Engine failure pic, who can spot the issue.

[Wyattboche]

Engine is a 2.4 dodge 4 cylinder from a 2005 caravan. There are 2 issues in this photo. 

[fabr]

Wiped out thrust bearing and what's under the rear bearing? Pics not too clear. Can't see much detail.

[Nutz4sand]

Its a dodge?    And from a Caravan....   Those two issues are likley enough.



I don't see the second half of a thrust bearing?


Its a dodge?

[trans man]

Yep, It's a dodge! 

[Wyattboche]

Issue 1 was the smoked thrust bearing and thrust surface on the crank. Issue 2 was the fact that they only used half a thrust bearing, and that's why they fail.

[Nutz4sand]

Issue 1 was the smoked thrust bearing and thrust surface on the crank. Issue 2 was the fact that they only used half a thrust bearing, and that's why they fail.

I reiterate.... Its a DODGE!

[fabr]

Issue 1 was the smoked thrust bearing and thrust surface on the crank. Issue 2 was the fact that they only used half a thrust bearing, and that's why they fail.

Not really why they  fail. Lots of engines use only 1/2 shell thrust bearing. Someone riding the clutch usually is the cause of a smoked thrust bearing. Take your foot off the clutch pedal after shifting.

[Carlriddle]

Is that in a buggy? 

Hows the oil pressure?  Weak pump/crappy oil?  Cumming was only good Dodge engine, wait they didn't make that.  So, yep its a Dodge,  So Dodge it.

Take your foot off the clutch pedal after shifting.

And if you drive an auto with with one foot on brake and one on gas, you should have one leg cut off.

[fabr]

+1. I DO drive an auto with both feet myself BUT I don't just rest my foot on the pedal like many idiots do.

[LiveWire]

I drive 2 footed as well. I tend to hook my toe under the brake pedal and pull though. I have gotten used to doing that to keep my foot from bouncing all over the place in the buggy. I started driving two footed from the buggy having the steering shaft between my legs.

[Nutz4sand]

I cannot say for that engine block but I worked at the Chrysler foundry in Indianapolis for 7.5 years and they still made the 318 block there when I started.

We also made the 4.0 straight six and the 3.7 and the 4.7 and the 3.0 and the 3.8 blocks.

The core room was such a joke there would be oil passages blocked and thus oiling issues that could only be found after the engines were made and running. (i.e. starved for oil but pressure was OK on initial test so out the door it went) The core room crew was literally clueless unless it came to playing poker in the break room. THAT they knew how to do. It was not my area and I was not allowed there to correct them.

I could tell you horror stories for weeks about the crap that went out of that place.

I could tell you more as well about there trannies and the engine shops where the 3.7 and 4.7 engine blocks were turned into actual engines.

Calling them junk is an insult to junk.

[Wyattboche]

Is that in a buggy? 

Hows the oil pressure?  Weak pump/crappy oil?  Cumming was only good Dodge engine, wait they didn't make that.  So, yep its a Dodge,  So Dodge it.
And if you drive an auto with with one foot on brake and one on gas, you should have one leg cut off.

No buggy. Stopped in at a friends shop and he had this motor torn apart for a customer.

[Nutz4sand]

Just a lil "funny" here. One thing of many I could mention.

The ONLY thing the foundry I worked at did with ANY regualarity was SABOTAGE the engine plant.

If we were having issues and NOT supplying blocks the engine plant would have to shut down and they would inturn charge the foundry for the downtime.

(I am not sure how this was payed out but I beleive it affected the foundries bosses bonuses GREATLY)

So once we got running they would toss a WHOLE LOTTA extra spring steel and other high nickel alloys in the cupola to melt out some EXTREMELY tough iron.

Once those HARD blocks hit the engine plant they would tear the ever loving shit out of the tooling and stall the engine plant so the foundry could catch up and get some inventory back in front of the engine plant.


Silly part is I was forced to go there (4.7 engine plant) after I had been setup to go to a plant NW of Chicago where they used to make the PT Cruiser and now make the Patriot and the Compass and the other good gas mileage mini SUV's. Its a great palce to work and all those who went there LOVE IT.

I actaully stayed at the foundry AS A FAVOR to run the IML line and got pharked when with two weeks to go to shutting the foundry down I was forced to go to a nasty old engine plant instead of a nice clean assembly plant I was promised!

When I got to the 4.7 engine plant thing about the foundry came up and I mention the above thing to them about hard blocks to ruin the tooling. They looked at me like I had slapped thier mothers. "NO WAY" they said.

I told them to go look at there tooling consumption after every time we left them out of blocks and sure enough tooling failures had drove tooling costs thru the roof. after EVERY shutdown due to no block inventory!

This "only" happened like 12 to 15 times a year........... But they never figured it out till I pointed it out.

They were amazed it escaped them (I was not, they too were idiots)

Of course nothing was said or done to those who did this. Except promotions of course.

[BDKW1]

Thrust bearing in wrong spot causing the crank to eat it and the block?

[Nutz4sand]

If I HAD to place a bet on it I would say the machined surfaces of the crank that rode against the thrust bearings were CRAP. Instead of a nice surface with smooth area it was likley like a file (to a certain degree and certainly to the thrust bearing).

I know the engine plant I worked in bragged about working with microns but half the bearings in the machine heads were so bad you could SEE with the naked eye the play/slop in them!

The crank was likely far to rough where it spun against the thrust bearing and ate it.

Other things I would EASILY believe is excessive crank thrust caused by the machining being simply not enough so the tolerance to tight. But it would have to have corresponding wear elsewhere.

OR... The crank could have been being pushed by the trannys torque convertor as Chyslers tolerances on this stuff was NEVER adheared to. Would have to see if tranny problems on this same van were forthcoming or already happened?