How long can an engine last after coolant and oil

[1 SX]

...mix? This question unfortunately is being asked in reference to my project 2001 Chrysler Concorde LX 141K 2.7L

V6. SO. to start off, im most likely set on a engine swap already if this current one is totally shot... it would be another 2.7, but i would replace the TC/WP before installing, and hopefully be problem free.. this seems to be the weak point. I would also use synthetic. Now, with this current engine, the dip stick oil reads inches over full.. White as can be, i shook a little looking at it... My plan is to drain all coolant from the cooling system, and oil from engine, replace oil and filter with dollar general oil, leave coolant empty, and see if she will even start.. if it will, and run with out knocking, im thinking letting it run it for a short while to get the oil to the top of the engine, and to try to clean some of the left coolant out... do this a couple of times before i even take the engine apart to change out the internal WP, just to clean it up a little... The PO said water was dripping out the exhaust along with white smoke...BUT the temp never went above the middle, and it did not even empty out the overflow/holding tank before it was shut off less then 2 miles later and parked for almost 9 months... most likely WP/gasket failed, and being a pressurized system, the coolant then is blown in to the oil... So as a GAMBLE,(and if all goes right, and its just a the internal WP & gaskets, and not a HG/Cracked head/ other issues) Will this engine see the thruway again... with out breaking down on it? lol.. If the HG, bearings, other major engine problems, im going to take it to a local yard, and have a running 2.7L swapped in, along with a new WP,TC,Guides, and be done with it... Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend...

 

[Artem]

It took me a minute to try and read your wall of text.

If needs an oil change. You can drain the coolant and start the car (if it starts) you just can't run it long because without coolant absorbing any heat, the engine is going to get too hot in some spots and cause damage.

Get the poor thing fixed. It might run good, who knows.

 

[oilboy123]

Ethylene glycol eats bearings. Don't run it for more than a minute or two. Good luck

 

[MarkM66]

Originally Posted By: Artem
It took me a minute to try and read your wall of text.

If needs an oil change. You can drain the coolant and start the car (if it starts) you just can't run it long because without coolant absorbing any heat, the engine is going to get too hot in some spots and cause damage.

Get the poor thing fixed. It might run good, who knows.


I gave up.

 

[mechtech2]

I gave up while trying to read the original post.

 

[brelandt]

well, I know for a fact the ECU uses the temp of the coolant to make adjustments. If there isn't coolant to properly give the ECU the temp it may shut off? Or worse...

 

[vtb]

Swapping in another 2.7L with unknown history is risky. Even if the TC/WP is changed prior to the swap, there is always the sludge issue with these engines.

Change the TC/WP (on the current engine), change the coolant, change the oil (use the cheap stuff for flushing), and go. Don't run the 1st oil much more than 2 days, and get it on the highway to burn out moisture. Then switch to synthetic on fairly short intervals. Check PCV system also.

The motor has 141K on it already? Good luck.

 

[meep]

if it was shut down pretty quick then there's a good chance you might get 50,000 out of this car. Ex FIL had a 3.5 LHS that seized on the hwy from oil starvation. 3 qts of oil after a cooldown and that car is still running, though it has a lumpy idle pretending it has a big cam in it.

if it was shut down quick, and the bearings, cylinder walls were not under duress, you could have a winner.

M

 

[SteveSRT8]

As a contemporary example of an engine run with no oiling, here's a story.

One of our service vans was running 1700 rpm in stationary operation outside our job. The tech operating inside the client's home noticed a loss of power and went outside to look at the machinery. The oil pump pressure regulator had failed and the truck had gone into 'limp mode' due to no oil pressure! He also noted the engine was smoking hot.

We towed this truck in and upon removal and inspection the engine was completely undamaged!!! With over 175k miles!

All we replaced was the plunger/spring in the oil pump, and it's been running great ever since. So with modern synthetic oil you can at least run a few minutes without oil pressure and not damage some motors at all.