OK, where do I begin?

Finally got around to doing up the rear end on my 1991 5.0 TBI RS.

Fitted Spohn control arms, torsion bar, gearbox crossmenber etc and POR15'd the whole diff and underneath. Never went near the engine bay at all.

The car ran beautiful right up til 5 days ago when she went up on the ramps.

I started it today to pressure up the brakes to bleed after having the diff out and it sounded like a midget inside the block with a hammer. Nearly fell over! First time not started for 5 days but it often sits in the shed for weeks without running.

The oil pressure gauge spun clockwise off the scale and has stayed there, even when shut down. I did not want to run it for too long, shut it down and restarted several times, checked oil level etc which is fine. I can't really tell where the noise is comming from but as a guess I'd have to say drivers side middle.

Absolutely beside myself and beginning to hate this car. Been nothing but trouble and everything I do to it it fights me the whole way! Beginning to think its cursed, it even broke up my marriage!

So, any ideas where to start. I read another post that said a cracked flex plate could cause that sort of noise but does not explain the gauge obviously.

Just seeking ideas on where I'd even begin to start.

Thanks in advance,

Craig in Australia.

 

C'mon guy's.... can anybody help with this?

I'm thinking when I dropped the cross member the block laid over and the dizzy hit the firewall as the PO had put some black rubber on the firewall in an attempt to hide some rust and it has been pushed down right where the cap and leads would touch.

I can't get a mechanic to come look at it, nobody knows a thing about these engines here in Oz.

Is it possible I've bent the dizzy shaft? I woulda thought I'd have broken the cap first. The noise seems to be comming from the dizzy, but deep inside. Another mechanic suggested I may have meshed the gears inside the dizzy and broken the small drive to the oil pump that runs off the bottom???????

Went through my Childers, Haynes and Factory 1991 Service Manual and can't find any reference to said drive shaft.

Please help?

 

Well, good news!

Found out what the noise is. When I was jacking it up under the k member she slipped off and i caught the steering linkages.

What appeared to be the perfectly natural hump in the sump was a dent that was causing the crank to hit the bottom. Loosened off the sump just now and cranked her over, noise gone.... yay!

Just took the sump off and the new gouge marks off the front of the crank can be clearly seen.

Just belt her out in the morning and put a new gasket on and I'll be able to take her out on holidays thank goodness.

 

glad to hear you found your problem.

 

Ha you got that right! You found the right site here though, these boards have pretty much kept my TA running for the last 10 yrs. To be fair however, I don't think anyone was going to pick a dinged sump - that's one you had to find yourself.

Where are you, I'm in Sydney.

 

Neither did the 2 mechanics that I had visit, both adament it was a big end bearing. To be fair, the metal slithers in the oil looked pretty ominous to me as well. Was just the shaved metal off the sump.

Honest, the crease looks factory neat and when I looked at some sumps on fleabay, I was still none the wiser. The giveaway was the slightly darker area where the connecting rod things (can't for the life of me think of its name) had hit the sump up a coupla mm. As I said, dropped it down on the threads and was so pleased to hear it kick over quiet as a mouse.

I'm in Maitland. Pleased to meet you mate.

 

Likewise, always good value to run into another Skippy!