My last engine was ruined
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From: I stay in a cave
My last engine was ruined
Dear Friends,
I just recently replaced my Camaro's 350 engine. The last engine I had was a good motor. I feel sad because I think that I ruined it. Please allow me to explain.
I bought this Camaro in April of 2002. It came with a built 350 engine. The 350 (355?) had hypereutectic pistons, a competition camshaft, headers, flowmasters, aluminum intake and an Edelbrock carburator. It was producing an estimated 300 HP.
At first things were fine. I was driving my car back in July of last year, and I got stuck in traffic. The temperature guage rose to apx 230 degrees. I started to panic. I drove the car back home, and checked the water level. It was a little bit dry, so I added water to it.
Shortly after this happened, I began to notice white smoke coming from the engine. At first, I did not know where it was coming from. But soon, it became apparent that the smoke was coming from the passenger side cylinder head. It was billowing from the breather. I never found out what was causing the smoke, But I believe that the head gasket may have been blown. Perhaps coolant was leaking, and coming up as smoke.
Like an idiot, I decided one night to drive my car really hard up a colossal hill. Bad mistake! The car ended up stalling out. I still don't know why- well, I may know the reason.
As it turned out, a friend of mine knew some things about car engines. Unfortunately, I know very little. He came over to help me try to get the car started. After checking to see if the fuel pump was working, we took off the air cleaner. The car started when I tried it! It was only a clogged air filter! Or so it seemed.
The white smoke continued. I got angry, because I was told that it would cost approximately 1500 dollars to replace the head gaskets (including machine shop work- that is, resurfacing the heads, etc). I got mad.
I checked the oil, and it appeared to be on the low side. I made a horrible mistake. I added no less than three quarts of oil to the engine.
In addition to the above referenced problems I was having, the car seemed to be slightly overheating as well. Why? Perhaps because the timing was advanced too much? I can't say for certain.
I revved up the engine one day, and it shut down on me. I called my friend to come over and listen to the sound of the engine- it was knocking LOUDLY. He said that it was bad news. He said that I would need to replace the whole engine. I was heartbroken.
When another friend of mine finally disassembled the motor, it was strange. One of the pistons had completely shattered. How? We don't know. Maybe a leak inside caused coolant to get on top of the piston and destroyed it.
The good news is that I now have a new engine. It runs fine. Be careful with your Camaro. Treat it with tenderness. I learned my lesson the hard way. Please- don't wildly rev your car's engine. And be careful when checking the oil, too. Adding too much oil can be disastrous!
Feel free to share your opinions. I now am treating my car like I would treat a newborn baby- and I think- I hope- that this engine will last me for ten years, as long as I maintain it well and take good care of it.
I just recently replaced my Camaro's 350 engine. The last engine I had was a good motor. I feel sad because I think that I ruined it. Please allow me to explain.
I bought this Camaro in April of 2002. It came with a built 350 engine. The 350 (355?) had hypereutectic pistons, a competition camshaft, headers, flowmasters, aluminum intake and an Edelbrock carburator. It was producing an estimated 300 HP.
At first things were fine. I was driving my car back in July of last year, and I got stuck in traffic. The temperature guage rose to apx 230 degrees. I started to panic. I drove the car back home, and checked the water level. It was a little bit dry, so I added water to it.
Shortly after this happened, I began to notice white smoke coming from the engine. At first, I did not know where it was coming from. But soon, it became apparent that the smoke was coming from the passenger side cylinder head. It was billowing from the breather. I never found out what was causing the smoke, But I believe that the head gasket may have been blown. Perhaps coolant was leaking, and coming up as smoke.
Like an idiot, I decided one night to drive my car really hard up a colossal hill. Bad mistake! The car ended up stalling out. I still don't know why- well, I may know the reason.
As it turned out, a friend of mine knew some things about car engines. Unfortunately, I know very little. He came over to help me try to get the car started. After checking to see if the fuel pump was working, we took off the air cleaner. The car started when I tried it! It was only a clogged air filter! Or so it seemed.
The white smoke continued. I got angry, because I was told that it would cost approximately 1500 dollars to replace the head gaskets (including machine shop work- that is, resurfacing the heads, etc). I got mad.
I checked the oil, and it appeared to be on the low side. I made a horrible mistake. I added no less than three quarts of oil to the engine.
In addition to the above referenced problems I was having, the car seemed to be slightly overheating as well. Why? Perhaps because the timing was advanced too much? I can't say for certain.
I revved up the engine one day, and it shut down on me. I called my friend to come over and listen to the sound of the engine- it was knocking LOUDLY. He said that it was bad news. He said that I would need to replace the whole engine. I was heartbroken.
When another friend of mine finally disassembled the motor, it was strange. One of the pistons had completely shattered. How? We don't know. Maybe a leak inside caused coolant to get on top of the piston and destroyed it.
The good news is that I now have a new engine. It runs fine. Be careful with your Camaro. Treat it with tenderness. I learned my lesson the hard way. Please- don't wildly rev your car's engine. And be careful when checking the oil, too. Adding too much oil can be disastrous!
Feel free to share your opinions. I now am treating my car like I would treat a newborn baby- and I think- I hope- that this engine will last me for ten years, as long as I maintain it well and take good care of it.
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S/S,
Wow! You don't have very high expectations. An engine that is only ten years young should barely be broken in, let alone worn out. If you can't get 200,000 miles out of a SBC V-8, there's something wrong.
Maintenance is definitely the key. If you want to keep your engine like new, break it in following teh builder's instructions, then change to synthetic lubricants ASAP. Follow the normal maintenance schedule and you should have very few problems.
Wow! You don't have very high expectations. An engine that is only ten years young should barely be broken in, let alone worn out. If you can't get 200,000 miles out of a SBC V-8, there's something wrong.
Maintenance is definitely the key. If you want to keep your engine like new, break it in following teh builder's instructions, then change to synthetic lubricants ASAP. Follow the normal maintenance schedule and you should have very few problems.
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