Engine hydrolocked from oil while cranking?
#1
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Engine hydrolocked from oil while cranking?
Okay, I have tried to search all over for this issue to avoid getting slaughtered for asking but I cant find any answers.
Car is a 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata. I tore apart the car to install my ARTech manifold and downpipe with EFR-6258, FIC 750cc injectors and Reverant MS2enhanced ECU.
I finished my turbo install yesterday and I started the car. It idled for about a minute and then died. When I went to crank it back up I heard a POP and then it stopped cranking. I tried to crank it again and it was obvious there was something locking the motor up. I pulled the plugs and cylinder 2 was full of what I thought was coolant. I thought that I had some how popped my head gasket while cranking and hydrolocked my motor! I've never heard of a head gasket blowing while cranking though.
I used my mityvac to try and remove the fluid from the cylinder to hopefully keep as must rust from forming as possible only to find out that it wasn't coolant at all, it was oil. almost 2oz of oil! I wonder of maybe I blew out the valve stem seals but how could there be that much oil? Enough to stop the motor from turning over after cranking a few times.
I then tried to do a compression test on that cylinder and it was 220 psi, I moved to cylinder 1 and it was about 180 psi I assume the higher psi is due to the little bit of oil that I couldn't get out. after checking cylinder 1 I stopped and put the mityvac back in cylinder 2 and pulled another oz. out of it? I didn't even bother to continue checking the rest of the cylinders after that. What just happened to my motor? Does anyone have any thoughts?
Car is a 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata. I tore apart the car to install my ARTech manifold and downpipe with EFR-6258, FIC 750cc injectors and Reverant MS2enhanced ECU.
I finished my turbo install yesterday and I started the car. It idled for about a minute and then died. When I went to crank it back up I heard a POP and then it stopped cranking. I tried to crank it again and it was obvious there was something locking the motor up. I pulled the plugs and cylinder 2 was full of what I thought was coolant. I thought that I had some how popped my head gasket while cranking and hydrolocked my motor! I've never heard of a head gasket blowing while cranking though.
I used my mityvac to try and remove the fluid from the cylinder to hopefully keep as must rust from forming as possible only to find out that it wasn't coolant at all, it was oil. almost 2oz of oil! I wonder of maybe I blew out the valve stem seals but how could there be that much oil? Enough to stop the motor from turning over after cranking a few times.
I then tried to do a compression test on that cylinder and it was 220 psi, I moved to cylinder 1 and it was about 180 psi I assume the higher psi is due to the little bit of oil that I couldn't get out. after checking cylinder 1 I stopped and put the mityvac back in cylinder 2 and pulled another oz. out of it? I didn't even bother to continue checking the rest of the cylinders after that. What just happened to my motor? Does anyone have any thoughts?
Last edited by FrankB; 07-28-2013 at 06:57 PM.
#2
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The last thing I did was pull the valve cover off and try to see if any of the valve seals on cylinder 2 looked any different from the rest of the cylinders but I couldn't tell any differences between them.
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Yes, it will crank with the plugs out.
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Car was running fine prior to turbo install. I haven't touched the headgasket either so don't think that could be it. However I'm not 100% sure if there is any oil galleys running directly next to cylinder 2 that I could have blown a headgasket that way.
The furthest I went into the motor was removing the top of the intake to install the injectors.
The furthest I went into the motor was removing the top of the intake to install the injectors.
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I've got no idea how you did that. I would put new plugs back in and try to crank it now, though. The starter doesn't make enough torque to hurt the rods if hydrolocked so you are OK there. PCV line or something drained into it when moved around, perhaps? Just crank it and let it burn off the excess, I guess.
#12
Stumped!
Tell us a little more about when the car was idling. What was the duration between the shut down, and your attempt to restart it? Was it a hard fast shut down?
I would take off a charge pipe and look to see if it is pulling oil from somewhere upstream from the throttle body, and work your way down stream.
Tell us a little more about when the car was idling. What was the duration between the shut down, and your attempt to restart it? Was it a hard fast shut down?
I would take off a charge pipe and look to see if it is pulling oil from somewhere upstream from the throttle body, and work your way down stream.
#13
Same here: I'm just as puzzled as you are. Must have opened this thread and your build thread like 5 times each now and each time just close it without any real idea or hypothesis. This is pretty rare, at least the way you say it happened anyway.
I'd get all the crap outa it and try it again like shooter said. if it fills up quickly again then you've no other choice but to tear it open. If it doesn't then try another comp/leakdown test and decide from there what you want to do.
*edit: have you drained the oil yet? is it normal or is there coolant in it?
I'd get all the crap outa it and try it again like shooter said. if it fills up quickly again then you've no other choice but to tear it open. If it doesn't then try another comp/leakdown test and decide from there what you want to do.
*edit: have you drained the oil yet? is it normal or is there coolant in it?
#15
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Stumped!
Tell us a little more about when the car was idling. What was the duration between the shut down, and your attempt to restart it? Was it a hard fast shut down?
I would take off a charge pipe and look to see if it is pulling oil from somewhere upstream from the throttle body, and work your way down stream.
Tell us a little more about when the car was idling. What was the duration between the shut down, and your attempt to restart it? Was it a hard fast shut down?
I would take off a charge pipe and look to see if it is pulling oil from somewhere upstream from the throttle body, and work your way down stream.
When I get off work I'll pull the coupler of the throttle body and check for oil. I'm just as stumped as everyone else.
I've got no idea how you did that. I would put new plugs back in and try to crank it now, though. The starter doesn't make enough torque to hurt the rods if hydrolocked so you are OK there. PCV line or something drained into it when moved around, perhaps? Just crank it and let it burn off the excess, I guess.
Same here: I'm just as puzzled as you are. Must have opened this thread and your build thread like 5 times each now and each time just close it without any real idea or hypothesis. This is pretty rare, at least the way you say it happened anyway.
I'd get all the crap outa it and try it again like shooter said. if it fills up quickly again then you've no other choice but to tear it open. If it doesn't then try another comp/leakdown test and decide from there what you want to do.
*edit: have you drained the oil yet? is it normal or is there coolant in it?
I'd get all the crap outa it and try it again like shooter said. if it fills up quickly again then you've no other choice but to tear it open. If it doesn't then try another comp/leakdown test and decide from there what you want to do.
*edit: have you drained the oil yet? is it normal or is there coolant in it?
#18
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Okay sounds like a plan. No, I don't remember. I was actually out and the car and preparing to recheck the timing. Then when it died I didn't really think much of anything about it. I finished hooking up the timing light and then went to restart it.