Have I caused more damage driving with broken rod?

I was diagnosed with a broken rod a month ago and don't have the money to replace the engine in my '99 Grand Cheroke. My mechanic changed the oil and the truck stays parked most of the time but periodically I take drive it to Home Depot or to the gym. I maybe drive it 10 miles per week. I hear the clanking in the engine but otherwise it drives well. Have I caused more damage by driving it and will I cause more damage if I continure to drive it periodically? Can my engine be repaired or does it need to be replaced?
Have I caused more damage driving with broken rod?
Sure it can be repaired, it's called getting it rebuilt and no, common sense says driving it wont help the situation.
Have I caused more damage driving with broken rod?
You need a better mechanic. You cannot drive a vehicle with a broken rod for very long (seconds maybe), the rod would wedge itself into the wall of the piston sleeve, or puncture through the oil pan. Plus the piston would fall into the crank and would certainly wedge the motor to a halt.





It is possible to drive on a bent rod, and that wouldn't be a good idea although at this point you've caused the damage and won't know the extent of it until you tear it down or pull the oil pan (part of a tear down).





Huge difference between a bent and a broken rod.
Reply:I had a thrown rod in my car and i sold it for that reason. As i was driving it to the buyers house it threw the piston through the block. Luckily it was his idea to drive it so not my fault. However the same thing can happen to you. Stop driving it now! You can be damaging the cylinders as well as taking the risk of blowing a hole through your block.
Reply:it can be fixed cheap if the crank is not damaged but if your are replacing the engine just keep driving it till it's junk. a core is a core most parts stores don't care as long as it's complete
Reply:sounds like a rod end bearing, you haven't done any more damage, but the cost of rebuilding the motor is more than a little bit, I would look in ebay motors and find a low milage complete engine ready to drop in, this is the fastest and cheapest way to go, I have bought engines and transmissions this way, and always had very good luck, in fact one I put in a thunderbird is still going after 5 years.
Reply:The engine might still be cost effective to repair. If you keep driving it the rod will separate resulting in the broken rod ruining the engine. If it's a six cylinder, used engines are plentiful and fairly cheap. If it's a eight cylinder they're not so many around but still likely to be your most cost effective repair if the engine is not repairable. That's my thought FWIW.