Wow, I hope it is something simple.
Doesn't sound good though.
If you think water is getting into a cylinder, you gotta be careful about spinning the
engine or running it. Don't wanna push your luck with hydrolock. Right now you might
'just' have a head gasket to replace. If it hydrolocks, you could ruin the engine itself.
This is assuming that the engine didn't hydrolock during the original/initial breakdown.
A bad thermostat can cause overheating while the radiator is still cold, but I don't know
how the pressure you experienced would play into that. I am just trying to find a way to
explain the problem without it being a major issue...
My bro-in-law was using my pickup once for about a week. He knew that it burned a little
oil and leaked a little oil. The oil level needed to be checked every other day or so.
Sometimes it got really low when the temp was high or use was hard. This was during the
height of summer and he was working out of the truck, so oil would go fast.
He called me and said the truck 'just stopped' and he was on the side of the road. The truck
wouldn't start back either.
I asked him: "Did you check the oil?"
He said: (
are you ready for this?)
"I haven't even got out of the truck yet!"
Edit:
The timing chain theory doesn't really stand. The chain doesn't just slip to the point of not
running, then go back to running later, as though it was just a momentary slip. When a
timing chain slips, it doesn't go back, and if the situation does change, it is only for the worse.
If you ever think the chain has slipped, don't run it again. If it has slipped far enough,
or slips again, you can destroy lots of parts from the valves being out of time with the pistons!
