Did she cook the motor??

[wushock92]

My wife was driving to work this morning and the 98 Zetex ATX got hot then shut down. I'm in Kansas and she's in Oklahoma so troubleshooting over the phone is a problem. Anyway, they topped off the fluids (water and 2 qts of oil) and tried to start it. The starter turns the motor over but it fails to fire. Then the horn starts honking and the door locks unlock and lock. New coil pack, plugs and wires were installed a couple of months ago. Timing belt replaced a couple of yrs ago (with water pump and idler pulley). There's a button under the dash you have to push to engage the starter. That's the only security system I am aware of on the vehicle. Where do I start!? :shrug:

 

[BrApple]

sounds like a possible low voltage situation that is cause trouble with the alarm that was added to the car at some point ...


but being 2 qts of oil low and overheating isn't a good sign either ...

 

[LauraSVT]

I don't like the odds of having fried the motor being two quarts down. These mills are designed to run safely on three quarts provided there's not a heavy load. Further, you're less likely to have done damage to the bottom than the top. Any clickety-clack from the valvetrain? Just the fact that its cranking, even if it isn't catching, is a good indication that you're still ok.

I'm not a fan of alarms, and aftermarket installations can be tricky because you never know how they tapped in to the cars' electronics. If you've got a worn wire or two in there, or arcing from another power source, you could get the gremlins you describe. Water also can act as a conduit in cases like this. Was the car wet?

As far as overheating, I'd check the engine coolant temp sensor (ECT) first. If it failed, your electric cooling fans wouldn't have come on, and that could certainly result in overheating. The part is cheap, about thirty bucks, and looks like a brass crayon. The nose of it threads into the coolant stream, and the back plugs into a wiring harness.

 

[wushock92]

Well, here are some more details that have evolved over the past few hours. My wife has gotten me to understand that as she was driving down the highway, she slowly started losing speed; no response from the throttle. It died and that's when the temp gauge spiked. Took it to Christian Brothers (they've taken care of some other vehicles for me in the past). They pulled codes (don't know what they were as I'm not there), ran fuel pressure test (ok), block test (for leaking hydrocarbons - ok) and compression test. Failed the compression test. Verdict? Bad motor and the car's not worth putting the money into repairs.

So I guess I'll park it till I figure out what to do. Thanks so much for all your help over the past few months. I have enjoyed the exchange and learned a lot about this car from y'all.

 

[zorrex]

I'd hate to be presumptuous and lead you to false conclusions, but it at the very least sounds like a bad head gasket. It could be worse, though...the head could be warped from overheating

 

[Big Jim]

Well, here are some more details that have evolved over the past few hours. My wife has gotten me to understand that as she was driving down the highway, she slowly started losing speed; no response from the throttle. It died and that's when the temp gauge spiked. Took it to Christian Brothers (they've taken care of some other vehicles for me in the past). They pulled codes (don't know what they were as I'm not there), ran fuel pressure test (ok), block test (for leaking hydrocarbons - ok) and compression test. Failed the compression test. Verdict? Bad motor and the car's not worth putting the money into repairs.

So I guess I'll park it till I figure out what to do. Thanks so much for all your help over the past few months. I have enjoyed the exchange and learned a lot about this car from y'all.

Did anyone check the timing belt?

Also, I would like to know how they did a block check without the engine running.

 

[wushock92]

The timing belt was replaced a couple of years ago by the same shop that tells me the motor's bad (and that the car's not worth replacing the motor). I have no idea what a block test even is, so I can't answer how they were able to perform one. I wonder if she could've burnt a piston. I had an 8v71 Detroit diesel loose its power like that and not refire - burnt a hole in one of the pistons. Guess I need to tow it up here so I can be looking at it. It's hell when my house is in OKC and my job is in KS. :nonono:

 

[Big Jim]

A block test is performed with the engine running, the coolant cap off, and aspirating the gases coming off the coolant through a liquid that changes from blue to green in the presence of exhaust gases. Can't be done without running the engine.

If it were me, I would still like to confirm that the cam is turning when the engine is cranked.

 

[wushock92]

I haven't had a chance to get back to OKC to look at the car myself (new newphew decided to be born 4 wks early so I've been busy keeping the farm running :laugh but the tech writer said they were sure everything was ok with the timing belt. It is so hard to diagnose a vehicle when I have non-Contour savvy people trying to tell me what it is or isn't doing so I can come here to the experts!!