No oil in motor
 

I just bought another 99 tonight. Haven't seen it yet, but looks really clean in pictures. It is a triple black base model with 82K. Supposedly, Jiffy Lube didn't put in oil, or the plug, whatever. In any case, it was run without oil. I'm not sure how long, but I guess it won't really matter in the end. Supposedly, the car runs but has a bad rod knock.

I have a complete 99 motor with 95K. I also have a couple of shortblocks. I know the true answer will be "pull the cams and find out" but do you think the head will be dead (put in spare complete motor) or will the head survive longer than it takes to sieze the pistons, crank, etc and it only needs a shortblock?

I don't plan to part this car out, but get it running again. I won't keep it. My wife kind of wants one now, :)(she spent the weekend driving mine when I was off on a fishing trip) but she won't have black on a gravel road, which I understand.

If it was ran without oil and has a rod knock, that motor's done. I've seen too many motors that were as you describe. It scorches the cam bearings bad. Sometimes will cause the cams to seize and strip the timing belt or break the timing chain, or strip the timing gears (seen all of this happen from running without oil). Head "could" be fixed though. New valves, new guides, shave the bearing caps and have a machinist line bore them again. New cams, etc. It's saveable, but not "ok" by any means.

EDIT: Wait for it.... You know what I'm asking. Yes or no.

LOL, I thought as soon as I saw that you replied, "Wonder if Pat will ask?":)

Sorry, no, base model, so 14's. Did you ever check on the set in Des Moines CL that I PM'ed you about? Still available and $150 asking price.

Way back I was buying thrust bearing TSB motors from a Mazda tech when he'd come across "good" ones. The easiest place to detect bearing issues was the front journals on the exhaust cam- the end of the oil path. If I'd find damage there, then I'd go to the bottom and see what the mains/rods looked like.

I though this thread would have been about stolen oil again lol

if it trashed the bottom end there is now way i'd feel comfortable running anything from the top of the engine. the head is going to get too hot faster than the bottm end will. good luck with the car though.

Yeah, I suppose I'll just put in the complete motor. It's what I suspected I would have to do, anyway. I'll also do the WP/TB and all hoses, plus seals. That way it's done for the new owner and it's easier to do with the motor out anyway. I can pull apart the old motor over the winter when I'm bored and it's cold to see if I can salvage anything. It was priced such that I can use the complete motor and still come out, but I hated giving up my spare 99 head.