So I'm driving home from work. I hear a chattering kind of noise from under the hood as I'm driving. I also feel like the engine is losing power. Then... smoke is coming from under the hood. So now I'm waiting for a tow truck on the side of the freeway. While I wait, I do the key dance to see why the check engine light was flashing on and off before I pulled over. P0339... what exactly does this mean? I looked it up in the sticky but don't understand it. Can someone please let me know? Thanks!

 

P0339 Dodge - Crankshaft Position Sensor Intermittent
The Crankshaft position sensor also known as the crank position sensor is an electronic device used in an engine to record the rate at which the crankshaft is spinning.
Sometimes and in some models, low battery voltage or a weak starter can can trigger a Crankshaft Position Sensor code. Before replacing any parts, recharge or replace battery. A new crankshaft position sensor runs in the $40 range and it is located under the rotor & distributor cap.

Possible symptoms
- Engine Light ON (or Service Engine Soon Warning Light)
- Lack/Loss of Power
- Engine Stall

 

so a week+ later and brought it to two different shops... first one i've been going to for a while now, but lately have been losing my trust. tech looks at it, opens the oil cap and sees milkiness of an oil/water mix... "need a new engine!"

second shop calls me this morning and confirms first shop's diagnosis... "no compression... need a new engine."

the thing that really gets me is the fact that i actually owe around the same amount or less for the D than several quotes i've gotten for engine replacement ($3000-$4000). AND the fact that i DO NOT have the funds to have the shop put a new motor in. so, this post is basically venting and asking for advice. so basically, i'm calling out... what would YOU do in this situation???

thanks in advance for your advice.

 

The largest cost is the labor if you or someone you know is adept enough to change out a motor with a junkyard powerplant you could do it for alot less than the quotes you got. Other than that or coming up with 3-4 grand, your screwed. Cut your losses and sell it and try to recover what you can. I have had friends piece out suvs and do quite nicely but this takes time and some mechanical skill. How many miles does your D have and what kind of general condition is it in?

 

unfortunately i know no one close enough that has the skill set to accomplish the task. the D's got a little over 150100 mi and is in generally good condition. i still owe on it too...

i've seen craigslist ads and such where people were parting out cars and trucks, but yes, the time it takes to me will be too long, and basically might just be paying its monthly payments with money made from parting it out.

honestly i've come to the conclusion that somehow, i do want the D up and running again. but for me, it's the $$$ issue that is my stumbling block. short of robbing a bank or selling drugs or illegal guns, there looks like no easy way to come up with that kind of money before my next car payment is due.

if there was oil and water mixed, would it be a possibility that it would just have to have the engine cleared out, drained and gasket replaced as opposed to getting the entire engine replaced or rebuilt? and is that even possible?

 

If the mechanic diagnosed the no compression properly he would have screwed a pressure gauge into each of the spark plug holes one at a time and turned over the motor to check compression in each cylinder. If the compression is indeed low or non existent this could be a blown piston or even blown head gasket. I would not trust a mechanic that only took a look at my oil and declared my only option was to replace the motor, but that's just me. The head gasket issue is fixable, but again mostly labor. In your first post you described a chattering kind of noise from under the hood, I am afraid that sounds like a bad thing, as in more than just a gasket going bad. Was Your D puffing white smoke or emanating a "sweet" smell out the tailpipe when it was running? This could indicate a blown head gasket allowing coolant to infiltrate into the oil and vice versa.

 

Changes in the temperatures can leave the milky look on the cap also. Get more opinions.

SJ02