Went to get my Z inspected today, failed at the low 15mph but passed at the >20 mph.

Guy suggested seafoam, and from what i've read on this forum a lot of people have used it. So i get it and dump it in with a whole new take of some 93 oct. fuel. And run the engine like the guy described.

Run engine, parked, at 2k for about 3-5 mins and then rev it up at WOT a couple of times to blow all my crap outta the tail pipes. Then drive it around for a bit and occasionally jump on it.

Well i made it to the revving at WOT, spun a bearing. Was my DD.

So I'm a college student, no job at the moment.

What's my best option(s)

Rebuild?

or

buy a new short block?

engine supposly has 288k+ miles on it. had it for about 3-4 months now. Odometer that came read in at 117K but i dont think that was the original.

I am leaning towards a new short block...

just needed some opinions while a go around and look at similar spun bearing threads. and i needed to vent... i loved that car


If rebuild is the best option, anyone know any good, trustworthy shops around the DFW area?

 

there are a couple reputable places that sell new short blocks on ebay you could prob come up with a used LT1 engine off the forums if money is real tight and you might be able to just get a whole drop in that route would be the fastest method since its your DD but if you want something with more of a performance build rebuilding it would be your best option with 288K on the clock my bets are that you would need plenty of machine work done to your stuff (bore line hone crank polished /replaced maybe a clean up of the deck) and that will prob put you over a grand in its self just for machine work so if your on a tight budget I would say find a drop in or new short block for cheap

 

Thanks for the info!

My dad was checking out the car again this morning.
The noise that it makes, the knocking, stops as you put it into gear and rev it up a little.
Could it be something in the valve train? And he was wondering if this Seafoam had anything part in the manner, cleaning up the engine knock some gunk loose and is making the engine this way?

I still think its a bearing, as my oil pressure at idle drops to 0 and my check engine light goes on. But when revving the oil pressure will pick up a bit, but not like it used to.

 

it may just be your oil pump is week , my buddie had the same problem and heard a light knock pulled the oil pan checked the bearings they checked good pput in a oil pump and was good to go , but u still could have a bad bearing

 

you check engine light or check gages light?

what weight oil are you using?
pump is prob shot with that many miles as well as your bearings are worn alot, even if there not spun factory bearings generally start crapping out at 150K

Is it just a knock? or a screaching and a knock?

 

If it does have that many miles and is starting to knock i don't think it's going to just stop there. I would say pull her out and do a full rebuild and hope no more damage has been done. When my buddy thought he had just a spun bearing it turned out to be a spun main and a cracked block.

Pull it, machine everything, have it checked, full rebuild kit including high volume oil pump should get you back on the road.

 

high volume pump with factory pan = a no no its very possible to suck the pan dry use a bigger pan if you plan on using a high volume pump

 

x2 on the "HV" pump.

I have been advised by many sources that there is no reason to change the stock pump or stock pressure spring unless you are twisting it above 7000rpms.

 

Well there is a screeching sound, but my dad and me couldn't figure out where the source of that is coming from.

So yes a screeching and a knock, but why would the knock go away after i put it in drive and rev it up? Screeching is there, on and off on its own.

And when the oil pressure drops to 0 at idle then my check gage light comes on.


Also, its had 10w-30 in it. Had a bad oil leak outta the front main seal, have been keeping it full with 5w-30 but when i had to buy more oil i only had money for the cheaper 10w-30. But ive always kept an eye on the oil level. And now the front seal has been replaced

 

knock prob goes away because whatever is knocking gets loaded differently and higher oil pressure
screeching on and off just means that the bearing is not always spinning it might reseat itself after a bit then start spinning again

dont run it any more because the block might still be good but if you keep spinning the bearing more and more you can trash the block

 

Yeah the car is parked at my dads. Hell be looking at this week while im finishing my last 2 weeks of the semester.

The car wasnt trust worthy to drive as it the engine would kill itself after switching into a newer gear and the rpms would go below 500

 

My take on this, and I know, sorry to say, it's not going to be what you'd hope to read:

ZERO idle oil pressure, knocking and screeching after WOT pulls is really bad news. Especially with the mileage on your engine. So you can try exploring other possibilities (notice I didn't write "probabilities") and I know you hope it's just a glitch, but prepare yourself for the worse.

Your two options have already been posted;

A crate replacement, which from a personal point of view, I wouldn't trust as far as I could throw it after seeing what my buddy bought from O'Reilly's.

Second option is full rebuild by a competent shop.

If a full rebuild is your choice, Reher & Morrison, of Pro Stock fame, in Arlington, is TOP SHELF. None better in the area and one tour of their facility will make you a believer.

When they're over-loaded with priority work, they send it to Dennis Wells Racing (showing their trust in Dennis's work).

Dennis's shop is right off 67 in Duncanville. Both specialize in race engines. Dennis is into small block dirt track and drag race engines, so he holds tight tolerances and is meticulous.

We know what Reher & Morrison is all about. Both facilities have dynos (both engine and chassis; Reher & Morrison have a few) and all the machinery to get the job done. Both have flow benches and computerized camshaft checkers. Also, Dennis is a featured writer in one of the racing magazines. I'm not familiar with what R&M does but I suspect they do too.

I once saw one of Dennis' engines on the chassis dyno pull very close to 900 HP with a low .4 BSFC (Brake Specific Fuel Consumption). Dennis said it was the best BSFC he'd yet seen. Sucka never missed a beat and the engine sound was incredible. My 175+ MPH 1/4 mile BB at full song never came close.

However, out of the two, I prefer Reher & Morrison. Very personable staff and technicans, and cleanliness. A Tech guy gave me a full tour of their facility, and I had lunch with the Pro Stock engine gurus. They shared some really interesting stuff with me about Chevy engines, but nothing TOP SECRET. I felt more confortable there, too.

I'm not affiliated with either facility, but I've personally used both of them.

Sorry for your loss; Hell of a way to start the new year.

Hope this info helps.

Jake

West Point ROCKS! Nation's TOP COLLEGE per Forbes Magazine!! Graduation Day Parade 20 May 2010!!!

 

Thanks for the all the info and great advice from everyone!

I just want all my options laid out in front of me so i can go from there.

So say my engine is totally F'ed, how much would be an estimate to get a rebuild from say one of those mechanics mentioned above? And what about if it was the minimum wrong with it?

Money is tight, I'll be getting a job in January though, and the $2000+ i get back in student loans will probably go towards getting this car back on the road.

 

For what it's worth - all it takes to change the odometer reading on our cars is to buy a different gauge cluster. Mileage is stored within the cluster itself. So yeah, if someone really wanted to be shady they could sell their cluster reading 200k+ miles and buy a 75k mile cluster and install it.

I spun two bearings on mine and it cost $1200 to get the short block rebuilt. I really trashed mine - cylinders needed to be bored .040 over and crankshaft was bored 20/20.

If you drop the engine yourself, it will take about a day to do if you really take your time and take a few union breaks Strip the engine down to the short block and then take it over to a reputable machine shop. They'll be able to see what needs to be machined and brought up to spec. Then it's just a matter of buying the replacement gaskets, new fluids, and other nickel and dime things to rebuild and put back in.

Contrary to what was said earlier - I would recommend the "white spring mod" to your oil pump. If you compare the stock spring in the oil pump to the white spring you'll see why. The stock spring is loose and not that "springy" whereas the white spring is tighter and is just stronger feeling. It only costs $3 and it just helps keep the oil pressure up to a better range. While you're down there messing with the oil pump, I'd recommend taking the oil pump cover and the oil pickup tube to a muffler shop and have them tack weld the oil pickup tube into place - this will ensure the tube can't fall off which happens to a lot of people since the tube is just press fit into place.

 

yeah I figured as much on the gage cluster, i had the old one that only should 117k replaced with a true z28 one i got off of ebay. the engine felt really strong though for having that many miles, but then again the back end of the car was so worn down i was in the middle of deciding if that car really had that many miles.

1200 for a short block rebuild? thats actually cheaper than what i've thought.
between my dad and me we have the tools to drop the engine out, maybe just need some sort of engine stand and something to keep the car up. all i would want is a stock because for future plans of the car i just want some headers, cam, stall, ported heads, maybe ported intake (idk yet), and some 3.73 gears. Id like to sit around 400 rwhp and id be plenty happy with that. And from what ive read so far on this forum a stock bottom end can handle that demand pretty well. and for the welding the pickup, i can just get my dad to do that.