Chris, It’s tough … I don’t know what changed … I’m fine here (I think) … I can’t upgrade and can’t access the dow site here but I have no trouble with e-mail here … I think there is something built into XP Pro to make it implode and the newer firefox is a virus as far as I’m concerned … I have no trouble getting radar pictures and all that stuff here but it all stalls at my shop and office … Same phone lines etc etc etc … I’m W2000 here … I may go back to win98 … Just kidding … Thank God it’s Friday :o) … Have a nice week … I’m looking for an engine for my car now … It blew on the way to Herb H’s place … His model A is sweet and his caddy looked great as well … Great folks … Mike, Please post this on my blog page as I can’t get into it … Thanks again
Glad too hear MIKE L is OK,good luck with the transportation lemons,I have had my share of them.Most of them were the ones i tried too rebuild the motors, now i just find good running motors and install.
Yeah I should have posted here on Mike’s thread, got a call from Mike week ago last thru from about 40 miles northeast of my place. The engine in his 2000 Caddy (none woodgas) had blown and left him standed on hiway 30 east of Ames! Mike had car towed to Ames and I picked him up and brought him to my house while we figured out what to do! He stayed here the night and the next morning I offered to drive him home, since then he has had his car hauled to his place!
He just wanted to get away for a while, he had his canoe strapped on top his Caddy, he was going to stop by my place and then on to South Dakota for some canoeing, sucks that it didn’t work out for him!
Took him for a ride in my Model A and wanted to go for a ride in WoodPoweredCaddy but he was too concrened about how he was going to get his car home!
Hi Mike L sorry too here about the motor cinerator, I ground my 2500 truck low on oil last week,due too Crap oil sender unit sprung a leak on way too pick up my dads truck,thought gauge was going faulty, drove about 6 miles on no oil psi.no knock’s yet, may have lost about 3 too 5 psi on hot engine.Seems like i had that problem years ago, junk oil sending unit pissing oil out around the black Bakelite and the plug in area.went through 12 quart drain oil time i got 30 mile back home. Worked good 6 month’s till sprung the leak.what a defecto GM design oil sender.
Sounds like my first ex’s car. It was an 82 Chrysler something POS that she’d left in a field after “unknown problems” for a few years. Her mom had to sell the old house so we had to get the car out of there.
Her mechanic cousin, Andy, wanted to get it to his place about 2 miles down the road to work on it. He got it running, deemed it worthy of the trip, and didn’t think it needed to be towed.
“Watch the oil pressure gauge. If it goes below this mark or if it moves too much, shut off the engine immediately and pull over. I’ll be right behind you.”
About a mile down the road, the oil pressure gauge dropped from ‘normal’ to ‘zero’ in a blink of an eye, so we shut it off and pulled over.
Andy, who had been following us in his tan 4x4 Toyota truck, pulled up next to us in a black truck with the windshield wipers running (no rain).
“Let me guess… The oil pressure gauge moved…”
It turned out that several of the bolts on the oil pan had rusted away and the pan was just flopping there by 2 bolts.
“In its 3.0 L form, this engine was notable for recalls of all units installed in Cadillac Cateras due to timing belt tensioner bearing failures, which could cause catastrophic damage to the engine because of its interference design.”
Haven’t heard if it was timing belt related, but this definitely qualifies as catastrophic.
I believe timing belt failures are mostly catastrophic to the head/top-end of the engine, i.e. The valves get crammed upwards, break, and throw shrapnel around in the valve cam(s).
I believe this is a “thrown rod” which is a piston rod breaking off of the crankshaft (bottom of the engine) and getting thrown sideways through the engine block.
I am with brian on this one, not likely from the timeing belt or chain effect. at least i think,the last tracker i bought from jackson MI area, had rebuilt motor but it dident run due too the belt got dried out and broke, he should have put new belt on after rebuild,and it had 3 or four bent valves not closeing all the way.other than that,i rolled some strait valves back in the head and she started right up and ran fine.
Yeah Mike said over and over, no noise before it blow apart, 80 psi oil, and it was full of good oil because it was all over the top of flatbed that hauled it in! Had to be stress cracked connecting rod that dicided to let go! It’s a very nice car with low mileage, red, nice shape! Last I heard Mike has it at a local mechanic, engine out and waiting on replacement coming from somewhere!
Good to hear you are feeling better Herb, and that Mike L has engine on the way,sounds like that Cati is well worth a motor for sure.I got too slip another motor too my 2500 truck soon.God bless.
Most US modern production engines use “fractured cap” connecting rods.
These are made of powered metals castings. Then heat forged to 90% finished. 100% finished after machining, then the cap end of the connecting rod is snapped off forming a unique matched set.
I figure one of these rods when it lets go will not give any warning.
Hey. These do work 99,999 times out of 100,000. Wife is driving around on six of these right now. Knock on wood.
S.U.
Mike called me today and wanted me to update the group! He can’t get on here for some reason.
He had a local shop replace the engine in his 2000 Caddy and is running good, he said the guy did a great job and Mike is back to driving it although kind of leary of getting to far away from home with it! Mike is taking the old engine apart saving all the valuable parts and so on! It was a very exspenive trip for him, cost 750$ to get it hauled home from here and it goes on from there!
Thanks for update and we are wishing Mike L the best of luck with his new wheels, I dont like traveling long distance with out testing for gasket leaks,and replacing lower hidden hoses and any weak looking top hoses,at least.
Finally can maybe reply here ?? …
New engine is in caddy
I’m afraid to drive it. I have taken the old engine apart to see what might have happened. I have the heads sitting next to me.
We just had a foot of snow so things are back on hold not to mention the salt on the roads … I’m driving the 93 black truck with rotten frame.
Let’s see if this goes through.
Regards, Mike LaRosa
