oh no! colony park (302) engine issue...

Hi!

I'll find out more on Monday when I can get a mechanic to look at it, but here's the story:

Earlier yesterday I noticed that it was taking extra 'oomph' to get the car from 40-50mph, there's a gear change there and while the gear change itself is smooth, as it should be after a recent rebuild, I had to almost floor the engine to persuade it to move to the next gear.

I was doing some bronze pouring earlier, so I was wearing my heavy boots that I rarely wear... I presumed it was just that my foot was in a different position than I was used to, so it only felt like I was flooring the gas to get up to speed. It's happened to me before; dramatically different shoes or seat position upset that ingrained muscle memory.


But later, driving back from dropping my sister off at a bus station, it continued to feel underpowered... then the steering column started shaking a bit more than I'd think the road would account for. I was still hoping at this point, that as there wasn't asphalt on this stretch of road, that was it.

About the same time I noticed that when I braked, the car veered sharply left! I tested this several times; no doubt about it.

A few minutes later, when there was an intermittent buzzing sound from the engine, and I saw that it was getting hotter than it had ever gotten before (but not to the danger zone yet....) and there was no denying a real problem, it wasn't just in my head, I pulled over at the first exit and called a tow truck.

After a few minutes, remembering that it was sweltering hot, I turned on the engine again to roll down some windows. The oil and check engine light were on at this point (they had not come on when I first pulled over). Only left the engine running for a few seconds, so they were only on for those few seconds.

A half hour after that, when it started raining (while waiting for the tow truck), I turned the engine on again to roll up the windows (it was later pointed out to me that having the key in the ignition might have been sufficient, but I didn't know this), the warning lights were off, and the engine had cooled down. Wasn't making any noises, but, I only dared leave it running for the 10 seconds it took to roll up the windows.




Any thoughts?
The tow truck driver, who was a dabbling mechanic, said that veering left when braking is a caliper issue. Makes sense of course, but wholly unrelated to the engine as far as I know... but it can't be coincidence.

When I'd had it inspected, that mechanic mentioned that hte fan belt had some dry rot cracks in it. Would that cause enough of the above to fit the bill? Well, I'll find out monday; I don't have the car in front of me to check the fan.


But I'd appreciate any ideas, or experience you've had with a 302?
thanks!
-Bernard

 

Mythought was that if a failing brake is causing the pads to grab the rotor that would account for the feeling of loss of power. It would be similar to riding the brake hard while pressing on the gas at the same time. That would cause the engine to work harder, and if the cooling system isn't in great shape then overheating symptoms would appear.

 

From your description, Bernie....your car never actually overheated and was still driving with no warning lights....right?

 

correct.
Wasn't going to let it come to that!

Come to think of it-- and not to 2nd guess and imagine things, for the human mind is fallible-- I do remember from yesterday morning, the brakes being snappier in their response than usual! (the same tap would stop the car harder than it used to)
I'd thought that was a good thing

 

My GUESS is that POSSIBLY a hose is leaking and getting on your rotor(s). OR...the brakes could be unrelated. You said it was a sweltering hot day....your temp gauge WILL rise above "normal" when hot and in traffic. I'm confused about the loss of power and buzzing noise. Simply not enough input for me from here. I AM curious, though. Not sure, either, that it needed a tow at that point. It was acting up but still on the road with no warnings.
EDIT:
By the way....SOME brakes will do what you describe in the morning when damp. You should have the brakes checked though.

 

I didn't necessarily mean the engine overheating in particular, but more likely the transmission oil, which could give you the check engine light.

 

You mentioned the the belt being cracked and a buzzing noise...

Last nite I did recue, My daughter phoned and said her friends Explorer started making strange noises under the hood like something was smashing around and then the smashing stoped and it was buzzing ( she even yoused the same word "buzzing') so they pulled over and turned it off.

Got there and the surpentine belt,,,well over half of it was spider web wraped around the fan. I'm guessing to a unfamiluar eye seeing some belt mite be taken as all is OK. Made it to the parts store just as they were closing, put the new belt on and the problem was solved.


If the belt has cracks, it will fail. Sounds like a brake caliper to me too and the lack of power "may" be from the cali[per siezing (sticking) witch means it's not opening all the way so your brakes are wanting to slow the car, there for you need more gas, car seems gutless.

 

Heh: I love the cold. My definition of sweltering, is 80 degrees with 80+ % humidity. I'll pour sweat in weather like that. I hear the dryer parts of the midwest allow for higher temperatures, that aren't quite so insufferable.

But back to the story. No: something was definitely out of order, beyond just 80 degrees and humid. I probably could have made it home, but the way the engine temperature was inching up, I really would have risked blowing a headgasket to have gone 20 minutes further: better to play it safe, especially since AAA was paying for the tow.

Thanks for the ideas... I'll find out Monday! Shop didn't get to it today, unfortunately.
Oh, the inspection specifically says: air pump belt cracked. Is that what I think it is; a belt directly driven off the engine? I'm none too well read in car maintenance yet.
Also, the front shocks are leaking; but that won't be related.


By the by, anyone in the greater Baltimore/Maryland area who wants an apprentice? Do you have a project car I can help out on for a few days, and learn some serious maintenance?

 

that is to say, is "air pump belt" possibly the serpentine?

 

Hear anything about your car trouble yet, Bernie? Inquiring minds want to know!

 

Hi!

Spoke with the mechanic, he drove her 3 miles and didn't find ANYTHING.
In further discussion, however, he emphasized that anything within the 'normal' range IS normal, so the engine wasn't overheating at all-- though it was working harder than was usual.

The shaking of the steering column, the veering left, would all be explained by calipers; so he can replace calipers, hoses, and rotors for around $600 or $700? Can I do some of that myself?
He didn't find anything wrong when he drove it however... can a caliper issue come and go, getting worse over time, before the brakes finally seize up? Should I take care of this now, or wait and see if it comes up again?

 

Well....I was trying to allude to that possibility as nicely as I could. Glad to hear there is nothing wrong. You will get used to having an actual temp guage and its reactions in different driving conditions. NOW....I'm not sure what all your mechanic was referring to as far as replacement but it sounds REALLY high to me. I could be wrong but I would check around. It MAY be that you need new rotors if they have already been turned. The rotors warp and then when you lightly apply the brakes it will give you a steering wheel wobble. The rotors can be turned but only so much can be taken off before a new rotor is needed. I don't know why he suggested new calipers...without my driving the car or seeing the parts it's hard to say if they need replacing. I would like to know how much pad is left on there as well.

 

Calipers have pins in them that they slide on.
First thing I'd do is grease up those babies with some Permatex green brake lube.
A sticking caliper can explain what happened. They can be rebuilt, or quite often they're cheaper to buy "loaded", which means they come with pads.

And if you want to save some money, brake work is simple enough to do yourself.
And if you're doing one side, you should do both.

 

If it is pulling to one side when you apply the brakes, it is probably a stuck caliper. My brothers 88 Lincoln town car just had that problem where the front passenger side caliper siezed and would pull to the left when you put the brakes on. A good way to check if you have a stuck caliper is to drive around for a little bit and then get out and feel the rims. If one rim is hotter than the rest, that is the wheel where the caliper is sticking. The calipers are pretty cheap ($30ish) and are easy to change yourself if you are mechanically inclined. $600-700 for calipers, rotors, and hoses sounds extreemly high to me.

 

Do the rotors, calipers, and flexible hoses yourself. That is too much to pay for someone to do it. If you're not comfortable doing it yourself, get someone who knows what they are doing to help. I would also recommend changing the brake fluid since you will have the system opened up anyway. That oil idiot light is commonly referred to as the Change Engine light. If it comes on while driving you'd better start planning for the future. Sounds like you are in the clear though.