TomRhere Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 '86 BRAT. Not sure yet as to what happened, I need to get it towed home before I can do anything as far as diagnosing it. BRAT is currently about 25 miles from here, dead......... Was heading home after work yesterday, when she started to loose some power. Quick check of gauges showed everything to be normal for this BRAT. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw what appeared to be a cloud of oil smoke behind me. Cloud wasn't disipating, so I really thought oil smoke instead of steam. I was still getting heat out of heater. Nursed it to a Bar I stop at occasionally, engine died as I turned into the parking lot. Popped the hood and looked things over. No evidense of coolant under hood, so no bad hose or things like that. Then I noticed that there was no real heat coming from engine, there should've been. I had driven about 5 or so miles from work at this point. So I started touching things, any place I could get my hands to on the engine, it's barely warm. ?!?!?! Touched the radiator, it's cool for the most part, but warm near the bottom. !?!?!??! Slowly removed radiator cap..... No pressure!!!! Pulled cap off and coolant level is way down, OH Great!!!! Decided to go inside an have a beer, let things cool abit before anymore troubleshooting. Came back out and added water to the radiator, tried to start it. No go.... Engine turns over just fine, but it won't start. Pumped the gas a couple times while spining it over, still no start, but it did spin faster like it wanted to start, just wouldn't fire off. Went back inside and called Wife to let her know what's going on, and that we may need ride home. Had another beer, and then tried to start it again, no deal. Called Del again so she could come fetch me and the oldest Son. BRAT is still setting at the Bar, and I'm trying to find some way of getting it home. I'll let y'all know what I find once it's here...... Head gasket change or engine swap was not on my planned "things to do" list this weekend....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 ack! Lets pray for a horrible intake manifold gasket issue?? Good luck with the thanksgiving rebuild :-\ hopefully its much less involved than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[HTi]Johnson Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 I'm thinking you popped a head gasket. That happened to me on my Outback. Were there signs of head gasket failure, before this? You know...a little steam out the pipe and/little coolant loss? That's what my outback was like. Then cruising down the freeway and bluh...just crapped out. Lost enough compression not to start up. But I wasn't lucky enough to park at a bar, I was in the middle of nowhere and didn't have a beer. Hopefully it wasn't a HG...like he said, a horrible intake gasket failure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy FitzGibbon Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 Do a compression test, which will tell you a lot, and inspect the oil for water contamination. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted November 20, 2007 Author Share Posted November 20, 2007 Well, looks like it'll be Friday before I get it home. Made some calls today while at work, and had a tow home all lined up for after work. Get to the guys place and he ain't there, Hmmmm.. Head to the Bar after leaving info where we're at, and tried starting the BRAT again. Same deal, turns over just dandy, but won't fire off. Got juice on all plug leads, so I know spark is there. Got gas squirt when I moved throttle, so fuel is there. This ain't looking good...................... Get call from Jim, (guy with tow truck), that he's on his way and should be there in a few. Finish our Beers and head outside to get BRAT in good spot for loading. Hellacious racket can be heard coming down the road, so I goes out to curb to see what it were.. It be Jim, he blew something in the truck. Tranny, transfercase, PTO unit, diff unit, don't know, but something broke..... So his truck is now resting beside the BRAT, at the Bar. Rich took him home while I had another Beer and started to make more phone calls..... Stuff occurrs, and it sucketh,,,, bigtime............................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john in KY Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 All true but can you think of a better place to have a breakdown? Beer and really hot chillli are my favorite meal this time of year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaru_dude Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 That's some terrible luck. Oh well, only thing you can really do is get the job done right so you have one less thing to go wrong just before Christmas. Good luck with the Brat, and look on the bright side... at least you were stranded at a bar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 You have air, and fuel, and spark - so you don't have compression. That seems as fair a guess as any. I would say a head gasket let go, but that's just not common on the EA81's. Weird. Does it even try to fire on two cylinders? I wouldn't think it possible that both would go at once, and if they did it would sound very different cranking without compression in any cylinders. With two pumping it's hard to tell but it will usually try to sputter with only one bank fireing. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted November 21, 2007 Author Share Posted November 21, 2007 No exhaust sound that a cylinder had actually fired, but it does crank over faster with pumping of the gas pedal. Makes me think that it wants to start, just won't for whatever reason. Made more phone calls last night. I may have use of truck and tow-dolly, I'll know later today. Of course, they're forcasting heavy rain for this afternoon. Rich offered to push me home with his '91 Sonoma, but I really don't want to do that. 20 some miles up and down hills, we're on heavily traveled roads for most of the trip. I'd really rather not do that, especially if it's going to rain today, kinda need wipers, headlights, and maybe heater set on defroster to keep windshield clear. Regular tow-truck is out of the equation at the moment. $90.00 just to hook up, plus mileage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joostvdw Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 can't you tow it back with a tow-strap(sp?) if you can find out which side the HG is blown (assuming this is the problem) remove the plugs on the bad side, it should be able to run and drive on the other 2 cilinders, sounds exactly like a 2cv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Tom isn't this the Brat with the EA82 in it? Pass side timing belt? After you get it home. Take your timing light, maybe the DS belt skipped a few teeth. With the plugs pulled it will spin fast enough. If it's the EA81 checking the ignition timing may still shed dome light. Good luck, bad juju Turkey Day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Regular tow-truck is out of the equation at the moment. $90.00 just to hook up, plus mileage. Sorry to hear your Brat died. I have to ask, do you have tow coverage in your insurance? With all the beaters I've owned, I have that as well as AAA. Insurance takes care of the under 10 mile tows and AAA takes me home if it's under 100 miles. Good luck getting it home and fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted November 22, 2007 Author Share Posted November 22, 2007 Michigan totally frowns on towing a vehicle using a chain or tow-strap. Shortest and easiest route home from where BRAT is would take me right past the State Police Post, and not to far from the Hillsdale County Sherriff's Office. So that's a no-go.... No towing on our insurance. Did have that though, many many moons ago with another company. This BRAT has the EA-81 engine, Weber carb on an EA-82 intake. Basically stock otherwise. The '82 BRAT 'had' the EA-82 engine in it. That BRAT is currently sitting on jackstands, some what dismantled, while going thru cancer surgery. I really appreciate the input from all of you. I'm still trying to get it home, but this is a bad week and weekend to get that done apparently. Had use of truck yesterday, but every place I called to get tow-dolly was closing before I got out of work. We shall see what tomorrow brings....................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted November 22, 2007 Author Share Posted November 22, 2007 Well I got it home. :clap: Just got in from taking truck and trailer back to Jerry, longtime friend and former co-worker. Jerry farms, and he's had his trailer loaded up with farm type stuff. He had some free time of not needing trailer, so I went for it. Used the starter to drive BRAT onto trailer and to get it back off of trailer here at the house. It fired one cylinder, one time, while backing down the ramp of the trailer, but it wouldn't do it again. Further ivestigation is slated for tomorrow, I'll let y'all know what I uncover. Have a good Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subyrally Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 good luck and enjoy your turkey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 Glad to hear you got it home. Have a happy thanksgiving and let us know what you find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted November 23, 2007 Author Share Posted November 23, 2007 Got a late start working on finding what was wrong with the BRAT. We won't go into details on that................. Pulled plugs in prep for doing a compression check, when I just happen to notice something not quite right in #4. So I grabs the flashlight and looked into all of the cylinders. THEY BE FULL OF COOLANT!!!!!!! Well, not full, but one should not have coolant laying in the cylinder, 'specially all four of them. Ok, drain radiator, start pulling the Weber off. I hit water just as soon as I pulled the carb. That ain't right....... Coolant laying in the intake manifold too. Work my way down thru spacers and adapter plate to find the EA-82 manifold to Weber adapter is culprit area. Seems the front two screws that mount the lower section of the adapter had backed out, allowing the gasket to go places other than where it was supposed to be. I'm waiting for the JB Weld to cure right now. I dug out the old stuff and re-did a new "water passage under the carb" plug. It's less than 30* F. out right now and I have a lamp resting above the intake for heat source. Hopefully, stuff the cures and problem doesn't re-occurr. Believe you me, I'll be putting a bit more uuumphh on the screwdriver when tightening those screws again.......................... Maybe even some Blue Loc-tite for added peace of mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archemitis Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 good to hear! why not just plug the hose leading to the passage, stick a screw in it with a hose clamp, then if the jb weld goes again, you just suck air instead of water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted November 24, 2007 Author Share Posted November 24, 2007 good to hear! why not just plug the hose leading to the passage, stick a screw in it with a hose clamp, then if the jb weld goes again, you just suck air instead of water. That hole under the carb also leads into the coolant passage that is in the lower section of the intake manifold, so just blocking the hose won't do. It would be best if I could heli-arc the hole over, but I don't have means of doing that right now. If that hole was round instead of squarish, I'd just tap it for a pipe plug and be done with it. Not to easy to tap a square hole, and the way the manifold curves under in that area precludes drilling it. Probally wouldn't be able to get tap in far enough either. Waiting for the Sun to rise......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 At least you found the problem and it wasnt life threatening to the Brat. But it does bite that it had to happen over a Holiday..but that still gives you time to work on it...One thing to be Thankful for huh? It wasnt terminal:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 ack! Lets pray for a horrible intake manifold gasket issue?? Good luck with the thanksgiving rebuild :-\ hopefully its much less involved than that. So in the end, you get to be thankful it was a relatively simple stupid intake coolant issue!!! :clap: :clap: :clap: GREAT to hear, TomRhere! good luck with the JB. Ever think about finding a copper pipe plug with a square head on it, saw off the square part, and maybe try brazing the sqaure bit in? or did i make a fool of myself just now for thinking you could braze aluminum and brass together? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted November 24, 2007 Author Share Posted November 24, 2007 I don't think those 2 would work well together. But a small chunk of aluminum heli-arced into that hole would be the ticket...... Believe you me, another intake manifold will be re-worked properly and swapped on, I don't want to go thru this again. I'm just glad it was a small leak instead of a major gusher. Hydrolocking an engine while running down the road isn't a good thing.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted November 24, 2007 Author Share Posted November 24, 2007 IT LIVES!!!!! Took some doing to get it to fire off, but it runs again. I had to swap in a fresh set of plugs before it would start. Apparently, drowning NGK's with coolant don't do them any good. I had cleaned, re-gapped them, but it wouldn't fire off, even after cranking engine over with no plugs in it to dry out cylinders some.. Wouldn't even fire with starting fluid. New set and she's good................. Did a pretty good imitation of a skeeter fogger for about 20 minutes. Quick blast up and down the block, and letting it idle for about a half hour cleared up the exhaust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 Congrats Tom, glad to read you got it fixed. Many thanks for the update/follow up. Guys like you are what makes the board so valuable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted November 27, 2007 Author Share Posted November 27, 2007 Thanks Skip.... Did about a 5 mile drive in it Sunday, all appeared to be normal. Got real brave and drove it the 64 mile round trip to work yesterday. Seems all is good with repair. Looked back thru the repair log I have on this here BRAT. It's been a shade over 2 years since I did the manifold/Weber swap. So. it made it for awhile before the screws backed out. I'll be digging up another intake and doing some mods to it, then swapping it onto the engine. As I said earlier in this thread, "I really don't want to go thru that again".. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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