Help!! Engine died!

The wet test results are in. Cylinder 3 went up to 190. No real change in the others.

The sequence of events is as follows.

There was a slight clack that sounded like the fan knocking.
Oil pressure would dip sometimes in first gear acceleration.
Half way home from a 100 mile trip the clacking got horrible and I started to lose acceleration.
Just as I was pulling in the driveway oil pressure dipped twice and then she stalled.
I could get her going enough to get in my shop but she kept stalling fairly quickly.

I'm about to do the push test with the screw driver. Any ideas what the next step is with the increase in pressure with the wet test?

Thanks!
 
There was a slight drop in cylinder 3. What does this mean?!?

Also, I got to scope the cylinders...LOTS of carbon. Lots. Especially cylinder 1 that had the ash on the plug.

What do I do??
 
What does a drop in the cylinder mean....

well a video says it all... This is most likly what your #3 is going. Blown bearing. That clacking most likly is rod knock.

[video=youtube_share;Z5Y1NmpjJ4Y]http://youtu.be/Z5Y1NmpjJ4Y[/video]
 
Maybe you can find some rod bearing in a can to add to the oil... :biggrin:

Sorry, couldn't help myself.

Seriously though, I guess you could drain the oil and see how much metal is in it.

It's time to make a decision. Is the truck worth repairing? I mean is it in relatively good shape otherwise?

Do you have another vehicle to use while you repair this one?

Are you capable of doing an engine swap or would you need to pay a shop to do it?

Shop around and see what you can find for a low mileage used motor.

I'm curious,

How long have you owned the vehicle?

What kind of oil have you been using and how often was it changed.

Sorry you're going through this, I hate it for you. Keep us posted on what you plan to do from here.
 
I agree with kawaholic.....If the rest of the body/chassis is in good shape IMO it's absolutely worth a donor engine. One thing I would do if I had to swap engines, regardless of miles, I would replace the rod bearings with factory GM bearings or equivalent. With the engine on a stand it's far easier, I would also change the front timing chain cover which houses the oil pump...all one piece. Along with the pickup screen, front seal, and new timing chain tensioner.

You will be way ahead of the game and likely for a pretty good price.

I would do the same thing if I were in your shoes.

Sucks man, hopefully you can get it back on the road.
 
BlackInk said:
So she's dead?

:no:
Click to expand...

Not dead, just slowly dieing. The more you run it, the more your gunna damage. When mine went out it was a minor sound but since I had to drive back from the middle of indiana it destroyed more of the bearing and what not. If you can avoid driving it I would. If this is your only vehicle, like mine was, You have a few choices. I chose having kick ass friends and we did an engine swap over a weekend.
 
Putting the new one in is beyond my scope. I've reached out to a buddy who owns a garage and was quoted $1900 to put a new one in. I'm waiting to hear from a mechanic friend to see if he'd be up to do it over the weekend with my help.

The truck is in really good shape otherwise. I'm half tempted to buy the wife a new vehicle and steal her engine (2002 Envoy SLT). Thing is in perfect shape as I've had that since new. Mine I'm the third owner (since 2010) and knew the second owner (sister in law) and their maintenance schedule. I honestly don't pay that much attention to what oil and filter go in...I get it done at the local dealerships quick lube. I get the high mileage synthetic blend change and was planning to go full synthetic at 150,000 like I did with my other Envoy.
 
Hope thos doesnt cause any bad juju but I just rather steer clear of the quickie lubes. Changing yourself or having someone you know change it that you trust....should guarantee that 5W-30 goes back in.
 
gmcman said:
Hope thos doesnt cause any bad juju but I just rather steer clear of the quickie lubes. Changing yourself or having someone you know change it that you trust....should guarantee that 5W-30 goes back in.
Click to expand...

It's not a quickie lube really. It's the local GMC dealers answer to the Ford oil change thing. Always 5w-30, only GM original parts. It costs more than doing it myself, but it's kept my 2002 Envoy in perfect shape. Aside from tune ups, I've changed the fan clutch and alternator. That's it.

Still not sure what I'm going to do.
 
BlackInk said:
Putting the new one in is beyond my scope. I've reached out to a buddy who owns a garage and was quoted $1900 to put a new one in. I'm waiting to hear from a mechanic friend to see if he'd be up to do it over the weekend with my help.

The truck is in really good shape otherwise. I'm half tempted to buy the wife a new vehicle and steal her engine (2002 Envoy SLT). Thing is in perfect shape as I've had that since new. Mine I'm the third owner (since 2010) and knew the second owner (sister in law) and their maintenance schedule. I honestly don't pay that much attention to what oil and filter go in...I get it done at the local dealerships quick lube. I get the high mileage synthetic blend change and was planning to go full synthetic at 150,000 like I did with my other Envoy.
Click to expand...

$1900 isn't too bad of a price. What kind of warranty? Is it a used motor? High miles? Rebuilt?

If you want to make a good decison on whether it's worth the money... Look up the KBB and NADA value on your vehicle. Honestly evaluate it's condition. If the cost of repairs is justifiable to you in comparison to the value of the vehicle, then go for it. Everytime I've bought used vehicles in need of work, my threshold of that comparison is roughly 30%-40%. If the repairs are going to cost more than 30-40% of the vehicles value after the repairs are done, I pass on it.
 
BlackInk said:
There was a slight drop in cylinder 3. What does this mean?!?

Also, I got to scope the cylinders...LOTS of carbon. Lots. Especially cylinder 1 that had the ash on the plug.

What do I do??
Click to expand...

A couple more questions...

When the piston moved, did the rest of the rotating assembly move with it? What I'm getting at is I want to make sure it wasn't a slight movement from the crankshaft giving a false indication.

When you did the screwdriver test, was this cylinder on the downstroke cycle? The reason I ask is because if it was on the upstroke, the screwdriver test would be ineffective as the crankshaft is already pushing up on the rod assembly. If it's on the downstroke, the crankshaft would be pushing on the bottom of the rod, allowing the screwdriver test to accurately show the slack.
 
chief0299 said:
A couple more questions...

When the piston moved, did the rest of the rotating assembly move with it? What I'm getting at is I want to make sure it wasn't a slight movement from the crankshaft giving a false indication.

When you did the screwdriver test, was this cylinder on the downstroke cycle? The reason I ask is because if it was on the upstroke, the screwdriver test would be ineffective as the crankshaft is already pushing up on the rod assembly. If it's on the downstroke, the crankshaft would be pushing on the bottom of the rod, allowing the screwdriver test to accurately show the slack.
Click to expand...

When it moved, nothing else moved with it...and yes, I made sure the cylinders were on the downstroke. No other cylinder had any movement.

The $1900 is labor only no warranty. I found an engine with 68,000 miles and a six months parts and labor warranty for $1500. I think I'm just going to take the plunge.
 
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