GTS engine catastrophe

[conaero]

Having been out of the loop for a while ......................is this a known issue the con rod thing on the GTS

We have not seen any yet either. Remember it could be something simple like the AC pump about to fall off, cracked manifold or failed solenoid valves in the heads or a failed chain guide.

Either way, as Marios says, don’t start it.

 

[boomerang]

Sad news of course.
Hope things are not as bad as they seem.
But reading this, everything points at some kind of bearing damage.
It would be interesting to know about the service history of the car, especially regarding oil/ filter changes, oil type etc.
Bearings seem quite robust, not the minimalized ones you see in some modern German V8 engines.
Was the oil pressure in hot condition always as it has to be?

 

[philw696]

Hope it's not like this.

 

[Bebs]

Very sorry to hear of your engine woes. I do hope it’s nothing terminal. You definitely have my sympathy, recently had the engine on my 360 rebuilt and prior to that a Porsche 996 engine rebuild when a valve stem snapped and fell into cylinder 5. It’s an awful feeling of helplessness and the sound of clinking coins that sticks in your mind.. have a glass of wine or a few beers and try not to get too down over it.. these things normally work out in the end somehow.
Keep us posted.

 

[rockits]

From the basic info so far it doesn't sound like obvious snack you in the face terminal engine failure. Often this will present itself pretty obviously unless only minor damage. If something is bent or out of shape or alignment then of course running it could make things worse quickly so don't.

Do you have AA or recovery? They will low loader it to your choice of garage. This would be my advice.

I had a water pump fail on the XJL and that knocked the car sideways and could have been catastrophic. Caused the engine to run horrific but was likely protecting itself which is good. It was obvious as water was p1ssing out of the rear of the water pump seal. Got it over to a local Jag specialist for the water pump and belt to be replaced and all was perfect again.

I've had a few ancillary things go causing horrendous noises and issues but never were engine issues. If you have a good oil level and clean oil, no smoke or obvious signs of physical damage it might not be internal engine failure.

Where did you think the noise was coming from?

Is water level OK and temps were all OK?

Did you have any engine management light? Any other warnings or lights?

 

[rockits]

I had a engine go in a Bedford midi van years ago and that was obvious! Especially when the engine is next to you in the cab!!

 

[Itare Sam]

This might be a bit of a long shot but when I had Alfa’s and lived in Norwich I used to take them to the Alfa Shop which is just off the ring road almost opposite where the old comet used to be. They worked on all sorts of exotic cars. It might be worth giving Karl a call and see what he has to say. Was just a thought.

Hi - thank you for the suggestion. It'll be worth checking that out if Dale the mobile guy can't get this far.

 

[Itare Sam]

Wow. I've just read your tale of woe and have my fingers crossed for you.
Your mechanical skills and knowledge appear to mirror mine. I would have restarted it too, several times actually, in the hope that said malfunction would just very nicely go away.

Thank you very much for the kind thoughts. I confess I haven't tried repeatedly restarting and hoping for a miracle - lack of faith I guess . I think I probably should leave it alone until I get some earthly help with this.

 

[Itare Sam]

From the basic info so far it doesn't sound like obvious snack you in the face terminal engine failure. Often this will present itself pretty obviously unless only minor damage. If something is bent or out of shape or alignment then of course running it could make things worse quickly so don't.

Do you have AA or recovery? They will low loader it to your choice of garage. This would be my advice.

I had a water pump fail on the XJL and that knocked the car sideways and could have been catastrophic. Caused the engine to run horrific but was likely protecting itself which is good. It was obvious as water was p1ssing out of the rear of the water pump seal. Got it over to a local Jag specialist for the water pump and belt to be replaced and all was perfect again.

I've had a few ancillary things go causing horrendous noises and issues but never were engine issues. If you have a good oil level and clean oil, no smoke or obvious signs of physical damage it might not be internal engine failure.

Where did you think the noise was coming from?

Is water level OK and temps were all OK?

Did you have any engine management light? Any other warnings or lights?

Many thanks for your detailed response, and encouraging observations. To be honest it's a real puzzle to me. Even the apparently simple question 'where was the noise coming from' is not easy to answer. The early noise I got pre-Covid lockdown I thought at first might be coming from the transmission, then after hearing it some more I was pretty certain it was the engine (that was when I suspected pinking). When the 'big bang' happened I was pretty certain it was engine, and the repeated loud banging suggested some spinning heavy metal objects in the engine colliding. So my reaction was to (obviously) back off the throttle and look in the rear view mirror for the cloud of smoke - which wasn't there. I do remember checking the dash including temp when I left the petrol station and all was well, and no warning lights that I recall. When I started it from cold the next morning there was definite extra-loud tappet noise accompanied by a lower-pitch knocking, though of course when you start from cold the engine is always noisier than at operating temp, so again it's not easy for the untrained ear to work out what's going on. When I turn the ignition on now the pre-startup indicators look normal, though I need to double check that carefully (and no I definitely won't be starting it again until it's fixed!).

Like you I've had a number of ancillary things fail over the years and you're absolutely right, they can sound a lot worse than you first fear. Old Bendix pin starter motors coming loose for example. The only engine failure I even had was an Audi - the engine was fine one second, then just stopped as if the ignition had been turned off. No warning, no drama, no noise. The cambelt had broken of course. (Audi fixed it free of charge as it had been serviced correctly).

Your suggestion to use the AA (yes I'm a member) is very helpful - if they'll take it some distance that would save a lot of £.

 

[rockits]

Many thanks for your detailed response, and encouraging observations. To be honest it's a real puzzle to me. Even the apparently simple question 'where was the noise coming from' is not easy to answer. The early noise I got pre-Covid lockdown I thought at first might be coming from the transmission, then after hearing it some more I was pretty certain it was the engine (that was when I suspected pinking). When the 'big bang' happened I was pretty certain it was engine, and the repeated loud banging suggested some spinning heavy metal objects in the engine colliding. So my reaction was to (obviously) back off the throttle and look in the rear view mirror for the cloud of smoke - which wasn't there. I do remember checking the dash including temp when I left the petrol station and all was well, and no warning lights that I recall. When I started it from cold the next morning there was definite extra-loud tappet noise accompanied by a lower-pitch knocking, though of course when you start from cold the engine is always noisier than at operating temp, so again it's not easy for the untrained ear to work out what's going on. When I turn the ignition on now the pre-startup indicators look normal, though I need to double check that carefully (and no I definitely won't be starting it again until it's fixed!).

Like you I've had a number of ancillary things fail over the years and you're absolutely right, they can sound a lot worse than you first fear. Old Bendix pin starter motors coming loose for example. The only engine failure I even had was an Audi - the engine was fine one second, then just stopped as if the ignition had been turned off. No warning, no drama, no noise. The cambelt had broken of course. (Audi fixed it free of charge as it had been serviced correctly).

Your suggestion to use the AA (yes I'm a member) is very helpful - if they'll take it some distance that would save a lot of £.

I've had cars shipped from Potters Bar to Manchester with AA free of charge and another from Potters Bar to Brixton at.no cost. The Vantage I got collected by AA from Nicholas Mee, Essenden to go to AV Engineering, Kent but had to pay for that one but it was only £120 I think.

 

[Itare Sam]

I've had cars shipped from Potters Bar to Manchester with AA free of charge and another from Potters Bar to Brixton at.no cost. The Vantage I got collected by AA from Nicholas Mee, Essenden to go to AV Engineering, Kent but had to pay for that one but it was only £120 I think.

Many thanks, that sounds great. I need to double check I've got Recovery with the AA membership, if so that's a great option. cheers

 

[Itare Sam]

Sad news of course.
Hope things are not as bad as they seem.
But reading this, everything points at some kind of bearing damage.
It would be interesting to know about the service history of the car, especially regarding oil/ filter changes, oil type etc.
Bearings seem quite robust, not the minimalized ones you see in some modern German V8 engines.
Was the oil pressure in hot condition always as it has to be?

Thanks for the kind thoughts. Service history is Graypaul at 6600m, 15410m and 26,894m then Barr-Tech at 31,275. I only have details of the last two. Both included filter changes and Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40 oil. I didn't notice anything suspicious with the oil pressure, but that may be my lack of attention. I guess I was fooled by the fact that the car was running perfectly at relaxed pace, with no untoward signs, until I put my big foot down on the loud pedal.

 

[Itare Sam]

Very sorry to hear of your engine woes. I do hope it’s nothing terminal. You definitely have my sympathy, recently had the engine on my 360 rebuilt and prior to that a Porsche 996 engine rebuild when a valve stem snapped and fell into cylinder 5. It’s an awful feeling of helplessness and the sound of clinking coins that sticks in your mind.. have a glass of wine or a few beers and try not to get too down over it.. these things normally work out in the end somehow.
Keep us posted.

Thank you for the kind words of sympathy . You've clearly been through the mill yourself, and yes it does feel pretty daunting, especially at first when it's still a shock. I guess I was lucky I was only a few miles from home so could coax the car back at little more than idling engine revs. On that short journey it was certainly the thought of the cost of repair that further dampened my already bleak mood. Then yes, you just have to have a few beers and start thinking about what to do next.
Yes will keep everyone informed for sure. cheers!

 

[lozcb]

I,d be tempted to jack it up and check the propshaft and universal joints ,whilst your there look around for any mountings loose or knackered

 

[MarkMas]

I know almost nothing about cars, but surely it can't be anything serious inside the engine (valves, pistons, crankshafts, etc) otherwise I would have thought the engine would not run enough to get you home. It must be something more external to the engine (and cheaper), like mounts, driveshafts, belts, gearbox, no?

 

[philw696]

A lot of guess work going on here.
As a technician for over 40 years and rebuilt quite a few motors over the years with out looking at the car properly in a workshop and on a lift it's all guess work.
Hooking it up to the Diagnosi too and seeing if theres anything stored there.
Certainly interested to what the issue is though.

 

[Itare Sam]

I,d be tempted to jack it up and check the propshaft and universal joints ,whilst your there look around for any mountings loose or knackered

Hi, thanks, I've jacked it up and looked as far as I could (and with limited knowledge) but nothing obvious found.

 

[Itare Sam]

I know almost nothing about cars, but surely it can't be anything serious inside the engine (valves, pistons, crankshafts, etc) otherwise I would have thought the engine would not run enough to get you home. It must be something more external to the engine (and cheaper), like mounts, driveshafts, belts, gearbox, no?

Thanks. Yes I take your point - the violence of the 'big bang' suggested something so bad the car shouldn't have run at all. It really didn't like any touch on the throttle, but it did keep running. Hopefully the mystery will be solved soon.....

 

[Itare Sam]

A lot of guess work going on here.
As a technician for over 40 years and rebuilt quite a few motors over the years with out looking at the car properly in a workshop and on a lift it's all guess work.
Hooking it up to the Diagnosi too and seeing if theres anything stored there.
Certainly interested to what the issue is though.

Thank you, yes very true, I guess my post rather invited a lot of speculation, and no doubt some concern. Yes hopefully Diagnosi will shed some light.

 

[Dman666]

Sorry to hear,hopefully you can get to the issue resolved without to much hassle