engine failure imminent. :( rebuild or replace?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 157
Likes: 1
From: Tampa FL
engine failure imminent. :( rebuild or replace?
my vette just hit 270,000 miles the other day. A few weeks before during the really cold weather that came to florida, i took it down to the bradenton drag strip for some passes. it was the hardest ive run it since i owned it. i took 8 passes that day expecting to run 12s but i couldnt get break a 13.04. now upon cold start up, i can hear some knock. it sounds like rod knock with some lower pitch squeaks like a rusty wheel barrow wheel turning. eventually when the car is warmed up, it gets a little more quiet but you can still hear the knock. now tell me is this a spun main bearing, rod bearing or a stretched rod? im really scared right now, although the car still remains drivable to and from work...
now if this motor is toast, is it better to rebuild it assuming the block is still good, or should i pick up a cheap 5.3 or 6.0 truck motor and put on a set of heads and a nice rumbly cam?
now if this motor is toast, is it better to rebuild it assuming the block is still good, or should i pick up a cheap 5.3 or 6.0 truck motor and put on a set of heads and a nice rumbly cam?
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,398
Likes: 1,139
From: Dyer, IN
my vette just hit 270,000 miles the other day. A few weeks before during the really cold weather that came to florida, i took it down to the bradenton drag strip for some passes. it was the hardest ive run it since i owned it. i took 8 passes that day expecting to run 12s but i couldnt get break a 13.04. now upon cold start up, i can hear some knock. it sounds like rod knock with some lower pitch squeaks like a rusty wheel barrow wheel turning. eventually when the car is warmed up, it gets a little more quiet but you can still hear the knock. now tell me is this a spun main bearing, rod bearing or a stretched rod? im really scared right now, although the car still remains drivable to and from work...
now if this motor is toast, is it better to rebuild it assuming the block is still good, or should i pick up a cheap 5.3 or 6.0 truck motor and put on a set of heads and a nice rumbly cam?
now if this motor is toast, is it better to rebuild it assuming the block is still good, or should i pick up a cheap 5.3 or 6.0 truck motor and put on a set of heads and a nice rumbly cam?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 157
Likes: 1
From: Tampa FL
well, if you found out how much i have in the car, you'd walk away. i got this car with 249k miles, for the low price of $6,000 cash. of course it was rough but well worth it. i did all the repairs myself with little to no aid. but im already thinking a motor swap in this thing is gonna be a very involved process... if i use a truck motor and swap over all my accessories i can cut costs but the car will be 100 lbs heavier in front. dunno how bad that will affect the handling.
Race Director
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 16,667
Likes: 1,209
From: Raleigh, NC
St. Jude Donor '15
eh.. you need to get the motor out/apart to figure out what's wrong with it first. but i suspect you can fix it for a few hundred bucks if you're capable of doing the work. maybe a grand at most.
obviously this won't be a forged engine or anything..but for replacing parts with stock components you can get stuff stupid cheap now if you look
(or i'd be more than happy to give you 5K for the car and take it off your hands
)
obviously this won't be a forged engine or anything..but for replacing parts with stock components you can get stuff stupid cheap now if you look
(or i'd be more than happy to give you 5K for the car and take it off your hands
)
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 951
Likes: 2
From: Rochester MN
If the crank is still good you could overhaul it.. Or maybe you could find a used short block and rings and bearings would do wonders. Just depends on how much you want to spend..
Lots of options...
Lots of options...
Race Director
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 16,667
Likes: 1,209
From: Raleigh, NC
St. Jude Donor '15
yes, plz do NOT do that ^
you can rebuild it for a very small amount of money if you do your homework and do the work yourself. or, i SERIOUSLY would buy it for what you paid minus what i could fix it for.
you can rebuild it for a very small amount of money if you do your homework and do the work yourself. or, i SERIOUSLY would buy it for what you paid minus what i could fix it for.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 157
Likes: 1
From: Tampa FL
Originally Posted by schpenxel
eh.. you need to get the motor out/apart to figure out what's wrong with it first. but i suspect you can fix it for a few hundred bucks if you're capable of doing the work. maybe a grand at most.
obviously this won't be a forged engine or anything..but for replacing parts with stock components you can get stuff stupid cheap now if you look
obviously this won't be a forged engine or anything..but for replacing parts with stock components you can get stuff stupid cheap now if you look
Originally Posted by schpenxel
(or i'd be more than happy to give you 5K for the car and take it off your hands )
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,398
Likes: 1,139
From: Dyer, IN
Race Director
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 16,667
Likes: 1,209
From: Raleigh, NC
St. Jude Donor '15
exactly. you paid 6K for it and the engine is screwed. 5K is low.. but 10K is ridiculous. I paid 14K for a '99 5 years ago with under 100K miles on it. now THAT was a deal.
Advanced
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 52
Likes: 0
From: LaCrosse Wisconsin
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 157
Likes: 1
From: Tampa FL
if $4,000 gets me an aluminum ls6 caddy motor, im gonna go ahead and spend $700 for a used low mileage lq9 6.0l motor from my ex's escalade that she totalled a few months ago. they only weigh 65 lbs more than the aluminum blocks. anyways motor comes with all accessories, so i can sell off those truck parts on ebay, and transfer all mine over for the costs of $200 in misc. gaskets, bolts, my own labor etc, i may end up doing that instead. gotta be back on the road asap. that truck motor might weigh more but it is probably worth it because it has a no break in time like i would have to do in a new motor. but thank you all for the advise and suggestions. then my car will reliable again and have the extra .3l of displacement and some extra torque + a physically stronger motor.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 157
Likes: 1
From: Tampa FL
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,484
Likes: 0
From: Morgan Hill Ca.
Shop around, there are a lot of great deals out there right now on long blocks and performance engines. Some come with some great warranties
I am not a big fan on the iron blocks for the Corvette, 65 lbs is pounds you don't have to pull down the highway. Plus as you demonstrated the alum blocks are really doing well in the high performance arena. But to each his own.
I am not a big fan on the iron blocks for the Corvette, 65 lbs is pounds you don't have to pull down the highway. Plus as you demonstrated the alum blocks are really doing well in the high performance arena. But to each his own.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 157
Likes: 1
From: Tampa FL
Shop around, there are a lot of great deals out there right now on long blocks and performance engines. Some come with some great warranties
I am not a big fan on the iron blocks for the Corvette, 65 lbs is pounds you don't have to pull down the highway. Plus as you demonstrated the alum blocks are really doing well in the high performance arena. But to each his own.
I am not a big fan on the iron blocks for the Corvette, 65 lbs is pounds you don't have to pull down the highway. Plus as you demonstrated the alum blocks are really doing well in the high performance arena. But to each his own.
