Car broke at track...need help

[GI Joe]

car broke...
ran fine last night...
pulled 2nd gear on the 4R70W and car shut right off...although I dont think it turned off it just died like it hit the rev limiter ( but it did not)...
It acted like a catotrophic failure, but no pop or sounds at all. Oil is fine.
Seems like it was still running going down the track but at 6300 it just shut down and then at the end I turned the key and shut it off. ( actually I had the elec lockup on and it killed itself) Then when you hit the key just goes clunk. The crank tries to move a little but then it does nothing...just goes clunk. Turn the lights on and hit the key and the lights all go off. Swapped batterys ..same thing...NO CODES. ideas.

 

[94tbird]

wow. def sounds electrical somewhere. I wish i had more to give ya on this. electrical is definitely not my thing

 

[GI Joe]

wow. def sounds electrical somewhere. I wish i had more to give ya on this. electrical is definitely not my thing

me neither

 

[94tbird]

i guess the first thing is to trace all lines from the battery to the alt, and grounds. from there id check all the grounds from the fuse box. after that i dont know

 

[US-1]

Have you tried removing the plugs and rotating the engine by hand?

 

[GI Joe]

Have you tried removing the plugs and rotating the engine by hand?

no SD the car was in race trim sitting way down in a flat spot in the grass and I bareley got it out of the way before dark. I locked the car in the park I'm going back in the AM to get it.
I know
1: I need to try to rotate motor.
2: check cables all the way forward.
3: Maybe disconnect converter. I'm wondering if front in tranny locked...

but when I turn key head lights go dead completely. That seems like battery or ground If I recall my history...We replaced the battery.

If motor broke its the mildest break I've ever had...
kinda got me stumped.

 

[Solitear]

no SD the car was in race trim sitting way down in a flat spot in the grass and I bareley got it out of the way before dark. I locked the car in the park I'm going back in the AM to get it.
I know
1: I need to try to rotate motor.
2: check cables all the way forward.
3: Maybe disconnect converter. I'm wondering if front in tranny locked...

but when I turn key head lights go dead completely. That seems like battery or ground If I recall my history...We replaced the battery.

If motor broke its the mildest break I've ever had...
kinda got me stumped.

highly doubt your motor took a dump... I'm also thinking electrical...

 

[ZmanM3]

Wow, that sucks. I have no clue, but I'm interested in hearing what you find in the morning because that doesn't sound like much of an engine break to me too.

 

[US-1]

You have the battery in the trunk don't you?

 

[bigray327]

I'd check those two grounds on the radiator support first, since they're so easy to get to. I had one loose once after some mods, and the car would simply die at random times, usually when driving down the road. Then it would come back, just like that.

 

[GI Joe]

You have the battery in the trunk don't you?

yes...and I checked the connections and the neg connects on a short cable to a rod I ran through the trunk pan to the frame. I checked that too but I did not have time to check any further forward.

 

[GI Joe]

I'd check those two grounds on the radiator support first, since they're so easy to get to. I had one loose once after some mods, and the car would simply die at random times, usually when driving down the road. Then it would come back, just like that.

10-4 i will

 

[psfracer]

Yep, check the grounds first. One of my grounds came loose (the one by the firewall) and the engine was dead, would not start.

 

[psfracer]

Like SD said, try rotating the motor by hand to---maybe something is locked up and the clunk you hear is the starter trying to engage, but it can't turn the motor, putting a huge load on the battery---which is why the headlights dim.

 

[GI Joe]

Yep, check the grounds first. One of my grounds came loose (the one by the firewall) and the engine was dead, would not start.

well it's like the starter will engage and you can see the crank pulley try to turn a little but its like something is locked...but because the headlights goes completely dead at the turn of the key, I think its electrical ( like that means there is a dead short somewhere......and the way the car just died like you turned a switch off....
I thought it might be alternator, but when I swapped batterys, my battery started the donar car.

 

[Cali HP Addict]

Hey there bro, so so sorry to hear about the trouble. I think that our headlights turn off during cranking automatically in order to dirrect max current to the starter. Have somebody check on their running car before you dive too far into your electrical. I would do a test for you but mine is down right now. Unfortunately, it sounds like something siezed.

 

[jroc07gt]

maybe the power wire is grounding out some wheres in route to the battery.

 

[US-1]

I was thinking the plates in the battery came loose and grounded out but he posted that they replaced the battery.

 

[jroc07gt]

a friend of mines car was doing the same thing and it turned out that the power wire had rubbed down to the wires exposed which touched the body of the car.

 

[GI Joe]

It's the motor...It was locked down so tight I did not think i was going to be able to get the converter bolts off.

Could not turn motor by hand with 2ft breaker bar on crank bolt, however starter would let me bump it just slightly.
Removed plugs (look fine)
A little easier to bump with starter but still not able to turn by hand.
Finally able to remove converter bolts and slide converter rearward. Converter turns freely. Motor turns over with starter and no plugs in but labors to rotate.
So tranny ruled out and electric ruled out. Drained oil and cut filter. Both reveal fair amount of fine partical metal....like meta-flake size. No copper. My guess it spun a rod bearing, main bearing and or broke oil pump.
Going to pull pan as you read.
Dave