1999 Mazda B2500 SE, 4cyl

After 446,000 miles of loyal and rugged duty, my beloved truck brokedown in mtns north of Tucson.

While on vacation and driving on AZ-77 from Globe to Winkelman, I left it in 4th gear for far too long. I must have strained the engine/tranny in low 4th gear rpms in steep climb. Then, I heard a bang, whoosh of escaping air or gas, a loud tapping sound and engine cut out. Pulled over on road to inspect. I checked oil, looked normal, no foamy chocolate color.

Against better judgment, I started it up with loud banging metal sound and drove it uphill for another mile or so until it went kaput. All along the loud hammering sound. When

I eased on gas pedal, the loud banging sound would lessen but was still present.

Given its low resale value, I should just junk it in Tucson. However, I am still in love with that tough little truck.

Any guesses as to what damage I caused to my truck's engine or tranny?

I would like to hear any educated guesses as to what likely broke while in 4th gear in an uphill climb. Lifter? Rocker arm? Tranny? (I know I should have changed gears into 3rd gear!) What's done is done!

A friend suggested to drop a rebuilt motor in it and call it a day.
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It looks like your front fender is dented

 

If the noise happens with engine running and vehicle stopped then its the engine, unless its an automatic
If noise happens when vehicle is moving then its the transmission

Not clear if it's a manual or automatic
4th gear reference would tend to be manual but OD is 4th in a 1999 automatic, so you could be referencing OD OFF, 3rd gear


Whether or not you fix it or sell it isn't really based on the value of the vehicle at this time
All vehicles have a cost per month to operate, gas, oil, insurance, tires and brakes, these are semi-fixed for every vehicle
If you buy another vehicle you still will have these costs PLUS the cost of the other vehicle

If it costs you say $3,000 to fix a vehicle so it works well, and you think the vehicle can go another 3 years/36months without another major repair, then your "car payment" is $83/month over the next 3 years and its "paid off"
$83/month doesn't get much these days as a car payment, lol
You KNOW this vehicle, so you know if it will last more than the 3 years after a repair

Non-running vehicle also doesn't have the re-sale value of a running driveable vehicle of course

You really need a workable number from a repair shop to make a decision