Quote:
Originally Posted by t walgamuth
My favorite machinist and I have had long discussions over st pauli girls and we think the bigger bore and stroke of the 3.5 weakened the block enough so that it flexes too much and eventually causes head gasket failure. The head gasket fails and if you don't get it fixed quickly enough fluid can leak into the cylinder enough to cause a partial hydrolock and just bend the rod a little.
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The problem with the theory is as follows:
1) A "partial" hydrolock can occur if the volume of fluid in the cylinder is about 3 ml greater than the available volume. Any fluid amount less than this and the engine will rotate without restriction. Any fluid amount more than this and the engine will stop rotation.
So, if the fluid is leaking into the cylinder at random rates while sitting.........there
must be a situation where too much fluid leaks into the cylinder and the engine fails to rotate.
To my knowledge, none of the 603.970 owners ever reported such behavior on the engine.
2) The owners of the 603.970 never reported any signs of a failed head gasket during the period leading up to the issue. The engine runs perfectly...........no signs of rough idle or smoke until the oil consumption gets very high.
So, for the theory to be plausible, you'll have to find some answers to the aforementioned questions.