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I see there's been some discussion of this situation in the past, but a quick primer would help me make sense of the archives.
1980 245, at least 200k mi's. I've had it several years and driven it a lot. Always regular oil changes w/ OEM filters. Relatively little mechanical noise from the engine, as far as old 240s go. It's never come close to overheating, but the oil pressure sender never worked and, for better or worse, I never did anything about that.
The timing belt was last changed in 97, so it wasn't a big surprise when it broke last week, idling at a stop light. No warning signs, no catastrophic sounds -- sort of a relief to have it finally go, at a fairly safe and convenient moment.
However, what IS a surprise is the apparently frozen cam shaft I discovered this afternoon. I did not try forcing it with a wrench, but I can't turn it either direction by hand. The timing belt seems to have failed as a result, since it's not broken -- just missing some teeth underneath the crankshaft pulley.
From the archives, I gather that this kind of thing is typically caused by plugged oil channels. Something about removing one of the exhaust manifold bolts to clear the passage, and/or laboriously getting at the oil pump itself. Any more possibilities? Is there any point to removing the head to "see what's going on in there" or something?
I'm not in immediate need of this car, but I'd hate to give up on it so soon. Definitely want to find out what happened, whether or not I have the wherewithall to get it back on the road.
Many thanks for any suggestions & explanations.
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Tim Canan, Minneapolis 1980 245DL
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