69 bay, Ran on no oil, started knocking, and then died.

[CaptainKingsmill]

Hello all.
Long term lurker, First time poster.
Sorry the title isn't the best, it's quite a complex problem to sum up in one line.

While traveling up a hill in sunny Staffordshire, I noticed that the oil light was permanently on, not just flickering as normal, (it's been a little temperamental and has flickered for a while now which probably contributed to me not noticing the problem sooner.) I seemed to lack power, then I noticed an unfamiliar knocking sound which got louder. I figured i'd pull over in the lay-by at the top of the hill.
I didn't make it...
the Engine gave out a clunk and a judder and a puff of smoke appeared out the back.
The engine had cut out and I coasted to a stop.

I checked the oil, or lack of, and tried to top it up in the super long shot that this would fix the problem.
It Didn't
when I tried to start it again, it DID turn over and managed to start, however it sounded as rough as I've ever heard an engine, and cut out again pretty quickly.

Year: 1969
Engine Size - Should be a 1600 .... HOWEVER the engine code reads AB10955 so I think the V5 is wrong.
Single Carb... I think.

So, my questions.
Where should I start my search for problems that I've caused?
What parts have I've likely damaged?

I've got a friend coming round next weekend to work on it with me.
We plan on dropping the engine out, and just want to try and get an idea about what to expect.
The engine code has got me a little concerned. I'd have probably purchased any parts i need for a 1.6 and I suspect they would have been wrong, So any help getting to the bottom of what's going on with my engine would be a great help too.

I can upload photos if they would help at all.

Thanks
Aaron

[hazetguy]

sounds like your engine is

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[richparker]

Hazetguy is right, your engine is done. By running it out of oil you either threw a rod or your about to, that’s the knock you here.

On the bright side, if you still want to drive your bus you’re gonna have to buy a new/rebuilt engine. Who doesn’t like a fresh engine?!?
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[bbrowncods]

First off, you wasted the oil you put in it. You could probably save the carb (pretty sure it has one).
All kidding aside you are pretty much looking at a long block (everything between the heads, including the heads). You may want to tear it down and see what is salvageable, but I wouldn't waste my time. So you are looking at a new engine that is "as reliable as you want to pay for".

[Derek Cobb]

Could just need a new set of bearings and a rod. Might need a new crank. If the oil light was flickering that much before the disaster, you were due for a rebuild anyway.

[CaptainKingsmill]

Hey guys,
Thanks for the replies so far!

I suspected the engine might be brown bread, so that's no surprise.
I also suspected I'd be wasting my good oil on it

the engine itself it pristine...other than the now loose metal work inside it!, it was rebuilt in 2014 to a pretty decent standard, so I do think the oil light was literally just the sensor.
with that in mind, I'm keen to save as much of it as possible, so i'm trying to avoid a long block if possible

That being said.. with regards to the engine.
The guy I bought it off told me it had a 1600 in it, now I don't think he was deliberately lying to me, but I think potentially he may have been wrong.

My understanding is that it could have been upgraded to a 1600, without changing the block? If this is the case, once I start stripping it back, how easy will it be to tell, and what will I be looking for?

Lastly, if the engine does turn out to be a 1300, I've been given an unexpected opportunity to upgrade it back to a 1600.
Am i just looking at barrels and pistons? (ignoring the shattered rods for a moment) or is there more to it?

Thank you for your time so far.

[williamM]

the 1600 slip right in and are stamped --85.5-- on their tops. So -as they are cheaper (so many are being made)- they are just over a $100 a set. (AAs from china-) that it's silly not to.
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[Abscate]

Mmmm toast.....pass the tea and marmalade please.

Good luck on the tear down and carry the lesson going forward, oil check is a weekly or on fill up.

The oil light is a warning to shut off in the next 5 seconds
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[Volswagon]

Thinner-walled cylinders are not always an upgrade. Cam, heads, and carb are the keys to more power.
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[Wildthings]

[Wildthings]

The internals of your engine will have gotten very hot, but at least it sounds like nothing locked up. Any parts you reuse will need to be checked very carefully to see that they haven't been damaged. I have known of people that were able to get considerable life out of an engine that had lost oil pressure and started making noise, but they got them shut down very quickly with the owner not trying to make the top of the hill.

[aeromech]

Tell your friend that when he comes he should pack a new long block in his bag. Pictures would help please.
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[timvw7476]

prediction: one spun rod bearing, one cracked cylinder skirt,
one blued crank pin, one bent conrod.
If you would do this more often, you could have enough spares laying
around to do a partial rebuild.

[CaptainKingsmill]

[Iain]

[Wildthings]

[CaptainKingsmill]

[CaptainKingsmill]

if you look at the front on photo of the engine, you can see at the top, above the engine there is some kind of heat shielding.
it's currently all distorted and bent, and id imagine, looking at it, that it's asbestos.
While I've got the engine out, ideally I'd like to replace that. Does it know what it is called(if it has a particular name) so I can search for it, or can anyone link me to an alternative?

[Wildthings]