[DML] Re: Did my engine blow up? Fire/smoke?!

["twinenginedmc12" <twinenginedmc12@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "daviddcalifornia"
<daviddcalifornia@...> wrote:
>
> I recentley bought a 1981 Dmc with 15k miles on it. The car is not in 
> the best of shape to say the least. Anyway I drove it over the 
> holidays with not too much trouble and put 1k miles on it.  I've been 
> away for business and called home to have my wife start the car and 
> let it run for a while. I told her to stay with the car and let it run 
> for 5 minutes. Well she went in the house and forgot about the car 
> running and came out 10 minutes later after a fire alarm went off. She 
> said there was pure white smoke bellowing out of the engine area so 
> she shut the car off.  On the garage floor was a 5'x5' puddle of 
> coolant that all poured out.
> 
> So at this point should I assume my engine is gone?
>

Nope, if the engine was running when she shut if off, it might be okay.  

If it were mine, I'd crank it with the starter, to see if it's seized.
It probably isn't.  If it's not, I'd fix the coolant leak, change the
oil, and run it normally.  

If it doesn't knock, leak or otherwise be bad, you're in luck. 
They're good engines.  Don't be too hard on your wife.

Occasions like that are where the real value of synthetic oil comes
into play.  It takes slightly longer to fry than regular oil.

Rick.








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