If you shut it down right when you saw the pressure drop I'd think it'd be ok still....as it wasn't run with 0 oil circulating. Added to that, you had it running, was it running normally? If so I'd suspect the engine is ok but something else is amiss and preventing it from starting. An inspection/compression check could verify that the engine is still ok. You said it won't crank? as in it tries to but can't? You could try turning the engine manually with a wratchet on the crankshaft bolt.........I'd definatley investigate further.......

__________________
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When you started it in your garage, did you look to see if the oil gauge showed pressure?

I'd be suprised if you got it turned off before engine damage occured.

It doesn't take long for the engine to pump out 5 liters of oil and engine brg damage to occur.

While I have not experienced this personally, my understanding was this happens when the motormounts are colapsed and the belt is the wrong length. So the compressor is kicked over farther than normal to tighten it.



Michael

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Michael McGuire
83 300d
01 vw A4 TDI
66 Chevy Corsa
68 GMC V6 w/oD
86 300E

pawosd,
I shut down as soon as I saw the pressure was at 0-- not sure when that was in the oil -loss scenario. Yes, it was running, and seemed to idle fairly nicely. Busy, the presure showed 2 in the garage, which was about normal for this vehicle at idle. When I pressed the gas, it went up to 3, so I took it out for a spin. The car simply died one block away (going up a hill).

When I try to start it, the engine gave one, two, or sometimes three "ruh's" (usually one) and then nothing. Jumping had no effect.
Thanks,
Brian

You must realize that you have two separate issues.

You have confirmed that it has oil pressure of 2.0 at idle.
Therefore, it is extremely unlikely that you damaged the bearings to a point where additional clearance is now present.

So, the issue is to get it started again. I have a suspicion that the WVO is playing a part in this. See if you can get a can of diesel fuel and attempt to prime the system with diesel fuel. Then get it running properly on diesel fuel.

You can't make any determination on the condition of the engine until it is running again. And, we already know that it will run.

The WVO should have nothing to do with the car not turning over at all. If the engine spins over but doesn't fire, then it could be playing a role. If the starter won't turn the engine over, that can't hardly be fuel related.

Was there any other indications of a problem before it died (strange noises, no power, etc)? Maybe you have a couple different problems, for instance starter/electrical system problem in addition to the fuel problem.

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Keep everything as simple as possible-but no simpler--Albert Einstein

Brian's right. If you had severe bearing damage you would have lower oil pressure. Regarding not starting, you said it only spun over a couple times then wouldn't spin at all? How about trying a junkyard starter to at least rule that out? Try smacking the solenoid with a large metal bar and see if that gets the starter to spin. Are you basically saying it seems as though the engine is locked up? Why not either put a wrench on the P/S pulley and try to spin the engine? Turn clockwise when facing the engine of course. You should disconnect the fuel line right before the in-line filter and place a can of diesel there and see if it will run that for fuel. We don't want to start getting mechanical and fuel problems tangled up.

Thanks
David

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2000 Honda Accord V6 137k miles

1972 300SEL 4.5 98k miles

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The car died on WVO initially (when the cooler line broke), but I switched over and it was idling for about 20 minutes on diesel before I took it out of the garage. That should have been enough time to flush the system, I would think.

I could see the car stalling related to WVO, but the cranking once and giving up would be different-- just hard to imagine putting a starter in at this point.

On that note, does anyone know of a mechanic in the Milwaukee area who would not lose it when I bring in a car that has been converted to WVO? I might finally be way over my head with this car.
Thanks,
Brian

Clarify this please:

Does the starter fail to turn the engine, whatsoever?

What's the condition and age of the battery?

What's the condition of the cables?