LT1 Engine Gone !!
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
From: Honolulu Hawaii
LT1 Engine Gone !!
While driving to work the other night, i hit the accelerator and when the tach hit 3k, the engine gave a loud bang and the car shuddered. When i finally got to the side of the road after hitting the side of a mountain and bouncing off i came to a slow halt due to the brakes being very sluggish, i noticed all my oil had been spraying out for the last 2 miles and seeped out from the bottom of my engine. The accessory belt came clean off and was still in 1 piece, i tried to restart the engine but got a loud banging sound, it seems that one of my rods punctured my oil pan. Anyhow i know the engine is done, for what its going to take to do bottom half work i might as well go buy a new engine...anybody have an idea who sells a good LT1?...I've already checked golenengines and just wondering if anybody happens to know someplace besides the search engines that google gives? ALso is it even worth it at this point to even sink money into this, at the time of the engine failure the car had 25600 on the odometer...need some sound advice
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 773
Likes: 2
From: Minneapolis MN
..... engine failure the car had 25600 on the odometer...need some sound advice[/QUOTE]
How many miles did it have?Lt-1s or any 350s should last a long time.I hope you mean 256,000 miles.What condition is the rest of the car in?
How many miles did it have?Lt-1s or any 350s should last a long time.I hope you mean 256,000 miles.What condition is the rest of the car in?
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
From: Honolulu Hawaii
When I bought the car last year, it only had just over 22k on the odometer. I ran 3 different car reports just to be sure, clean title never salvaged or damaged and it never left Hawaii since coming to the dealer back in 96. The only thing was that the car sat for 5yrs by the previous owner due to his back surgery but I took it in for a full check before I bought it and it was solid. So with that and the asking price of 10k I jumped on it, after the full flush plus tune up and a battery change the car was cherry. Right now the car is sitting in the garage just minor scrapes and scratches but nothing serious except a blown engine which may have been caused by me adding royal purple engine oil atleast that's what I was told by a mechanic due to the detergent based oil may have freed up all the junk inside it but is this car worth fixing?? Or do I part it out??
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
Likes: 3,062
From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
Yes its worth fixing, unless you sell your parts to someone in hawaii youll have a hard time getting any money for them by the time frieght is done with.
LT1s has a real tight rod bearing clearance on them, many have spun bearings and suffered a similar fate.
Doubt the oil had much to do with anything, some mechanics logic baffles me.
If you like the car fix it and enjoy otherwise dump it.
LT1s has a real tight rod bearing clearance on them, many have spun bearings and suffered a similar fate.
Doubt the oil had much to do with anything, some mechanics logic baffles me.
If you like the car fix it and enjoy otherwise dump it.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,139
Likes: 482
From: H-Town Texas
That really sucks my friend. I feel bad for you. But it may not be all that bad. Check into, if you are not already connected, a local Corvette club and see if they can steer you to a quality engine shop. The big deal with the LT1 is the reverse flow cooling, so if your block is still useable that's the main deal. The rest of the parts are, for the most part, interchangeable with first gen sbc's.
What it will cost will depend then upon what you want. Keep the stock configuration, or go for more performance.
I doubt the oil has anything to with this. I don't know, but with only 25K I would have a hard time believing that there was gunk to begin with. 3K rpm is not that high for these things. I wonder if it wasn't a failure of a rod cap bolt or something of that nature.
What it will cost will depend then upon what you want. Keep the stock configuration, or go for more performance.
I doubt the oil has anything to with this. I don't know, but with only 25K I would have a hard time believing that there was gunk to begin with. 3K rpm is not that high for these things. I wonder if it wasn't a failure of a rod cap bolt or something of that nature.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 21,543
Likes: 3,214
From: Park City Utah
Racer
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 409
Likes: 1
From: New York
Yeah and 3k is just the beggining of the power band you should be able to run up to 6k every gear for the life of the engine with absolutely no problems. You might find a good LT1 motor on ebay by you check into that or like others have said just get it rebuilt. The car is definitely worth it it has very low miles and if you really enjoyed it spend themoney cause you wont get another one for what youd pay to yours
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every Model vs Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!
Joe Kucinski
2027 Corvette Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know!
Joe Kucinski
10 Things C8 Corvette Owners Hate (But Won't Tell You)
Joe Kucinski
10 Best Corvettes Coming to Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach 2026!
Brett Foote
Every Corvette Grand Sport Explained! (C2, C4, C6, C7, & C8)
Joe Kucinski
Grand Sport & Grand Sport X Launch Alongside All-New 535hp LS6 V8!
Michael S. Palmer
5 Reasons Bad Drivers Crash & 5 Ways to Avoid a Costly Mistake!
Joe Kucinski
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 59
Likes: 0
From: Bolingbrook IL
i noticed all my oil had been spraying out for the last 2 miles and seeped out from the bottom of my engine.
If you're going to replace the engine it'll only cost you a little more to do a 383 so you might as well. I'd bet most of us are waiting for an excuse like yours to slide one in!!
Rick - '92 LT1
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
From: Honolulu Hawaii
What i meant by the spray was that after the loud bang from the engine, oil was coming out for almost 2 miles up until i finally got the car to a stop and then whatever oil was left just drained from the bottom of the engine which i think was the oil pan. Honestly i had no indication of any oil issues, my oil pressure indicator was good and i had done an oil change about a month ago.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 6,470
Likes: 2
From: levittown pa. usa Even a bad day with my `Vette, is better than a good day at work
St. Jude Donor '10
Yes its worth fixing, unless you sell your parts to someone in hawaii youll have a hard time getting any money for them by the time frieght is done with.
LT1s has a real tight rod bearing clearance on them, many have spun bearings and suffered a similar fate.
Doubt the oil had much to do with anything, some mechanics logic baffles me.
If you like the car fix it and enjoy otherwise dump it.
LT1s has a real tight rod bearing clearance on them, many have spun bearings and suffered a similar fate.
Doubt the oil had much to do with anything, some mechanics logic baffles me.
If you like the car fix it and enjoy otherwise dump it.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 767
Likes: 1
From: Ponce Inlet FL
If it was a second or third car, I would find it fun to fix it. It would give me a reason to "add" some "better parts" without my wife getting any wiser.
If it was my main ride, I might get rid of it. Especially if I had to pay somone to do all the work.
Tough call. A new rebuilt motor might make you like your Vette even more. And a loss like you would take to get rid of it migh make you change your mind.....
Let us know what you do..
If it was my main ride, I might get rid of it. Especially if I had to pay somone to do all the work.
Tough call. A new rebuilt motor might make you like your Vette even more. And a loss like you would take to get rid of it migh make you change your mind.....
Let us know what you do..
Racer
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 497
Likes: 1
From: Casa Grande Az
I don't think I would consider LT1s hard to come by. A quick check of fleabay usually brings up multiple results, anything from vette motors to z28 and TA motors.
Find yourself a donor motor, rebuild it to your liking.
Find yourself a donor motor, rebuild it to your liking.
