Technical 2007 Ulysse engine lock

[swampass]

greetings! I have a 2007 Ulysse 2.0 diesel with 330k km on it. it was running fine, until i heard a metallic knocking noise that went away when i pressed the clutch. it went for about 300 meters until i let off the clutch and the engine seems to have locked up. turning the key does nothing. is there any point in taking the vehicle to a shop and try any repairs, or should i put it out to greener pastures?
there is no oil underneath it, so i don't think it threw a rod

Please help bros

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi.

The clutch might be a clue.

Either clutch..gearbox

Or the crankshaft ' floating along'

Towards gearbox.


Does depressing the clutch pedal still feel 'normal' ?

If the clutch appears ok.. then it sounds like an engine failure..


To rule out a gearbox problem.. can you turn engine with the clutch pedal depressed?

 

[swampass]

the clutch is fine and the gearbox shifts

i finally came to the conclusion that it threw a rod
when trying to start the engine, the starter engages, as i can hear the clunk, but it won't turn over
probably pressing the clutch saved me from blowing a hole in the block and spilling oil but it is frozen solid after all
got it towed to a shop, gonna find out monday what killed it and if a rebuild is feasible
it had 350k km after all
might do an engine swap if i find one identical and in good condition
it is a pitty as there is not a spot of rust on the body and undercarriage

 

[varesecrazy]

Good luck.. do let us know

Pics are always great

Charlie

 

[swampass]

thanks man
it may take a while until i find a suitable replacement engine, but i'll post any updates and the cause of the failure

 

[varesecrazy]

Its the fact that before the motor stopped.. the clutch changed the sound..

That is a bit weird..??

 

[swampass]

*update
a valve broke off and it was chewed, no idea yet what cylinder it was
one piston is royally screwed, and the head is beat up

i'm now hunting for a replacement engine, gonna do the swap myself in the coming weeks
the old engine block will become a coffee table or a flower pot, either way i'm keeping it

 

[varesecrazy]

Good luck with the search for an engine

 

[swampass]

*update
finished the autopsy on the engine today
an exhaust valve on cylinder 4 broke and jammed the engine
on piston no.3, a piece was missing for some time, as there was carbon deposits on the surface
all pistons had pieces of metal welded on the top
the piece that was missing from the piston was quite large, and didn't found it anywhere
the bottom part of the engine was in good shape, crankshaft, bearing etc
even the cylinder walls still had honing marks
also, the flywheel is toast, and the turbo had eaten a fair amount of metal, rendering it scrap metal too

 

[swampass]

*another update (and probably the last)
she's back in one piece
drawing the line, it was just an engine swap (and a turbo, EGR valve, flywheel and other bits and pieces)
i worked on a few cars, but the Ulysse engine bay was the most cramped i've ever seen
had to take the whole front end off to install the engine
another huge issue i had was putting it back as it was before, when i started working on her, every piece besides the engine block was stored in the back, taken apart by another shop
the bolts, nuts and fittings were thrown in a bucket quite a few missing altogether, and that costed me at least a week
the turbo from the blown engine ran for 300 km(200 miles) before the wastegate seized shut
the blades were marred by eating metal from the previous engine and i thing it got out of balance
it threw the P0238 error code and decided to replace it after seeing the state it was in

after all, it was a fun project, got a few busted knuckles and about a 1500 euros hole in my budget and i hope it was worth it

also, i bought all the parts second hand from another 2007 Ulysse that was rolled over and totaled