I don't know where to start

[J-Man]

My car is a 72 Buick Skylark 350
I was driving down the highway and I heard and felt a loud cluck so I pulled over. I threw my drive shaft (broke at the rear u joint) and then I noticed oil spitting all over the ground from behind the oil pan. It looked to be from the rear main seal area. Then I saw steam coming from the hood and my radiator over flow was boiling over and it looked to be steam and oil spitting out if the intake hole of my air filter housing. After letting the engine cool for a few hours the motor will not turn over. I pulled the engine oil dipstick and all but 1/4 on the dip stick drained out and the oil looked somewhat burnt and with black grim and spots in it.
I have had no problems with the motor before this. It came all out if the blue. So my question is where should I start on this project now.

Thanks
Jake

[Buickspec6231]

I'm guessing the engine seized up either from being over heated or with no oil pressure. If I had to guess (I don't know if this is actually possible), when the engine locked up the rear axle was still rolling and it wasn't able to spin the driveshaft because that was locked with the engine and transmission. If this happened, the u-joint is the weakest link. Have you tried to turn the engine over using a socket on the crankshaft or just with the electric starter? Did the engine make any noises or notice any loss of power? If I was you I would pull the engine and inspect it by pulling the oil pan and heads. This should give you an idea about what went wrong. Did your oil look foamy like a milk shake? If you don't have the ability to pull the engine completely from the car, you should be able to pull just the heads and intake with the engine in the car. Post back up and let us know.

[bob k. mando]

if you overheated it really badly, you can melt the cam bearings out.

i'd follow the advice above but ... i'd be planning for a full rebuild or replacement.

[J-Man]

I don't know how it could have over heated because the radiator and all lines and hoses with a new thermostat are all brand new. I checked the oil before I drove it that day and the oil was at a good level and was nice and clean.

I tried to turn over the engine with a ratchet and no luck. I tried both directions and she wouldn't move at all. When driving before this all happened I didn't notice any lose of power.

When the oil was spraying all over the place under the car it looked like there were carbon deposits in the oil and was super dark and nasty looking but it didn't look foamy. When I checked it that morning the oil was nice and clean and was at a good level. I pulled the dipstick and the little of oil that was left in the pan does not look milky after the car has sat for a day or so just super dirty and nasty.

Could the transmission be locked up at all? That was a suggestion from my uncle who is a mechanic.

[raycow]

Could the transmission be locked up at all? That was a suggestion from my uncle who is a mechanic.

If you have an automatic, even if it is locked up, I don't see how it could keep the engine from turning. The torque converter would always slip. Now a manual would be a different story, so if you have one, try disengaging the clutch.

Ray

[bob k. mando]

I don't know how it could have over heated because the radiator and all lines and hoses with a new thermostat are all brand new.


what do you have for a temp gauge?



Then I saw steam coming from the hood and my radiator over flow was boiling over and it looked to be steam and oil spitting out if the intake hole of my air filter housing.



you don't get large amounts of STEAM without overheating. the engine should be running ~190 or lower, you don't get boiling until 212 at sea level in an unpressurized system. that's part of the reason why your radiator cap has a spring, to hold higher than atmospheric pressure in the cooling system.

more worrisome is that you say that it looked like there was oil in the steam. at a minimum, that indicates a head gasket failure. worst case, you might have broken a head or the block.

you should NEVER have oil and water mixed in an engine that's running properly. closest thing too that is that you might get a yellowish sludge built up on the inside of the valve covers but that's only due to atmospheric condensation getting mixed into the oil. that's not an indication of the seals between the lubricating and cooling systems failing.

let's hope you're wrong about the oil being mixed in.


the Buick 350 is based on a 215ci design from 1961. there's a lot of crank stroking that went on between 215 and 350. the problem this creates is that there is VERY LITTLE clearance between the cam and the crank throws. when something ugly ( broken rod, etc ) happens in a Bu350 it normally takes out the cam and lifter valley ...

[bob k. mando]

Could the transmission be locked up at all?


also check the alternator, starter and water pump. v-belt systems don't typically have enough grip to lock the crank although modern serpentine systems certainly do. but it certainly can't hurt.

[Buickspec6231]

If the radiator and everything is brand new, there is a chance that there was air trapped in the system and that can prevent the proper flow of coolant causing it to overheat. I am hoping for a best case scenario for you.

[J-Man]

Well the radiator and system is about two years old now and had maybe 600 miles on it since I changed everything out. To me its brand new. Again no problems with this at all.

As for the temperature gauge... all I have in my car is the light that flips on the dash when it gets hot. I think the best thing for me to do is install a temp gauge for next time so I can hopefully avoid this happening again in the future. When this all happened the light never went on.

Under the hood now there is oil residue all over the underside of the hood on the driver side (right over the intake hole for the air filter housing) and all over the diver side wheel well. I really hope the block is not cracked...

Sounds like my best option is to pull the motor right now however I don't have access to a cherry picker or an engine stand yet. So I think I pull the heads and intake and look for blown gaskets. What else should I looked for that could have caused this to happen or any other suggestions to start?

I understand the overheating part of this situation but why would all the oil drain out at the rear of the engine. That is was puzzles me.

Thanks for everyone's help!

Jake

[bob k. mando]

<i>why would all the oil drain out at the rear of the engine.</i>


normally it's because a broken rod has punched the oil pan or taken out the side of the block. it could be that the rope gasket that's used for the factory rear main seal has just given up the ghost though.

i take it you don't see any holes? have you had any chance to closely inspect the engine or are you just peeking underneath the side of car?




When this all happened the light never went on.


check the idiot light for functionality. it might not be working, whether that's because the bulb filament failed or there's a circuit issue, there's a lot that can go wrong in 40 years.




however I don't have access to a cherry picker or an engine stand yet.


where are you at? there may be somebody in the area.

also, you don't have to have an engine hoist. you can pull an engine with any decent come-along and a good overhead frame.

http://www.toolplanet.com/product/4-...FfA7MgodQE4ARA