Think my engine has just gone bang! :(

Well I had a great day planned today out laning but have just arrived back on the back of an AA van

After some fairly steep A road hills my engine (2.5TD) developed a loud knock in line with revs. It didn't sound great but didn't appear to have affected performance much. Typically this was about a mile before I met the group I was going going laning with. I did the 1st small tame lane with them but decided it just wasn't worth the risk continuing and started to drive the 40 odd miles back home.

The knock didn't get any worse but I could tell it was underpowered on the uphill stretches. A few miles into the journey it also seemed to develop a vacuum cleaner type noise instead of the slight whistle from the Turbo I pulled over into a layby to replan my route avoiding main dual carriageways etc (as I was trying to keep revs low and not going over 40mph) and shorly after it stopped while on tickover with a loud knock. I couldn't restart it and when I tried a load of white smoke came out of the exhaust then it stopped turning over at all.

I have since got the car recovered back home and into my garage but it won't turn over at all. I tried connecting a booster battery in case there wasn't enough juice left but it still just sounds like the starter tries to turn but won't turn over. Looks pretty terminal to me Has anyone got any ideas what could be the problem?

I guess my options are...

1. Try and find the problem with the current engine and fix it.
2. Get hold of a 2nd hand TD and swap it out.
3. Find a 200TDi and do a conversion.

Oh buggar, and just when I was thinking how well behaved the Landy had been recently :doh:

sounds like its either cracked a piston or something major has gone wrong with the big ends

sounds like one of the chambers has worked loose, (hence the knock) then when you stopped its dropped out completely and is jamming the piston, hence the not turning over.
just a guess from what you describe, but id whip the head off and have a look see before i swapped it out. good luck fella

sounds more like big ends to me personally.

My mates NA went like this, although his sill started, just.

Having been converted to TDi power myself, id go TDi, it makes a big difference and aint all that hard to do.

That said, it would be a cheap quick fix to bung another TD in it, im sure you'd pick one up for peanuts.

Wanna hand?

Oh yeah to find out whats up with yours, i'd drop the sump cos its easy and check all the big ends.


Although, you mentioned the vacuum cleaner type whistle, it could be the turbo or one of its pipes has dropped summat into a cylinder. Probably caused a holed piston though if it had, sorry to bring bad news...

You might have snapped a rocker. Did the bang sound metallic like metal hitting against metal almost? I diagnosed and repaird a similar problem on a non starter 300 tdi which the garage had quoted them a price for a new turbo. Took the rocker cover off and found that one of the ball end studs that screw into the rocker arms and that sit on top of the push rod cups had snapped off. Replaced it, boosted the battery which had flattened its self from them trying to start it and whollah!

The metal to metal sound could be exhaust gasses having no where to escape inside the cylinder. It will be a bastard to get running if it's in this condition.

What sound is the starter making? Is it just clicking or is it spinning? If there's something preventing it from turning the engine it'll be making a right racket!

-Pos

if the engine can physically not turn, the starter wnt make a raket, itll be eee-err... and then silence... Unless you hold the key on, in which case wires will heat up and fire will ensue.

Thanks for all the advice on what it could be and the things to look out for everyone. I've taken a deeper look at it this afternoon and my unprofessional opinion is that it's fooked

It won't turn at all on the starter as though the engine is siezed (didn't have a big enough spanner to turn by hand to prove). I then went with the advice of taking the sump off to see if I could see anything obvious. So I went to drain the oil and as soon as I removed the drain plug a load of water poured out too - not good! I couldn't see properly from underneath and haven't finished taking the head off yet (a couple of injectors been a pain in the arse to get off so I can't get to the head bolts) but I'm diagnosing a broken piston.

I've pretty much decided that a 200tdi is the way forward so at least every cloud has a silver lining. I know it will involve a load of unexpected work and expense but should at least be worthwhile.

richardjeaton said:

Thanks for all the advice on what it could be and the things to look out for everyone. I've taken a deeper look at it this afternoon and my unprofessional opinion is that it's fooked

It won't turn at all on the starter as though the engine is siezed (didn't have a big enough spanner to turn by hand to prove). I then went with the advice of taking the sump off to see if I could see anything obvious. So I went to drain the oil and as soon as I removed the drain plug a load of water poured out too - not good! I couldn't see properly from underneath and haven't finished taking the head off yet (a couple of injectors been a pain in the arse to get off so I can't get to the head bolts) but I'm diagnosing a broken piston.

I've pretty much decided that a 200tdi is the way forward so at least every cloud has a silver lining. I know it will involve a load of unexpected work and expense but should at least be worthwhile.

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water in the engine is 99% HGF or cracked block as water can't get in to the oil any other way.

redhand said:

water in the engine is 99% HGF or cracked block as water can't get in to the oil any other way.

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Can if someone puts water in the filler cap

Sirus said:

Can if someone puts water in the filler cap

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Or down the dipstick tube??? but generally speaking that dunt happen very often. Unless ya let a wiimin top up ya fluids for yu?? :doh:

richardjeaton said:

Thanks for all the advice on what it could be and the things to look out for everyone. I've taken a deeper look at it this afternoon and my unprofessional opinion is that it's fooked

It won't turn at all on the starter as though the engine is siezed (didn't have a big enough spanner to turn by hand to prove). I then went with the advice of taking the sump off to see if I could see anything obvious. So I went to drain the oil and as soon as I removed the drain plug a load of water poured out too - not good! I couldn't see properly from underneath and haven't finished taking the head off yet (a couple of injectors been a pain in the arse to get off so I can't get to the head bolts) but I'm diagnosing a broken piston.

I've pretty much decided that a 200tdi is the way forward so at least every cloud has a silver lining. I know it will involve a load of unexpected work and expense but should at least be worthwhile.

Click to expand...

Hi Richard,
Water is only going to get in via the head gasket / cracked head / craked block.

Before ripping the motor out it would be worth pursuing getting the head off as it may be a lot cheaper and easier to fix what you've got that convert. Also, unless it's your weekend plaything, you will be able to wait until the right engine comes along for your conversion rather than having to rush to get it going again.

Good luck, nightmare story!

Wonder if the engine has hydrauliced??????

good luck