Tried to Start my Truck Today...

[Nailhead]

Jon, nothing seemed out of the ordinary on the oil pump when I had it out, and I primed it when I reinstalled it. I checked the oil level before trying to start it-- just below the upper line on the dipstick. The gear on the pump looked serviceable, and the drive gear on the crankshaft is a replacement with a moderately worn set of teeth. Not really all that much to go wrong in that area, I wouldn't think; its pretty simple.

PPM, 180 out came to mind (no patronizing here-- I'm no expert at distributors & timing), but I took my time at static timing, and the distributor will only index the oil pump one way. On my list, though. As for bugs, we don't have mud daubers here (that I've seen), and the truck was running in mid-October, pretty much past when wasps build nests. As for the oil pressure, I have no idea what's going on there, but there was oil in the pump when I removed it, which suggests to me it's working. I've had trouble with these SW gauges not reading at odd times, so maybe that's it.

Kwai, I'm thinking that's the explanation here-- the distributor must be 180 deg out, but like I say, I thought went to great pains to avoid that, reading & rereading the procedure in the TM, and double-checking my work.

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. Between being dejected at this latest development and the flu, I'm just now getting back to this train wreck. I think I'll take the valve cover off this weekend & check to see that things are okay under there (at the very least to see if my $50 brand-new valve cover gasket is intact).

[Nailhead]

Man, that's nuts. Something went Kablooey! Detonation of some sort or hit the cover from underneath..? Broken cam? I don't remember how the cam is situated under there.
(Just asked the Google for a pic... Maybe if the cam broke somewhere in the front 1/4 it might flip up and hit the cover...? )

I have a cover laying around I can probably be talked out of for shipping. Keep meaning to hang it up as art but it's been laying in corner for years.
That is, if you still need a cover after finding out what happened.

Neat, huh?

I've got a spare cover in WY that is actually hanging up as art in the shop we built this truck in. We'll hang this one up instead-- it should be a real conversation starter.

Thank you very much for offering-- I really appreciate it. Stay tuned-- this engine and my abilities are using hard-to-find parts at a steady rate. I might have to hit you up for something else.

[Frédéric]

To restart,
The break of the rocker cover is the fixing.
It is also a technical operation.
As it is often fixed by several screws or nuts, it is important to start tightening to the prescribed torque, working gradually in the middle to finish at the ends (like a cylinder head). Failure to follow this procedure may cause the valve cover to break, especially for those made of alloy.

[Nailhead]

To restart,
The break of the rocker cover is the fixing.
It is also a technical operation.
As it is often fixed by several screws or nuts, it is important to start tightening to the prescribed torque, working gradually in the middle to finish at the ends (like a cylinder head). Failure to follow this procedure may cause the valve cover to break, especially for those made of alloy.

While I do appreciate the input, please read the post(s) above outlining the explosion that took place under there. The cover was nicely torqued down with a brand new gasket on it previous to this, with no cracks, paint chips, or breakage, and was destroyed thereby.

If I come off grouchy about this, you're right-- it's been two-steps-forward-one-step-backward with this engine lately, lubricated with steady helpings of money I don't have to spare right now. My love for the 230 is at an all-time low presently, with all the warnings and consternation I heard previous to installing it in the truck starting to make sense.

[Nailhead]

The day of the Great Reveal:

A piece of the cover I hadn’t seen before-



Yessss— the gasket survived!



The cover, as we know, did not:



And, in the spirit of Geraldo Rivera and Al Capone’s vault...



...nothing.

No problems that I can see: all valves present, the cam is intact, no cracks or breakage that I can see.

The mystery persists.

I’ll cover this with a contractor’s bag and several old towels, and recover my old valve cover next weekend. I rediscovered the pic I took of the distributor before disassembly, so I’ll get that reset and hopefully this can run in a week and a half or so.

[Nailhead]

Tucked in until the week after next.

[jeepdan]

Thanks for the pictures.
I'm so glad that there wasn't a mechanical failure. I still can't wrap my head around the crankcase getting an explosive mixture to cause a rupture of the valve cover like that.
Does the oil smell like gasoline?

[brute4c]

Boy that is more of a head scratcher now than it was before....

[Nailhead]

Thanks for the pictures.
I'm so glad that there wasn't a mechanical failure. I still can't wrap my head around the crankcase getting an explosive mixture to cause a rupture of the valve cover like that.
Does the oil smell like gasoline?

Thanks Dan. I didn't check, but I'm sure it reeks of gas: I used it quite a few times because the morning had been cold and the engine would almost run. Looking back, not a good choice.

[Nailhead]

Boy that is more of a head scratcher now than it was before....

Here's my theory, Jon (probably worth the pixels it's printed on): I think the ignition wires arced to the wire holders on the cover retainer brackets, which in turn arced from the cover to ground somewhere inside, igniting fumes from the gassy oil Dan and I conjectured at.

This is totally shooting from the hip, throwing a dart, whatever cliche you like, and has almost no basis in fact or evidence. Still, something has to explain such an oddball occurrence.