Help I can't start!

[T-Cut]

Originally Posted by Forestgreen

The car has had a very slow head gasket coolant leak for several years (a constant rate of around 1ml of coolant per mile) so seems unlikely it could have suddenly blown.

May seem unlikely, but I'd say that's the most likely cause of the wrecked engine. After several years of 1ml/mile leakage, it increased on that fateful day. After being parked a while, one cylinder received a bit more coolant than usual. You started the engine and it 'hydraulicked', snapping the conrod. Moral - coolant leaks never get better, always worse.
TC

[COLVERT]

Originally Posted by T-Cut

May seem unlikely, but I'd say that's the most likely cause of the wrecked engine. After several years of 1ml/mile leakage, it increased on that fateful day. After being parked a while, one cylinder received a bit more coolant than usual. You started the engine and it 'hydraulicked', snapping the conrod. Moral - coolant leaks never get better, always worse.
TC

Possibly died after the water stopped --Hydrauliking---ie, it stopped moving but the piston and con-rod didn't like that.--