2001 Dakota 3.9L sudden overheat after hearing timing chain slap
 

Regular driving suddenly overheated fast, got it back home. Was already prepared to replace timing chain tensioner, pulled valve covers off just to check timing cycle. Noticed that 8 out 12 pushrods totally bent to hell, no oil in the gallery or lifters, severe oil scorching on pistols. HELP !!

When was the last oil change? Did it show oil pressure on the dash gauge?

PS, sounds like the top end is toast for sure, may have dropped a valve seat or something...bottom end sounds like you had alot of oil going into the intake manifold from the belly pan issue and thus burning in the cylinders.

Yeah already figured on a complete heads rebuild, couple of the valves bent too. No scoring on cylinder walls, a thin covering of light machine oil isn't seeping thru rings. Pulling oil pan, oil pump tomorrow after realigning the timing. Is it possible to check crank journals/bearings?

Check the belly pan on the intake manifold. They're known to draw easily a 1/4 quart every oil change, which gets sucked into the engine. That's likely where the oil in the chambers came from.

I don't know of any aftermarket heads for the V6, you'll need to have the heads checked/magnafluxed for cracks between valve seats.

Thanks Magnethead, already disassembled intake and cleaned everything replaced gaskets. You are right tho, looks like somebody had used some old school Harley gasket maker at the belly pan/intake. Course cracked all to hell

Hughes makes a new plenum repair plate that fixes the problem.

thanks this plate deformed probably due to heat coming up from block caused oil starvation