Every engine deserves a second chance, even if it’s been ages since it last turned over. Sometimes, though, it’s not so easy: an engine quits over something small, prompting its owner to haphazardly shove it into a corner for a few decades. What once could’ve been a straightforward fix compounds with age into an altogether harder task. This was true of the latest engine to get dropped off at Jim’s Automotive Machine Shop in Colorado. This Dauntless V-6 was likely yanked from the frame rails of a Jeep, and might be one of the worst we’ve ever seen.
And that is saying something—we’ve dealt with our fair share here, but tearing into a really bad engine just has a certain gravity that is inescapable to anyone who plays with old cars. Digging into one always starts with a certain marveling at the corrosive power of disuse, but the father and son team at JAMSI are quick to get to work, and they start step that many would skip: Cutting open the oil filter.
Of course, it reveals no good news, but that is expected for any engine entering a machine shop. At least the lack of big metallic chunks in the filter suggests that there might still be usable parts inside. Sadly, the mouse mansion that filled the lifter valley and oil pan was not the good news anyone was hoping for. The lifters were rusted into their bores, including one where the corrosion seemed to have bridged between the steel lifter and cast iron block, essentially welding the lifter into place. Luckily, said bond was easily broken by a pry bar and a big hammer. Those two tools played a more critical role than anyone wanted during the teardown, but the issue preventing the block from being rebuildable actually lurks a little deeper.
The mouse nests hide cylinder bores that ended up not being terrible.JAMSI Online
Sparkles in the paper oil filter.JAMSI Online
Inspecting the block did not bring good news.JAMSI Online
That little bit of light is where the dipstick tube punches into the water jacket.JAMSI Online
Only after the engine got stripped to a bare block and baked in the oven to remove all the paint and mouse droppings was the real problem made clear: The dipstick tube broke off in the block, and a previous attempt to drill out the remains failed to get the remaining chunk. To make matters worse, the drill did not enter straight and wandered further until the tip of the bit opened into the water jacket. As it sits, filling the engine with coolant would flow that green stuff right into the oil pan. While it is possible to sleeve the dipstick tube hole in the block, it will be up to the customer who brought the engine in to decide if that is something they want to do. It’s a bitter pill, but not an unsolvable one, and the folks at Jim’s have a few solutions to offer. We’re just glad for the folks at Jim’s and the owner of the engine that they caught this before they started the rebuild.