my cobra engine died BADLY and will not start...is my engine blown

98yellsvtcobra

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Jun 22, 2004
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Here's the story that broght tears to my eyes...crank my 98 cobra(DOHC) with 93k miles on it. I heard a vibrating noise that was VERY unusual coming from the engine :notnice: . First thought is I know from exericence is that it definately wasn't an exhaust leak..those have a unique stench to them when you spring one in your car and hear the tickin noies....anyways...wasn't an exhaust problem for sure...I decide to be safe and get it to the quickest place possible to find out what was wrong. During the "6" mile ride to the dealership my car stalls our repeatedly even with having it in neutral sittling at a light :notnice: Get about 3 miles from the dealership going about fifty and honestly nursing my baby so I don't damage her and then my engine dies COMPLETELY-rpms going to zero completely and the motor did not sound good. To get the car out of traffic and harms way to both myself and other drivers I cruised and tried to crank it again to see if I could at least get it to the side of the road....another grinding noise came big time and the engine was totally gone...on the plus side the car got to the side of the road....here is the question...is my engine DONE-did I throw something/break something/etc that wouldn't be a wise decision to fix given the high miles on my car. I mean the engine is definately the messed up part...I was plalnning on getting a new stang in a year or sooner and getting rid of that, so there is no emotional attachment if I had to just take a loss on this car and get a new one now....translation if my engine is blown I don't think it would be a wise cost/benefit analysis to put more money into a high mileage car that wouldn't have much resale value in a year, not to mention the money I would have already dropped into the new engine swap, etc. Back to the point(and I appologize for giving to much details..) A. is the engine blown ? B. Is the engine more than likely blown? C.Could there be a problem that would kill my engine like this, and make those grinding noises proir to stalling out at least 10 times before the engine died on me(meaning my engine could be "fine for the most part" but this was the problem that made a "potentially healthy" engine just not be able to function? AND FINALLY my last question( I appologize agin for being long)if the high mileage engine (in your prfoessional opinions) is either "A"-blown, B.more than likely blown-but needs work done from complications(couple grand) or C. chalk up the "early loss" of my stang don't invenst aymore money in it cause I know the engine is gone(if that is the case) and save that money I would have wasted on a high mileage car and put it towards a phatter stang than I wanted anyways while salvaging out every single part accessory that still has value on my car(minus ths engine unless someone wants it) especially the (real)brand new 98 rims and tires I put on less than a week ago.


Thanks for reading this its a really frustrating issue and I hope one of you has some advice for me cause I am hurting right now :(
 
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just drove my car 20 yards to a parking lot....it almost stalled the whole time...but before I even drove it 20 yards we listened and on the right side of the engine there was a HIDEOUS rattle that suonds more like a lawmower runnin out of gas....I checked my oil and it seems fine...so when I got confident enough to park it in the parking lot next to it, I was curious how bad or loud the rattle was so I revved slowly to about 4500 rpms and the engine died instatnly...didn't try and restart it....but I thought I would update you on the circumstances....PLEASE HELP!
 
I had midas change my oil and filter about 1.5 months? Explain how that could contribute to this rattling if you don't mind me asking...like the engine on the right side is vibrating....sounding like a ****ty lawn mower...if I could compare it...I feel like I have a rod issue cause my horsepower is down (obviously) but when you rev it just a little the car wants to die.... :shrug:
 
I personally think you are going to have to break into to it. I would take a valve cover off on and check it out. I have experienced three cobra motor failures. My original 96 sounded like diesel at idle due to the previous owner not keeping up on the oil changes, i.e sludge build up and lack of lubrication. I then went through two used 99 cobra motors after that. First one the drivers camshaft sprocket bolt broke in half causing the motor to only run on the passenger 4 cylinders. The engine had a rattling noise, exhaust sounded like crap, had no power, and would barely stay running half the time. I didn't know I had that huge of a failure till I took camshaft position sensor out. I found it to be missing the other half due to being broken off by the cam sprocket as it broke off with the primary chain. The next 99 cobra motor I got had a rod knock that would only be heard when the car was warm, the engine ran very strong despite it though.
 
The car was stock except for exhaust and new plugs and wires I just "tuned up" at a very reputable shop....The car got towed to the dealership today and they didn't get to look at it, but unless I plan on dropping an 03-04 motor tricked out motor, would it not be worth just parting out the cobra and getting something newer? The car is in mint condition stock with brand new rims and tires(less than a week old) and the engine was the only problem....The guys say the engine is "most likely F'd up" but I will take their final word when they show me the damage...it just hurts to think of putting 6 or 7 grand down on an engine that is going into a high mileage used car...when I want something else eventually-like a phat mystic cobra... :shrug:
 
Sorry I don't mean to hijack your thread but what would installing underdriver pulleys have to do with engine running bad? I'm asking because my car has never run the same with U/D pulleys.
 
venom01 said:
Sorry I don't mean to hijack your thread but what would installing underdriver pulleys have to do with engine running bad? I'm asking because my car has never run the same with U/D pulleys.

It is very common for people to not torque their crank pulley correctly. As you are aware, the crank pulley is also the harmonic dampener. When not properly torqued, your engine can have a 'diesel-like' sound because the balancer is throwing everything off. Also, a 'too-tightly torqued' crank pulley can damage the crank trigger. This actually happened to me . Myself and a bunch of speed shop mechanics were all convinced i had internal damage, but come to find out, it was an incorrectly torqued balancer.
This is the reason I suggested it to the poster of this thread - his story sounds alot like mine, and others who have been through this.

peace
 
98yellsvtcobra said:
I had midas change my oil and filter about 1.5 months? Explain how that could contribute to this rattling if you don't mind me asking...like the engine on the right side is vibrating....sounding like a ****ty lawn mower...if I could compare it...I feel like I have a rod issue cause my horsepower is down (obviously) but when you rev it just a little the car wants to die.... :shrug:
Well, if the fuel filter is blocked up, it would be starving the engine of fuel, which would be a lot more noticeable when actually trying to give more gas as opposed to at idle where it wouldn't need much fuel. And the fuel pump would also be working harder to get fuel through the filter, eventually failing.
 
I've learned the hard way, that trying to make something run better by giving it more gas is not a good thing to do. Since you've already taken it to the dealer this might not be necessary but......

The first thing I would have done was checked for a loose starter. It's amazing how they will still start the car, then rattle and bang all over the place. Next I would pull the plugs and check for a closed gap, which would indicate the piston hit the plug tip. Then spin the engine w/o the plugs and listen for bad "engine broken" sounds, followed by a engine compression test, oil pressure check, and a oil & filter inspection/Change. You should know if your engine is toast by then.

Good luck....

BTW: By getting a newer cobra, did you mean 03/04?
 
Motor vs Payments

I would give thought to building a new motor rather than making car payments. If your motor is toast, you could buy a new assembled long block and learn to put it in yourself. It's really not that hard. Besides, you already own a nice car, why buy another? :shrug:
 
SAME DAMN PROBLEM WITH MY 97 Cobra...

Ended up being 3 toasted rods, not bent, but they turned black from heat.

All the bearings were shot and the crank has to be cut .010.

So all in all I got a forged assembly getting installed.

Cost me only $1k

Goodluck, but I think the engine said BYE BYE.