Okay here I am again, back to something is wrong with my 455. My last post was oil consumption. I replaced the pcv valve and hose. Off to a car show and the oil filler tube blew off and sprayed oil all over my engine at the car show, that was not too bad as the filler cap was loose when I put it back on. The car was so hot you couldn't touch the front fender. I have worked hard on getting the over heating under control. I have an aluminum water pump, restrictor plate instead of a thermostat, 4 core radiator Mondello racing heads etc.. the car was running cooler not really getting up over 180 or so, until I had to sit in line for 30 mins. I now need to get cooling fans, I still have the factory air. I was running the car to see if it was still losing oil when....

The next problem happens. I heard the car backfire a few times, it has been sitting in the garage for a couple of weeks, then I lost my power steering belt
(this the 2nd time my belts have popped off) I was almost to my stopping point when out of the back of the car I saw radiator fluid blowing off the headers and pipes. I was thinking the water pump gave outt I now have water in the oil, there is still fluid in the radiator. it really looked like I blew something in the back of the engine. I am hoping for a head gasket, but I am just not sure.

Any ideas out there?

 

It sure sounds like a head gasket.

 

Thanks I sure hope so!!

 

With water in the oil, I would just pull the engine and forego any testing and go right into tear down.

 

I believe that is the way I will have to go. Hoping to find out why the oil loss too. I have had nothing but problems with the car two engines and numerous other issues. I am sending the car to the shop today. I will let ya know what they find out.

 

Or it can be a intake manifold gasket, cracked cylinder head, cracked block. Take all spark plugs out. Look down the cylinder and see if you see antifreeze. Dont drive with oil and antifreeze mixed together. You can wipe out your bearings.

 

This one is easy....

Water in oil:

1) remove engine
2) take apart engine
3) put engine back together with loving care, dont skip steps, pipe cleaner in all oil passages and or air (water+oil makes cake batter in hard to get places, how many people remember to blow out the PUSHRODS!?)

I am concerned about the number of people reporting overheating issues from olds's

 

You need to go on the Chevelle sites...

 

Why? Are the Olds owners complaining on the Chevy site too? ;-)

 

Lol!

 

Okay, we didnt find water in the oil today. the oil level was good nothing but oil, so yesterday when I checked it might have been run off from the rad water going everywhere. So on to the next check. Stay tuned..

 

Okay the issue has been found! I broke a rod the piston hit the sparkplug and bent the tip. So I think instead of rebuilding this 455 I will get another one. This will be the 3rd engine for this car. Thanks all for the responses.

 

Wow you'd think that would make some noise with a broken rod.

 

Pics, I want pics

 

Where are you located?

 

Thanks for the reminder to back off the rpm a little! Hope the 3rd engine works for you. I broke a rod in a 350 olds block once. I just had got the secondaries unstuck on the Q-jet at home, took it for a ride kicked it down and snapped the rod. That Sucked!

Sean

 

I bent a rod in my 350 and I couldn't take the noise coming from the engine. What was the sound like when a rod broke?

Eric

 

San Diego County

 

Sparkplug when i get the heads off i will post more.
Waiting for the tow truck

 

Do yourself a favor and take it to someone that knows Oldsmobiles

Bernard Mondello Racing is just up the coast.

 

I have a new engine waiting for me at Mondello already, 550 hp 455 just need to get up there and get it. Since the engine I have has been done twice now, not taking a chance to redo it again. Thanks for the response

 

just outta curiosity, why are you mowing thru engines so quickly?

 

Good question. The Orginal engine is a 350 that is sitting in storage I have been trying to sell it for a while now. The 1st engine I got for the csr was out of a 69 Toro. That lasted about 5 years until I wanted a bigger cam, so the shop that put it in didn't put a cam lock in and it tore up the bearing housing. I later found out that the shop I used had a bad rep for screwing people. Well i got screwd as well. I was new to the area I lis tend to a good talker who could talk engines. The replacement is the one I just lost. It was built for a jet boat. I should have had the whole thing gone over. The shop that put that engine in didn't make sure things where right in the lower half. Being a teacher I didn't really have the time to make sure they could or should have. I went with their recommendations. Needless to say 2 engines are shot because I trusted people I should not have trusted. My luck with this car is about 10%. I don't drag race it but I do have fun in it. My financial advisor has had it with the repairs to say the least. I am hoping Mondello can come through and this next engine is my last engine. "That's all I got to say about that"

 

I'm confused. Who's doing this engine, Mondello Twister or Bernard Mondello Racing?

 

is that the right plug? The common ac 45s are a short reach plug

 

I was going to say the threads on that plug are really long. But I've never had a 455. Sad to hear about all the issues guys have with 455's. I hope you have much better luck with the next one.

Eric

 

Mondello twister, 10 year warranty on parts

 

I'm guessing the plugs are deep thread because the engine has aluminum Mondello Racing non stock heads.
I would trust Bernard over Mondello Twister any day.....

 

That seems like way to much thread. Mine are half that. 9.75.1 comp motor

 

Here are the pics

 

ouchy...im far from an expert but that does not look good.

sorry for your loss!

 

I truly hope they are standing behind their warranty on the parts. They destroyed that engine completely. Never seen a cylinder crack/break like that.

 

Drop valve.....smash bore. Ouchy.

 

Wowza.

Tough to rebore that one.

- Eric

 

that one is all bad...

 

That's pretty catastrophic. What happened to the cylinder to the right of it (the white stuff and the scraped up valve)?

 

can that be resleved?

 

That's way past the point of resleeving...........

 

With the damage to the water jackets...no.

 

This why guys stay away from Mondello. Their heads are Procomp heads they charge too much money for. Bernard Mondello or Dave Smith in Exner, California would both be much better to deal with and their motors will actually live. Yes, Eric, I too see many more problems with 455's compared to the nearly indestructible Olds 350. Those heavy bottom end parts need proper machining and assembling to last, especially at rpm beyond stock. Mondollars is probably slapping on out of box Procomp heads which should be inspected before installation. It also could be any of their sloppy work in this case that caused this destruction. Sorry to see you having these issues..