Was driving on a 2 lane state highway in the foothills of Colorado. On an incline up a steep hill, the lane widened to 2 on my side, so I accellerated to pass a bus that was in front of me, and the car shifted down to second and stayed there for the duration of the climb up the hill (about 1 minute, roughly 3500 to 4000 rpms, wasn't paying too much attention).
After backing off at the top of the hill, I notice a lack of power and a knock developed. Unfortunately, there was no shoulder, so I couldn't pull over. Went down the hill and started up another, and noticed a marked degradation in engine power while ascending the second hill. Engine temp was also increasing (~210) and the oil pressure was ~20 psi @ 3000 rpm (low for this car). Power degradation continued to get worse and the car shifted down to 2nd to maintain speed, which was steadily decreasing. Oddly enough, I noticed no valve knock, so there enough pressure to keep the lifters pumped. =20
At the top of the second hill, the shoulder on the road was wide enough to pull over, which I immediately did and killed the engine. Upon stopping, oil pressure dropped to zero and the engine temp was ~240.
I thought at first that maybe the thermostat stuck closed which caused the overheat, which could cause the oil to thin so much that the pressure dropped . I let the car sit for 10 minutes and then tried to start it. Heard the heart-rending sound of metal screeching and the engine was very difficult to turn over. I called a tow truck and made it home that way (wife was not pleased!).
Got it off the tow truck and for grins, I tried to start it. It fired right up (no lifter knock), but the pressure was low, ~10psi. I put it in gear and pulled it into the drive, where it sits now. I checked the oil, and sure enough, there's metal shavings in it, so the motors shot, but I'm trying to figure out what went wrong. Any ideas? And any recommendations on where to get a long block in Colorado without getting taken by a dealer?
Some more background: About a month ago, right before driving from Colorado to Indiana for vacation, I changed the radiator due to a small coolant leak. Shortly after (2 days later), the oil pressure dropped to ~5psi while sitting at a stop light, but jumped up to 20 when driving. I got the car home (was only 1 mile away), and stuck an oil pressure gauge on. It read ~25 psi at idle (after the engine had cooled off a bit), so I suspected a faulty oil sending unit. I changed that and also changed the oil (valvoline durablend 5w30 and a NAPA oil filter). The pressure appeared fine after that (~15-20 psi at idle, ~25-30 psi @2500 rpm), and I took it on vacation. We arrived back home last week, total mileage was 2000.
So now I'm wondering if there's some connection between the first oil pressure problem and this one. Could the new radiator's oil cooler cause this problem if it was partially plugged? I just find it odd that all these problems occured after I changed the radiator. =20
I've got a motor to replace, but I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas as to why this one failed. Seems like if it was the oil pump getting weak, it should've been a gradual thing, not all at once like this.