Posted by GTK on December 23, 1999 at 01:35:15:
In Reply to: Mysterious engine failure posted by Bob Moriarty on December 23, 1999 at 00:16:45:
I don't buy the piston mfg.reason. Clutch makes no sense, you would have felt it. Sounds like you had the rods checked. My guess would be the lubrication system had a catastrophe failure. Only way to explain so much damage to so many different areas. Lubrication to the crank failed for some reason, spun the mains. As the rods went dry, they went out of column, combined with no lube to the wrist pins causing the piston damage. What do the cam bearings look like ? Was the oil pump and pressure release valve replaced on the rebuild ? Was the oil system pre-pressurized before initial startup ? Reputable mechanics can and do make mistakes. I had a flathead in my P15 fail after 48 miles because the shop installed the oil bypass tube in the pan backwards. Ran dry, spun a main bearing. Shut it down before it totally self destructed. The rebuild was done by one of the largest rebuilders in southern CA. The shop fixed it, but it was a hugh mistake. Now I put them back together myself.