(engine build) running then died with no warning?? HELP

[Mike D EP82]

Well after all the fucking about i got oil pressure from craigs engine. putting it down to the dimple on the rotor being the wrong way and also think the sealer for the sump might have blocked the oil hole at the bottom. NOW!! iv had it running filled with oil and coolant bled the system as normal the temperature was sitting at around half way (the usual) then i lifted the revs to around 2000rpm then blaaaa. engine died? it was like an electrical fault. tried to start it, it was like it had almost seized. put the car up in the air and tried to turn the engine over. it was tight but could move it. i checked that the gearbox had not siezed up put it 3rd and turned the wheels ok, then i checked the voltage at the battery during cranking. went from 12.5volts to around 7 volts which isnt enough to turn an engine over. need at least 9.5-10 volts for for cranking. so i put the battery charger on it and turned it to high charge to give it a boost, went to the car and walla it started?? anybody had anything like this before? the battery was dead when i put it back in the car but im really stumped at this as the engine was hard to turn then it wasnt?

 

[Rory]

Possibility the starter is on its way out, ie the bearing.
Apart from that, unless someone has had the same problem, it would be hard to pin point the problem over the net, without being there.

A fresh engine will be a bit tough to turn over by hand anyway, so i wouldnt worry about that.
What oil pressure readings were you getting at idle?
If the battery was dead, change that also, when there dead, there dead.

 

[_GAZ_EP85_]

check your earth's mate, had the same problem, done the exact same fault finding, and found crappy earth's, put a couple new bigger one's on and of she went

 

[Mike D EP82]

Possibility the starter is on its way out, ie the bearing.
Apart from that, unless someone has had the same problem, it would be hard to pin point the problem over the net, without being there.

A fresh engine will be a bit tough to turn over by hand anyway, so i wouldnt worry about that.
What oil pressure readings were you getting at idle?
If the battery was dead, change that also, when there dead, there dead.

well the starter couldnt have come into it i wouldnt have thought as you would hear the teeth grinding together lol but on a serious note i know it would be tough to turn over as there is 1 new piston, new rings, honed bores, new valve stem seals and new big ends. it could not have oil starvation as i pumped oil in throught the oil filter housing and watched the oil pour out of the crankshaft journals. one thought that came into mind was as you will know temperatures inside engines are high causing expansion, possibility the piston getting tight against the bore of the block? also due to the rather silly oil pump senario we suffered bore wash causing all the oil put onto the bores to help the pistons slide up and down to be washed back into the sump. im going to leave it and go back into the garage tomorrow and carry out a compression test, pump oil into the chambers and do another one and see how much it jumps up.

 

[Rory]

Not neccasarly, remember the starter syncromeshes with the flywheel, then should mesh out.
Possible it stuck open as such.

I hope there is new rings all round??

If you have had bore wash, i would dump the oil in there already, and get fresh stuff in there.
Dont want poor lubrication on the fresh bearings.

Have you any way of hooking up an oil pressure gauge.
Worth doing if you can, just for start up on a fresh engine.

As Gaz has mentioned, worth checking the earths, easy sort if it is.

well the starter couldnt have come into it i wouldnt have thought as you would hear the teeth grinding together lol but on a serious note i know it would be tough to turn over as there is 1 new piston, new rings, honed bores, new valve stem seals and new big ends. it could not have oil starvation as i pumped oil in throught the oil filter housing and watched the oil pour out of the crankshaft journals. one thought that came into mind was as you will know temperatures inside engines are high causing expansion, possibility the piston getting tight against the bore of the block? also due to the rather silly oil pump senario we suffered bore wash causing all the oil put onto the bores to help the pistons slide up and down to be washed back into the sump. im going to leave it and go back into the garage tomorrow and carry out a compression test, pump oil into the chambers and do another one and see how much it jumps up.

 

[Mike D EP82]

that was the 1st thing i made sure before i started it as iv also had that with my old car. when i 1st started it i got just over 4 bar of oil pressure which will obviously drop after the temperarure gets higher and the oil thins. after i knew i had oil pressure i then unhooked the gauge and made sure that the light on the dash went out so that was ok but like said it may just be because its freshly built. may need time to settle in. and yes all new rings shells etc all round. i wouldnt even chance not doing it being that far down