Loud knocking and rattling, then a trail of oil and tears

[vankho]

I'm decompressing from a drive home which saw the 3F-E fail. While driving on the highway today, the engine started feeling rough and an unusually loud ticking and rattling sound became a sudden knocking sound, and immediately saw a ton of smoke behind me. Was going on a slight decline 75-80 MPH (2500-3000 RPM). Engine light came on and I pulled over and parked the vehicle only to see a trail of oil and hear oil pour out from the bottom. Saw the transmission temp light come on so I immediately thought it was the transmission. Maybe still is. Took a look under the vehicle only see a ton of engine oil dripping onto the front axle.

My mind immediately went to..."whelp, I guess it's time for a rebuild or an LS swap."

Regardless of the diagnosis, I think this repair will be beyond my skill level. As I get it towed home, I'm wondering what things I can investigate myself at home to just get a better understanding of what some of the issues could be before getting it to a shop this week.

For example, should I try starting it? Would should I listen for? Would that do more harm than good? What should I look for when I take a closer look of the engine block? Galley Plug? Should I fill it with oil again? etc...

 

[RevISK]

Where is it coming from? If you don’t have an oil galley plug fix, start there (between plugs 5 & 6).

DON’T START IT.

Figure out where it is coming from

 

[jclark]

Saw your Instagram post. Dang man. Sorry to see those photos.

 

[OSS]

don't bother trying to start it - it won't.
Engine is toast. - is my first guess

 

[RodrigzCrzr]

Check the plug over #5 spark plug see if that slipped out. otherwise don't start it. sorry to see that happened.

 

[MWM1]

So so sorry to hear about the engine leaving you stranded. While you are looking around, look for the source of the oil leak. Remove the pan, look for debris, etc. More photos too. Best of luck on this situation.

 

[3_puppies]

Drain the pan,

now that is funny, I'm thinking the pan is already drained

 

[vankho]

Good News! The galley plug intact and the top of the engine bay is surprisingly clean. There's still oil in the back of pan where the dipstick is, albeit not much. The Bad news: You know that chestbuster scene from the original Alien movie? That's what my oil pan looks like.

Dents have notable bolt indentations. So likely a thrown rod? Shards of peaking through the cracks. Huge 1" diameter hole out the side of the pan. Something must have blown out of there. Thank you for the recommendation to "not start the engine". Debating if it's even worth while to take it to the mechanic given how this is starting to look...

So a new unexpected journey and paths ahead that many in the forum have trekked. Looking to be very active here over the coming days, weeks, and months. Please lend me your wisdom ih8mud!

Rebuild if salvageable? Swap with a Used 3F-E? or LS (or other) Swap. What would you do in my scenario?

Additional context:
- Recently restored interior and exterior
- Engine had 217,000 miles
- I do love this damn thing as much as it hurts right now

 

[RodrigzCrzr]

Yeah something let go in there. WOW!!
Have you had any knocking noise while you owned it?

 

[RevISK]

Oof.

Personally, I’d hunt down another 3FE. Easy button.

 

[vankho]

Yeah something let go in there. WOW!!
Have you had any knocking noise while you owned it?

I don't think so. Always felt that maybe it ran a little rough in the high RPM, high-speed ranges. Was replaying in my head, wondering I was pushing the engine a little too hard on a highway maybe. Maybe burned through oil and it could have been running on low oil?

 

[Themcfarland]

Drop in used long block easiest answer

 

[snowyhermit]

My dad knew someone once who blew a rod and wrecked the cylinder, so he just took the piston out, sealed everything back up, and ran it as a five cylinder

 

[toy_tek]

That’s what is called “catastrophic failure”. Unfortunate. Rebuild this block would likely be cost prohibitive, another block or complete engine would likely be the best route (outside of a swap).

That said, there could be some salvageable parts off your engine, depending on what occurred.

For the benefit of all, if there’s any way to follow up to this thread after a post-mortem, it sure would be interesting to see what failed and to what extent.

Wishing you the best here. RIP 3F-E.

 

[RevISK]

I agree with @toy_tek
Please keep us informed. It’ll add to the knowledge pool.

 

[Spike Strip]

Your Insta acct is private ....

There's always SOR but certainly not cheap.

 

[CruiserTrash]

Count me in for wanting to know what you find when you open the motor up.

 

[Spike Strip]

It's almost assuredly a rod was trying to escape.

If you can get it home and drop the pan, you'll better know the extent of the damage and how you want/need to move forward.

Good luck.

 

[dbleon]

Start looking for a long lock .. sucks

 

[kevin in okinawa]

LS swap seems like the best bang for your buck—and the solution most likely to make you smile at the end of the ordeal.