Through all of this keep in mind the car ran perfect. It developed the leak from the intake manifold gasket. Would still start and run perfectly, just squirting water down the valley into the oil pan, yuck.

New gaskets, followed instructions from Chilton Manual putting the rocker arms back on, no pre-loading lifters which I thought was unique.

Turns over like I have NO compression and sure enough, I don't. Nothing on a gauge, nothing with the simple finger in the spark plug hole either.

Sorry for my first post being a question. I've been lurking for a while and 99% of the time I can find answers through the search function but came up blank on this one. I know it's something I did. Can anyone lend some ideas? Bad lifters? All of them? Dist rotates, rockers arms move etc. Everything LOOKS normal, but I think those valves are being held open (not closing completely)?

-Dan

========
mod edit
title

 

After reading Stealths Post I'll say that I will follow up with resolutions to my issue to make this a good searchable thread and contribute where I can within the forum community. I have posted to many forums over the years and also don't appreciate people abusing the service of other people knowing certain vehichles. That said, I am no dummy when it comes to cars. Caddy mechanics are a little new to me. This one really has me stumped though. I went from a perfect running engine with a water leak to a non water leaking no compression engine.

It's something I did or didn't do, I just know I missed something.......

 

I guess I am just sort of talking to myself, thinking outloud...

Push rods are the same Intake or Exhaust although I was very careful to remove and replace all parts in the same spots and orientations.

I am starting to wonder if my foamy oil could be clogging something? 40psig at crank speed it far too high. When I first started the engine over a year ago (good used unit) I remember pulling plugs and turning it over no load. I could barely get the oil pressure gauge to register and the idiot light flickered.

Something dried out and clogged from sitting for a week then? Water'd up foamy oil I guess could do that. Seems global, push rods all blew through clean. Lifters? I wonder if I should try "flushing" the engine with something? I dare say ATF? Never running it with ATF, but mearly applying pressure with a drill on the pump shaft to blow out any gunk?

 

This is what the oil looked like when I pulled the intake manifold off. It did still run perfectly, even good oil pressure. I didn't run it long or anything in the water leaking into oil stage.

 

Oops, wrong picture...

 

Only had a little time to play today. If I loosen the rocker arm main brace (the 5 nuts) just a little, like 1 1/2 turns or so each nut, I get full compression. Okay, so nothing too serious. I tried like crazy to get any of the lifters cups to push back and I cannot. So if my lifters failed, you would think I would have too much lash. But this is oposite, I have none and it's actually holding each valve open just that tiny bit....no compression.

All 16 lifters failed? Wierd, maybe the water in the oil did more damage than I thought? I actually didn't think it did any because it still ran so good.

 

Yesterday I started the engine with the rockers backed off that 1 turn or so on each of the 10 nuts. Started right up. I ran it, revved it a little until some of the push rods started letting oil through the rockers. When rockers would get a little noisey, I would go snug down on them again only a little though. Too much and I'd loose compression on that cylinder.

Wierd huh? So my lifters are jammed fully expanded. I'm going to run it more tonight and see if I can get things down and torqued properly.

I did toss in a Bardall (AlumiSeal) thing not long before I did the intake gasket. Some of the water leaking into the oil I am sure carried some of those little flakes with it. It seems a stretch to think it would jam up a lifter......let alone 16 of them?

 

great thread ...

I believe that in your case, there are two ways that you can achieve NO COMPRESSION on all cylinders.

1. gasket is not installed properly
I've seen a improperly installed gasket many times .. how and what did you do on the installation?

2. valves are not closing
valves not closing is a tough one .. either the valve stems are being dragged by contaminated surfaces or every valve is being mechanically held by hydraulic lifters jammed - the aluminum flakes ?

Better hope that the flakes were not carried off to the main bearings .. check your crankcase oil (via drain plug) for flakes and if you had run the engine in the oil filter .. if you find them there, do NOT run that engine until you get them out or the next event will be a total engine failure. It only takes one metal flake to jam and spin a bearing.

there may be other reasons that I cant think off this early

I suggest that you remove at least one lifter, inspect it. You may be in for a complete set of lifters.


plus maybe turning the engine 45 degrees at the time with a wrench while you flush ? do NOT bypass the oil filter.

when you are done, fill crankcase with one or two LESS quarts .. you do NOT want splashing when the rods hit the surface of the oil where the flakes may be swimming. you want the oil to go through the filter before reaching the bearings. the filter should catch all of the flakes.


==============

for everyone else, know that using alum flake stop leaks is at the very least, a gamble. The stuff can be good in the right situation, like a leak in a metal radiator but I am not even sure they are good for the water pump bearings .. just not sure.

GM, Ford, etc .. use the organic "pellets" such as Bar's GOLD (ginger root) for a reason. We got a whole thread on these in the FAQ.

would you toss a teaspoon of metal flakes in your crankcase? of course not. the use of the metal sealers needs a bit of logical thinking.

I carry Bar's Gold (ginger) in all my cars. My 4x4 carries a dozen tubes in the emergency box as this stuff will plug a large hole in a radiator.


.

 

Good read, thanks for the reply and advise Stealth.

I'm 99% sure I installed the gasket correctly and know the lifters are not compressing....well most of them seem to be now. I'm going to hit it again tonight, change the oil out again etc. I never did see any flakes and this is just a theory of mine mind you. I flushed out the entire cooling system and cleaned everything I could while the intake manifold was off. I ran the engine until the thermostat opened up and gave it a number of good stabs. I wager if I missed any metal flakes (If there are even any present in the oil) the worst would have happened at that time.

I am completely prepared to purchase 16 lifters, I already ordered another intake gasket set. If things don't square up tonight, it'll be tear down again this weekend. If I do that, I'll post pictures of the lifters here.

I'll keep posting my progress here. If it did wind up being the AlumiSeal, what a leason to be learned. Hopefully others will see this thread and think twice before using it. Not a big fan of it myself and I should have known better. But I don't think it did any damage.

-Dan

 

Well, I do hope that it aint the alum flakes and that the foamy water laden oil can be pushed out of the lifters.

keep us posted ...