2002 X Type, 3.0L, manual V6.
Driving on expressway last night, heard loud knocking from motor, engine light lit up and car suddenly shut down completely, all power lost. Had car towed home, recharged battery (low) and attempted to start. Would not turn over, hard knock from front, stopped process and seeking advice. Have not checked codes (need to get a hold of a scanner), but until I do, hoping to get opinions. Thanks in advance.

 

Was the car overheating at the time or any other issues before it happened? Is the coolant or oil level very low? Anytime you hear a loud knocking from the engine it is not good. From your brief description it sounds like the it might be terminal. Hope that isn't the case. Let us know what it turns out to be.

 

traxler, look at the oil dipstick to see what color the oil is (should be honey color to dark brown). If the oil looks like a chocolate milkshake, then you most likely blew a head gasket. Also look in the coolant overflow bottle for signs of any oil there. If you see some there, then this would be another indication of a blown head gasket.

The final thing that I would suggest is draining the oil out of the pan and then running the oil through a strainer to see if you can spot any metal chunks. I can recall a few people having issues with the connecting arms breaking on their cars which would lead to what you heard/saw and will give a loud clanking sound if you attempt to start the car after the fact. The only way to confirm this is to drop the oil pan and look at the lower end internals. But, at that point, you are good portion of the way to replacing the engine.