How much does it take to cook an engine?

[skippymoss]

Got home today by recovery truck.
Was driving on a dual carriageway after a long motorway run when we heard a funny scraping noise...
Turns out the shaft on the water pump had broken and the noise was the pulley wheel rubbing against the next.
Water was boiling over from the header tank and plumes of stream coming up through the rear vents.
Didn't however notice a high temperature on the guage or the red light on.
Obviously going to replace the water pump but what are the chances I've cooked the engine and what should I look for when I get the new pump on?

[ermie571]

sadly...not much.

You can try replacing the pump, praying to whatever God takes your fancy, filling with water and bleeding....but chances are something internal will have given way....especially if it was driven with no water circulation, or no water at all....

Hope it works out for you.

Em
xx

[Ian Hulley]

Didn't however notice a high temperature on the guage or the red light on.

By that do you mean they didn't come on OR they did and you were too late seeing them ? There's only one way to be certain and that's to fit a new pump and try it out.

2/10 MUCH more diligence required if you're to successfully keep any old vehicle on the road.

[skippymoss]

Red light wasn't on whilst driving.
Stopped and saw the steam.
Went back after a min or two to check the temp guage as thought that plumes of steam deffo indicates overheating.
The temp was hotter than usual (ie past vertical) but no red light still.
Red light does flash when ignition key is turned so not a bulb gone.

[Ian Hulley]

You need to bridge the largest of the wires on the rad fan temp sensor to each of the other 2 wires in turn ... the fan should have cut in.

[California Dreamin]

Without circulation.. the coolant in the radiator wouldn't have heated up to bring on the fan.
Snapped fan belts or water pump impellors create 'localised' overheating as coolant in the water jackets heats up but isn't circulated away.

Martin

[tandemsandy]

To add a bit of hope, we had a drastic overheat after holing a radiator pipe. It blew the water jacket seals, so we took the engine out, stripped the liners, honed the cylinders, new rings, rebuilt with new seals everywhere.
That was June 2011 and Vinnie is running better and better in the 8k miles since. Perhaps we were lucky.

Rob

[DentedDevon]

Our previous van overheated and lost most of its water (clouds of steam and water on the road.
Repaired the leak and refilled and bled the system, it leaked a little water from the water jacket seals round both heads , so treated to rad weld - was fine after that.
Deffinatly worth replacing the pump and giving it a try

[ghost123uk]

To add a bit of hope, we had a drastic overheat after holing a radiator pipe. It blew the water jacket seals, so we took the engine out, stripped the liners, honed the cylinders, new rings, rebuilt with new seals everywhere.

Blimey Rob, you make that sound like a simple afternoons work

p.s. = @ DentedDevon, most folks don't recommend Radweld as it can block up some of the small coolant pipes our vans use. The general consensus is that K Seal is the one to use (apparently it works in a different way). Keep an eye on the "freedom to flow" of the thin "T" pieces on the bleed rail around the engine bay etc.

Fingers crossed for you skippymoss

[skippymoss]

Thanks guys.
Water pump on order from Brickwerks.
Stern word to be had layer today with the mechanic who fitted the fan belt (amongst other things) just before we went away.
Over tightening could have been the cause of the failure IMO but difficult to prove...

[tandemsandy]

Blimey Rob, you make that sound like a simple afternoons work

lol!! About 3 weeks work, but good to get intimate with Vinnie, we understand each other much better now

Rob

[skippymoss]

Anything obvious I should check before starting her up?
If the water jacket seals are gone how might I spot that?

[Ian Hulley]

Anything obvious I should check before starting her up?
If the water jacket seals are gone how might I spot that?

Drips below the head on both sides, sometimes it can run along the head though and drip from the pushrod guards.

[tandemsandy]

Drips below the head on both sides, sometimes it can run along the head though and drip from the pushrod guards.

or if you've made a reet good job, like we did, it doesn't drip, it runs out as fast as you pour it in!!!!!

[skippymoss]

Replaced the water pump (thanks for your help getting the old one off Dented Devon).
Filled and bled (took about 5l).
Test drove.
As Lord Nelson said about the water boxer engine on the Victory - 'I see no drips'.
Think we got away with it this time
The steam must have been purely leakage from the knackered water pump falling on the exhaust pipe I reckon.
Today is one of the good days...
PS tested the fan and it kicks in when it's supposed to too.