Hydro Lock PLEASE HELP!! :)

**dbextreme** · 11-24-2009

Ok guys, HELP PLEASE!!!!!!!!

I am pretty good with a wrench and this weekend I changed out the blown lower intake gasket. While I was in there I changed out the lifters as well. I buttoned everything up, fired the car up and after a few seconds it ran smooth as silk and revved up smooth. I pulled the car out of the garage and shut it off. I then started pouring coolant in it. I got the radiator full then started the car back up and proceeded to add more coolant when the motor started shaking BAD and before I could get around to the switch I heard a knock and it died. I heard a noise and looked under the car and there's oil and coolant. I turn the key, it will spin but only about quarter way every time.

The only remaining problem I knew of was a bad cat (has a pin hole leak and it is stopped up but not enough to trigger codes)

Ok here's where it gets weird.. Oil and coolant was leaking from the rear of the motor. I jacked it up and crawled under and oil was leaking out of the pin hole in the cat!!! Yes, the puddle of oil was blown out of the cat and sprayed on the driveway and coolant came from the throttle body..

Ok here is my assumption, there was enough back pressure from the cat to cause this set of gaskets (the better aluminum ones) to mess up and do the same thing, but this time the clunk I heard was a cylinder full of water stopping the motor. What are my chances of ruining a rod? I have not pulled the plugs and turn the motor over because I was so frustrated with what just happened.. Probably tomorrow evening after work I will pull all the plugs and hope to god the motor spins over!! If it does what are my chances of the motor being ok and I just need to replace the gaskets again and cut the cat off before I drive it to the muffler shop to have my high flow one installed!! LOL Or any other ideas on what has happened? Please ask questions and I will answer anything to give a better idea to help me figure out what to do!!

Thanks

**Pittman06** · 11-24-2009

pretty good chance you did some serious damage from what your saying. Anytime a motor abrubtly stops with water in it your not in to good of shape. First if not cut it off drill some holes before the cat. Get your top end apart and see what went wrong and go from there. Thats all i can tell ya but i'm sure someone else can give ya better advice on how to easily check the bottom end

**Liquifire** · 11-24-2009

sounds to me like your assumptions are right on for now...pull the plugs and pull the oil plug, drain everything out , turn it over to empty it out and go from there. There is a chance that everything is ok, but you never know until you start digging into it. Good luck

**dbextreme** · 11-24-2009

Have you heard of a cat causing this problem??

Also if I'm pulling the motor I'm going back with a L67 (but please don't everyone say do that because I was hoping to top swap this motor.. So worst case would be to find a L36 short block and put the heads up on it from a L67 but hoping this one isn't an anchor first) but would a slightly bent rod be apparent? I mean I have truely hydro locked a 402 big block in a 1970 El Camino SS and it twisted the rod down and it locked down on the crank.. I'm just hoping for the best with this one!!

Thanks for the comments, more the merrier!!!

**dbextreme** · 11-25-2009

Any other input????

**Iron Indian** · 11-26-2009

Did you install those yellow o-rings with the S/C gaskets? I can't tell you how many times i've heard of a person hydrolocking an L67 because they forget or reuse those o-rings....

**dbextreme** · 11-26-2009

I don't have a S/C on this motor yet. It's just the N/A black plastic upper intake. Now there were O rings in the box but looking at what came off and what I put on I did not see a place for O rings on that upper intake.. Did I still miss something??

I did pull the plugs out and the motor spins but I hear a mechanical sound when the starter spins the motor.. If I put a wrench on the crank and turn it it turns smooth with no sound. It did lock up once with me using the starter though. I put a wrench on it and it would not budge forward but I spun it back wards about quarter turn then back forward it spun freely.. What does this mean? It has happened before to me on a different car, but it had a cracked flywheel and occasionally the starter got snagged on the crack on it... Hope this isn't the case, but would like it more than a bent rod.. Guess both require an engine pull... Not what I'm wanting to do..

**Liquifire** · 11-27-2009

No one can accurately guess if your motor is fine or it has damage. You basically have three options:
1-tear your block down and inspect it and replace parts if necessary
2-risk it that nothing is wrong, drain all fluids completely, flush and refill properly and hope everything is OK.
3-Get a new block and swap it in

You cant expect people to guess if you have broken and/or damaged parts in your motor when they are not there.

**dbextreme** · 11-27-2009

Looks like I am getting a new block.. It's locking on something but nothing on the top end.. I can sit in the car and turn the key with no plugs and eventually it will catch and stop.. I can put a wrench on the crank and it will not budge but if I back it off a half a spin and then go forward it will spin freely again. I can hear a clunking every now and then by turning it with the wrench and eventually I will catch that snag and I'll have to back it off and go forward again.. It's something on the bottom end. Not cool but I guess it made up my mind for me..

I found a motor for with 120K for $250 but I have to take it out!! I guess I'll go for that one, swap it and drive and build my bottom end and put the supercharged top on and swap when I'm ready.. Not cool....

**bbptech** · 11-29-2009

u can find a better lower mileage motor. 250 would be nice but first off 120K miles and also u gotta take it out forget that.

**dbextreme** · 11-29-2009

Ya I told him that but talked him out of the whole car for $375. That seems like a good deal and I can hear the motor run!! Plus my passenger side headlight lens is cracked so I can get that off this car to, get a spare transmission to build along with the spare motor, then scrap the rest of the car and get some money back.. I'm mainly looking for a motor to get the car back on the road right now. With my motor out, I can build it while I drive the car and when it's done just do the swap whenever!!

How does that sound? I have priced motors here locally and they range anywhere from $500 to $800... This price if for a motor sitting on the ground or on a shelf.. That's why I'm kinda feeling that $375 for a whole car isn't to bad..

**Liquifire** · 11-29-2009

If you are OK with the mileage on that car motor, that is a good price for the whole car. Hell, if you have the right color interior and the tails are in good condition, I might be able to help pay for your car

I am calling dibs on other stuff on your car if you wish to sell it...LOL

**dbextreme** · 11-29-2009

He is sending me pics (hopefully) but from what I understand it's a dark metallic blue color car.. Interior color is?? LOL.. I'll keep you posted. If interested I'll sell parts before I scrap it!!

**dbextreme** · 12-03-2009

Ok I brought my donor car yesterday and here are pics!!!! It's a GT like mine and here's the body!! It's nice and straight. The interior is nice other than the seats are already gone.. DANG.. It has that dark gray interior which I would have liked to swap with my tan but since the seats are gone, no use to me.. I will post pics in the for sale section once I get what I need done, done!!! But....

Liquifire here you go:

**Liquifire** · 12-04-2009

up close pics of the tails if you want to sell them to me please. I only want them if they are in really good condition.

**Zef_66** · 12-04-2009

What happened to your engine had nothing to do with the cat. Not a thing. Something was messed up during the install. Bottom line.

**dbextreme** · 12-04-2009

Liquifire: I don't think you want them... I noticed moisture in them... Seems common with these cars. Mine has been garage kept and when I wash it my tails get moisture in them.. I'll take pics but to be honest I wouldn't get them.. If you don't, I'll end up practice smoking them and see how they turn out.

Zef: Ya I kinda figured that, but I do know it is bad and clogged. When the upper intake blew it spit a lot out the exhaust and it's always had less power since. I do know now that it has a hole in it to so regardless I'm replacing it with the Magnaflow highflow one I got and the Ubend delete pipe. I noticed the thermostat was stuck about half way open when I had my parts laid out.. I am assuming it wasn't properly cooling and I have a cracked head. I have yet to pull the heads off but when I do I will not be shocked if I see a blown head gasket or more than likely a cracked head.