
possibly nothing but probably not

If your head is truly damaged it might be much cheaper to pick up a used M44 and just have someone swap it in for you. And then make sure to fix the problem with the cooling system of course!

P.S. the condenser is for the AC system and it should not have been effected by the over heat

Would the car actually start if it were any of those things besides the radiator / hoses?

[dgroebl]

Sorry I missed the post that the car started. Yeah it can still run with a cracked or warped head. The mechanic will have to do a compression test to determine how much damage has been done.

[jnande4176]

Did you check your belts? It sounds like possibly you threw a belt, loss of power steering, engine shut down, no brakes, etc. Fits all the symptoms. Have that tech replace your water pump while he already has the radiator off, hoses off, fan off, coolant drained, etc. Mine as well, FWIW...

[dgroebl]

Yeah good point, I didn't think of that, if your water pump stopped turning it would definitely cause those issues. However, the alternator is on that same belt though. So if you threw your WP/Alternator belt the battery light would have immediately come on. Also, belts are usually pretty loud/violent when they let go so I'd assume you would have probably noticed that. Any word from the mechanic on the compression test yet?

p.s. They should be able to do a compression test without the radiator. Don't let them bully you into putting several hundred dollars into a radiator job before you even know if the engine is toast or not.

[jnande4176]

yeah, if they told you that you have to have a good radiator on to do a pressure test (cylinder leak-down test) they have begun the early stages of "bending you over"...Just my 2 cents.

It probably would be loud if you threw a belt, but could easily go unheard if you have the radio cranked...ask me how I know. Stranded on the side of a major highway for 8 hours waiting for a tow truck, which actually over-heated on the way to the shop...

[Ken]

Well like I said I don't get charged mark up on parts, so he's not making any money off me buying a new radiator aside from labor.

At this point they think I'm good to go, they put in the new radiator and everything seems fine. They drove it around, temp is in the middle and there's no other issues according to them.

They said since there wasn't any fluids where there shouldn't be and the head wasn't cracked or anything like that they didn't really need to worry about a compression test.

I took the car home today and everything seems fine. They said if there's any other issues the car will let me know.

So, for now, it looks like I lucked out with just a busted radiator.

[dgroebl]

Wow good deal, your a lucky dude!

I'm a little confused on how they could know that your head wasn't cracked just because they didn't find water in the oil and viesa versa. That's sorta the point of a compression tester. But hopefully it never matters cause it keeps running fine.

I caution you to monitor your coolant level closely though. It's possible to have a very slight leak that won't even show up on a compression check. Oil wont mix in with the water, or viesa versa. But what it will do is leak tinny amounts of compressed air into the water jacket of the engine every time that cylinder fires. Slowly this ever steadily growing pocket of air will push the coolant out of the cooling system and your car will eventually over heat again. I'm not sure if this is a common problem with our motors or not but it's possible, and quite frequent in open deck motors.

BTW is the M44 an open deck block? I haven't had mine apart yet (knock on wood)

[dgroebl]

Originally Posted by jnande4176

It probably would be loud if you threw a belt, but could easily go unheard if you have the radio cranked...ask me how I know. Stranded on the side of a major highway for 8 hours waiting for a tow truck, which actually over-heated on the way to the shop...

LameO! Sorry bout that!

I once almost lost a wheel to a bad wheel bearing (that I had supposedly just paid a shop to replace) because I had the radio cranked also! I kept feeling car shake so I'd stop, get out and walk around, look underneath. Then confused I'd get back in and crank the radio (stupid me). Finally the second or third stop I kicked the rear right tire out of frustration and to my surprise the whole freakin wheel and hub broke off! The car fell to the ground and my road trip was over!

[Ken]

Originally Posted by dgroebl

Wow good deal, your a lucky dude!

I'm a little confused on how they could know that your head wasn't cracked just because they didn't find water in the oil and viesa versa. That's sorta the point of a compression tester. But hopefully it never matters cause it keeps running fine.

I caution you to monitor your coolant level closely though. It's possible to have a very slight leak that won't even show up on a compression check. Oil wont mix in with the water, or viesa versa. But what it will do is leak tinny amounts of compressed air into the water jacket of the engine every time that cylinder fires. Slowly this ever steadily growing pocket of air will push the coolant out of the cooling system and your car will eventually over heat again. I'm not sure if this is a common problem with our motors or not but it's possible, and quite frequent in open deck motors.

BTW is the M44 an open deck block? I haven't had mine apart yet (knock on wood)

A very slight leak in what?

[dgroebl]

This usually takes the form of a leak in the head gasket of an open deck motor. Compression from the cylinder slips threw the head gasket and leaks out into the surrounding water jacket. But it can also happen from a small crack in the head. But I've never seen the cracked head thing happen personally. My hunch is that when heads crack its usually a slightly larger leak and you get oil and water mixing.