run on 3 cylinders?

[ambivert]

1.9 DG petrol manual, since blowing a piston/ring its running like crap, but still running, the only problem is the huge cloud of oil smoke that billows out the exhaust which makes it illegal to drive.
So I'm thinking... what if... I did something to the push rods, or whatever it has, to prevent the inlet and exhaust valves opening, on the affected cylinder, so all that oil which is leaking past the piston ring into the combustion chamber has nowhere to go, but back the way it came, which means no more smoke! Maybe this would kill the engine, but its shagged anyway now, so nothing to lose... is there...?

[VWCamperfan]

Taking the HT lead off the plug for that cylinder would prevent it from firing and burning the oil. Might help.
Removing the rockers for that cylinder would be the easiest way of doing what you are saying but I wouldn't like to say whats going to happen further down with the pushrods and lifters unless they were removed as well.

[ambivert]

thats a good idea... why didn't I think of that? but perhaps the oil would still burn once it entered the exhaust manifold and mixed with the hot gases there... I guess there's only one way to find out... cheers

[CovKid]

Its going to be a very unbalanced engine and won't last long. Running on three is going to be like having a small bug engine in there. Not sure I'd want to go far in it, plus I suspect your fuel consumption will go up dramatically trying to get enough power out of it to accelerate. Nothing to lose perhaps but you could end up ruining an engine that could at least be rebuilt by someone else if not you. Just a thought.

[toomanytoys]

you could remove the pushrods... lifters will come up the bores though and you will lose oil pressure, poss just the lifters and valve gear that will suffer... but could lose too much from the crank.. so not ideal as pointless wrecking some usuable parts (i'd be interested in the dead engine )

So I'd suggest
take the spark plug out... no vacuum or compression and no spark... = no smoke... will run lumpy as cack though and be even more down on power.... but useable....

[VWCamperfan]

And rather noisy if the plugs out! I accidently left a plug out once, started the engine and made my 500 year old ancestors wake up!

[ambivert]

ok, thanks for all the advice, I think I will probably just leave it SORN for now, but nice to know that I could drive it somewhere in an emergency... although I'm not sure what sort of emergency would wait for a vehicle powered by 3 cylinders when 4 would only just about cope

[T25rc]

With mine running on 3 it wouldnt go anywhere, not really worth having running on just 3

[BOXY]

If you ran it with just the plug out wouldn't the fuel/air mix be "squirted" out right by the hot exhaust. Potential afterburner maybe to make up for the lost power?

[CovKid]

Now, now, you're being silly now Just for that I won't mention my cunning plan of bolting on a small model aircraft engine to the plug hole then - for added oooomph

[VWCamperfan]

Now, now, you're being silly now Just for that I won't mention my cunning plan of bolting on a small model aircraft engine to the plug hole then - for added oooomph

I might just try that on mine though!

[ambivert]

how about bolting a big propeller onto the crankshaft pulley... could also function as an outboard motor like they did in top gear!