Well... Tore the block apart today. Started off with removing the starter motor and oil pan. Lots of fun stuff in the bottom of the pan. Metal chunks, connecting rod bearings, more metal chunks, etc. So the one piston with the snapped connecting rod popped out with a tap of a hammer. It's cracked halfway up the side. The cylinder? Haha. BIG chunk missing from that. The hole in the side of the block? Got bigger as pieces of it came off with the oil pan. Crankshaft looks gnarled where the connecting rod snapped. Yeah, it's not a pretty sight, but I'll post some pics tomorrow after work. But for now, I gtg.

-Brian

 

how did you blow it up? Sounds like fun though to pull that thing apart

 

Well it's a long story and an interesting theory. My engine blew up on June 8th. 2 weeks prior, I had done an oil change. I let the oil drain for a good 20 minutes, changed the oil filter, and put about 3 quarts of oil in. (Keep in mind, I didn't know jack about cars then, I've learned a LOT since then) Well I started the car and let it run for a minute or two, shut it off, and the dipstick read slightly over full. Here's where my theory comes in to play. There obviously was a lot of sludge in there, which was binding up in the oil pump screen. Therefore, when I turned the engine on, the oil wasn't circulating through the engine like it should be, thus an innacurate reading on the dipstick. If the oil isn't circulating, it's all sitting in the bottom of the engine, giving a dipstick reading of over full. Now it's common knowledge, a 305 is going to take at least 4 1/2 quarts of oil, generally 5. So the fact that the sludge was in there was probably the entire cause of the snapped connecting rod. The oil wasn't getting to places where it should be, seizing up the bearings and thus destroying the block. I have the piston with the snapped connecting rod attached to it and it's literally seized in place. You can hammer away at that connecting rod and it won't budge. So that means the engine was getting way too hot (or not enough lubrication) and finally gave out after about 10 minutes going down interstate 80-94 towards Michigan at a steady 75 mph. I don't think it was temperature though, because my temp guage was fine. So that's my theory on what happened, I could be wrong, it could have simply been the fact that the connecting rod had enough and decided to snap, but considering the circumstances I think I'm right on this one. Oh, I didn't manage to get the pictures today but I'll get them as soon as I get a chance.

-Brian

Edit: BTW- The oil pressure guage was going back and forth for 2 days before it blew up, now ok that should have been a clear sign but I thought maybe it was the guage malfunctioning or something, but I guess not. Like I said, I didn't know a damn thing about cars besides how to drive them. In the past few months I've learned a vast amount of information (studied books and all kinds of stuff, and hands on experience)