What Happened?

[cpisani70@aol.com]

So I posted a question last week about the fact that I was unable to get my 2003 GMC Savanna 6.0 started, it had been sitting for quite a while. Well it was not in a location where I was able to work on it so I had it towed to a garage close to where I live. What i thought was going to be an electrical issue turned into a MESS! The garage called to say the motor is blown , they never got it started but stated that they found a hole in the oil pan from the inside out and it needed motor changed I'm baffled? I personally drove it to where it was after the divorce it ran fine , I'm no expert but it doesn't seem possible. The garage doesn't want the motor job so it is being towed to my house tomorrow . Any thoughts would be helpful


Thanks
Chris

[Bladeboy1998]

I would get another opinion, that seems a little fishy.

[Boog]

If the engine is blown then somebody had access to the keys and did it for you. Ugly divorce?

[cpisani70@aol.com]

So I got the oil pan off today to see WTF is going on And believe me I was thinking exactly what you two were. But here is what I found and I still can't figure it out! The connecting rod to the number 1 cylinder is snapped in half! It is still fastened to the crank so it appears the crank is fine? Do you think it is possible to remove the head and install a new rod ? I would love to be able to salvage the motor, Van has under 70k on it. Still wish I knew how this happened ?


Thanks
Chris

[Boog]

Chris it is possible alright but i feel you will find more damage once you get it torn down. Rods normally do not break in half for no reason. I suspect bent or broken valve maybe or a failed head gasket letting coolant into that cylinder causing it to hydraulic. Is the oil level higher than it should be? Pulled that spark plug yet?

[cpisani70@aol.com]

So spent a little more time on it , the cause appears to be hydraulic however not coolant but fuel? I turned it with a breaker bar and fuel poured down the block then as another piston was rising on its compression stroke it locked up because I am trying to compress a liquid? Tomorrow I will pull the plugs so I can dump the fuel out and then rotate the crank a full cycle. What are your thoughts on why the fuel got by the injectors and flooded the cylinders and also is it possible to tear this engine down while it's in the Van and repair the damage?????

[Boog]

It may have stopped turning over due to another cylinder being full of gas or that broke rod caught on the block, etc. Id pull all the plugs and have a look and see if it will spin fully again without lockup. The only suspect i can think of is maybe the fuel pressure regulator. Im not sure just where its located on that engine. Not having worked on a van i cant say wether this can be done in the van or not. Now would be a good time to pickup a repair manual if you dont already have one.
With the relatively low miles on the engine i cant see multiple injectors failing at once. Has the van stored any service codes?
There are a lot of guys here with more experience on these late model engines than me that can be of more help to you.

[cpisani70@aol.com]

Thanks so much ! From my inspection from below it looks as if there is no apparent damage from the broken rod flying around! There are no codes stored. Tomorrow I will get the motor to spin. Still trying to figure if it's worth fixing or selling as is ? My thoughts are fix it.

Thanks
Chris

[cpisani70@aol.com]

Also the broken rod came through the baffle and the baffle broke the pan, I am hoping that the hydraulic condition saved the head and piston by way of being full of liquid!!! Maybe I will get lucky with some of this mess

[solidaxel]

If it were mine I would cut my losses and run away from it, or look for another "long block"

[hotstuff]

Only decision I would make , is where to buy the long block , agree with solidaxel on this one