Help! Engine Died

Im not a wiz mechanic by any means, but I do agree that your next step would be to drop your oil pan and take a peek. The knocking could have been that you threw a rod bearing (which are purdy easy to change) but wouldn't make it over heat. A blown head gasket would make it over heat but you would have water in your oil most of the time. (Suggested that because I have had a head gasket go in a 4.3L and filled cylinders with water and you could NOT get engin to spin) You said first outing in the jeep, did you happen to check water level prior to taking off in it? Running low on water and no shroud+worn out clutch fan will make these jeeps over heat quick, mine does all the time. Just some things I thought of for you to check out. If you pull the pan and notice nothing wrong, give everything inside there a good firm shake and if nothing is loose and all is tight then I would pull your heads off and check your pistons and head gaskets.

 

I am wondering if we have a bind of sorts in the valve train. I think I would remove the rocker assemblies (only a few bolts) and tag which one came from what side, then remove push rods and mark which rod for which hole then try to turn engine agn. As said before, with no more strain on engine parts, you should be able to spin it very easily. Let us know. Hope it spins like a top..

 

I agree...it doen't sound good. When I said "first outing", I meant my first big outing. I had been driving around all week in town to make sure everything was ok. I did check the coolant and oil prior to leaving and they were both full. It does move freely in neutral...haven't tried in gear with the clutch in yet. I guess I'll drop the pan first, then check the rocker assemblies. I also posted this on jeepforums and some guys suggested pulling it with another vehicle and then slipping it into high gear to see if the tires spin or not. If not then the motor is def. siezed. At that point I guess its time for a new motor. Kinda sucks to have all this trouble having only had it for a couple of weeks. I guess thats the "fun" of owning an old jeep.

 

Just throwing out a quick personal lesson learned here. My jeep didn't over heat, but I would end up with issues with it wanting to start after driving around for a bit. I had just done some electrical work changing the distributor over to solid state and putting a new fuel pump in. I had changed out the starter, starter solenoid, ignition switch, and coil the week before. One day when it left me stranded because the battery died trying to start it, i went and got another battery. Still nothing. While I was there I happened to pick up another starter solenoid because it could only be two things at that point. Put the new battery in and got nothing. I looked at the starter solenoid and found that it had melted. Seems it through a spark to the fender by the look of the burned paint right there. Tried to start and it started right away with seriously low idle. It was enough to get me home though. I left it running and opened the hood to watch the fuel filter. Found very little fuel going to the engine. Replaced the mechanical pump and it ran good for another few weeks before a wiped bearing forced me to replace the engine. You might find the same thing with yours. It's worth checking the solenoid and fuel delivery while your looking at everything else. The knocking noise you heard could have been caused by the low oil. If my 304 gets a quart low I hear a rocker knock and it's pretty common. Add oil and it goes away.

 

BTW did you say you drained the oil after this happened? Was there foam present? That would tell you if its a head gasket or not.

 

those are good points, but I just replaced the fuel pump and sending unit. There is gas in the carb so I don't think its a fuel issue. I did drain the oil and did not see any foam, just smelt burned. I will proly replace the solenoid at some point, but right now I don't think thats an issue either.

 

I sure don't recommend pulling your vehicle in gear to see if the engine is seized. We already know we have an issue there. You could break gears/clutch etc. and possibly damage both vehicles.

 

These guys are asking you great questions. I don't see a lot of defenate answers though. Its sounding like internal engine problems. I would like to ask a couple questions. This was your first big outing? how high did you rev it (RPM)? did you get stuck and run the engine hard? are you running a good air cleaner or any air cleaner? could you have sucked dirt in the engine? did you go through any deep water crossings? tell us what realy happened and the situation when you had engine problems start! I find most of the time people really don't say the whole story! a lot of people jump into old jeeps without good mechanical abilities. these things can be tempermental and everyone has its own temperment. Can we see pictures of your rig and pictures of under the hood.

 

I never made it to the trails...I was on the highway when it overheated. As I said before, it overheated, engine died, and I pulled it off to the side of the road. I let it cool off, checked the coolant level which was just above the internal fins, and then I tried to restart it. The engine would turn over but wouldn't start. Then the battery died. Once I got home and chargerd the battery, the engine wouldn't crank at all. All I could hear was the click of the starter motor. And yes, I was running an air filter and it was new. I don't have any pics at the moment as I am at work, although I don't think pics of under the hood will help until I tear the motor down.

 

Back to the big issue. With the plugs out, the motor assembly should spin freely. If it will not then there is something amiss between the internals.

 

Just got the LH valve cover and rockers off. there is alot of thick, old, burnt, rust mixed oil iver everything except the rockers on #5, which are dry. Heres a pic...

 

Well its a bad day for Big Bertha. I found my problem...I broke a connecting rod in cyl #7. Guess its time for a complete rebuild.

 

This is a 304? A 360 is basically the same engine (same crank, different bore) and will drop in. The cheapest fix is usually a used 360. You'll need a 360 flywheel, or to have the 304 flywheel balanced.

 

Bummer, sorry to hear it.

 

I have a 360 that had the exact same issue. I wonder if this is a function of the supposed poor oiling of #7 and #8 bearings?

Regardless...I'm sorry to hear it too. I think my rebuilt 360 was around $1,400. You can probably find a running 360 cheaper than that though.

 

I was really afraid it was going to be a serious issue. Sorry to hear.

 

I thought about getting a 360, but I think I'm gonna rebuild the 304. I just want the experience of rebuilding an engine and I'm kinda a sucker for originals.

 

I hear ya....I kept the 304 that came out of mine when I put in the 360...for the same reason, I knew it was the original motor.

 

I found a 360 on CL from an 81 Waggy for 450 that the guy says is running. I'm thinking about getting it but I'm just worried about not knowing what condition its in. What do you guys think?

 

Hot idle oil pressure is the main issue. This has to be at full operating temperature, ie after a highway run. 10 psi or less is dicey (and common), 25 or more is good. These engines are notorious for low HIOP at high miles.

The other thing to check is the compression.

JMO - I would not pay $450 for a 360 that I could not hear run and measure. A core 360 should be cheap, like $100-150.

Sorry about your 304 - you have a broken rod? A pic would be interesting.