>Hello Everyone,
>
>Sorry about the non-lbc content, but this one is just too baffling to
>let go. Yesterday, my wife was driving her 1990 Isuzu Trooper when
>suddenly she heard lifter tapping getting increasingly loud...which
>quickly became a loud knocking in the engine. Her oil pressure dropped
>to zero, oil pressure light came on, and the car stopped running.
>
>Since I don't do much mechanical work on newer cars ( I don't have a
>clue!), we had a tow truck drop what I thought to have been a completely
>toasted car, off at a local shop, that, being after six oclock, was
>closed. I fretted all night about just how the hell I was going to pay
>for this nightmarish scenario and working a second job at night, I found
>myself completely distracted by thought of borrowing money from in-laws
>(god forbid) or my own family (even worse!).
>
>Got home at 7:30 am, went to bed and was awakened by the phone a couple
>hours later. It was my wife. She told me that she called the shop and
>inquired about her car, to which the mechanic responded, "you mean the
>one that started right up?" Evidently, the car started up and currently
>runs well. It seems that the mechanics are as baffled as we were as to
>why the car would suddenly so catastrophically fail, only to run well a
>few hours later.
>
>Does anyone have any clues as to what we should be looking for to
>prevent future occurences?
>
>Will
>baffled in Everett
Will,
I am less of a mechanic than anyone, while going through a 2 yr.
restoration of my TR6, and having spent way toooooo much for everything, my
90 Ford Ranger, v6,did the same thing, had it towed to my honest mechanic.
There was very loud vave tapping noise. I was scared. They fond sludge in
the engine, some sort of buildup of something. Added mineral spirits
drained the oil, added new oil, drove back 2 weeks later,change oil again.
A couple of months later, valve noise getting really,really loud. Had it
towed back to the mechanic shop, this time the owner was there,and it just
so happed that about an hour before my truck arrived , there was an F150 in
the shop with the same problem, It seems the thermostat was either frozen
open or closed, I think open?( I am challenged).Causing coolent to build up
some kind sludge thing and prevent proper oil circulation, hence the
tapping! I'm sorry that I can't relay exactly all the details, but at the
time over a year ago, I understood enough to be comfortable with what was
told me. I'm lucky, I use a very honest gentleman mechanic, who has
suggested too me at times why don't you just pay me $100 a month. If I had
taken it too anyone else,I might have believed severe engine work. Check
the thermostat.
Phil Smith
69 TR6
85 Mustang 5.0 GT Convertible
" More Dreams Than Money"
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