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Only got like 4k miles out of the ze engine til this sh1t happened. I mean how the heeeeeeeeeeeell??
Runs... but runs like a$$ sounds like there is something in the cylinder bouncing around. Didn't drive far hopefully no damage; kept it under 2.5k rpm. Anyways was just driving one evening when this happened ccar died & wouldn't start (dead battery) probably unrelated. Then it wouldn't start til the starter relay was replaced... (unrelated most likely) Then It starts & wtf it sounds like sh1t all of a sudden (it dies at stop lights now won't stay idling for very long). Took off the front valve cover to find a hole in the corner below the camshafts (the hole is in the front pass. side corner)... Appears to be metal shavings in oil.
How ****ed is the mx6??? I have a DE layin around with good heads...

OUCH
I have no idea. I wouldnt even have driven. Thats coolant getting mixed with oil. Huge no no

Coolant and oil when mixed spell disaster for a engine. I guess those two mixed make a "sand-like" substance. Cant be good for the oil pump system, rings or anything else that needs lubrication

Well that would probly be why it almost overheated... And why the oil filter was leaking. It sounds like there is a piece of metal bouncing around in the engine when I drove it 15 miles home. I shall pray the block is ok still.

Well, the good part is the heads are aluminum, so I don't think you'll see a lot of damage on the cylinder walls (I'll keep my fingers crossed for you... ). Maybe you'll get off with a good honing. But new pistons and bearings would be a fairly safe bet...

Any ideas how/why??

You need to get that head off there and inspect exactly where that hole goes. When you drain your oil you'll know right away if you have been mixing coolant and oil.

I doubt anything got into the cylinder. For that hole to lead into the combustion chamber there would have to be a hole in one of the intake or exhaust runners and then whatever fell in would have to get past the valve...possible, but I think it's more likely that the loud noise you hear is a result of the overheating you described and the subsequent pre-ignition/detonation. When my thermostat stuck closed and my rad burst I figured I could nurse it to the next exit. After a minute of running like that it started to sound like a John Deere tractor giving birth. The loudest knocking you've ever heard, but it was just the heat.

I think it's quite likely that that hole is an oil passage.

wytbishop wrote:I think it's quite likely that that hole is an oil passage.

That's my guess, a hole like that wouldn't just appear, it looks cast.

Could it be an oil return passage?

Yea it was loud, think I should pull the heads now?
Edit:
Drained the oil.. Its full of metal shavings, but not a hint of coolant. 4 qts came out.
Am going to plug in code reader tomorrow & maybe pull the heads
Thx for the replies guys.
And the metal around the hole was flanged, there was little metal pieces around it like it just happened.

That's weird. I thought it would be an oil passage too. No idea how the hell a hole can be made in the head like that. Looks like a clean head too. Got any pics of the metal shavings?

I'm with wytbishop too, an overheating car can definitely sound like a john deere giving birth.

Can you post a few more pictures of the hole so I can see the context. What end? Front or back? How close it is to the valve guide and stuff.

When you say metal shavings what do you mean? Are we talking large flakes of material or the fine shiney silver sheen in the oil?

Fine little metal shavings that I can see, makes the oil sparkle in lite. The hole is on the front head pass side. The thing is it sounded like sh1t not even warmed up. Super loud. The oil filter had been leaking when runnin too, not double gasketed its tite too

So yes that hole is there in my other mx so that brings my question think my oil pump went out??

Your oil light would have came on if you ran too low on oil pressure. Maybe you dropped a valve? Does the engine start anymore?

I knew that was an oil passage. If you have a really loud knocking that is present all the time and the car doesn’t run well then something broke inside somewhere. I doubt the oil pump went. I’d just pull it and take it apart. You’ll know what broke pretty quickly.