I bought a 1998 Malibu with a 2.4 last summer from a customer who didn't desire to fix it up after the engine began making some pretty serious lower end noise. I gave him scrap yard price- around 200.00 and drug it home until I could fix it. Well, that time has come. I want it to replace my wife's aging and soon to be ailing 1995 Grand Am, which I gave a new lease on life with a budget minded refreshed 3.1 (also poached from a customer)- can read about it HERE. The Grand Am was intended to last another 70k miles or so, or until something major happens to it. Well I've been getting leery of it so I'm upping the time line on the 'Bu...
In spite of the terrible lower end knock, it started easily and drove onto the trailer, then off again to it's resting place. I've moved it around a few times over the summer, then finally back on the trailer to haul it to the shop where I off loaded it and drove it inside. It was there that I began inspecting it for external damage because there was a trail of oil following me... Hoping for better than a hole in the block, I was rewarded by finding the oil pressure sending unit to be leaking BADLY. Pretty common on these and likely the cause of the Bu's untimely demise. I considered buying a reman engine, but that would be at least 2200.00 from my sources. Used is a gamble on this one and would need a certain things before even dropping it in the car. The nearest one was a 100+ miles away and 600.00. So by the time I bought fuel for my friend's truck and lunch for both of us, I'd have 700.00 wrapped up in it and still need to replace the oil pump, water pump and timing set.
Here it is, just after I started working on it. I took the photo as an afterthought- you'll notice that this will be a common theme on this project. Sometimes I get started and forget to take pics as I pass various stages.
Here I've got some things taken off and am ready to really dig in!
A bad pic, but here it's almost ready to take flight via the engine hoist.
So once I was able to get the engine out, I took the pad off, expecting the worst. What I found was pretty impressive!
and YIKES!!! Yes, that's bearing... Rod bearing to be precise.
I took the balance shaft assembly and oil pump off so I could get to the bum rod. The nuts were suspiciously loose and the journal was hit pretty hard.
I called a machine shop who told me that they could do the crank for less than 200 bux. A reman crank and bearings is 500.00 through Rock Auto. Hmmm. Tough choice.
I'll have some more pictures in a little while- as I've got to go for now. They'll be interesting for sure...
In spite of the terrible lower end knock, it started easily and drove onto the trailer, then off again to it's resting place. I've moved it around a few times over the summer, then finally back on the trailer to haul it to the shop where I off loaded it and drove it inside. It was there that I began inspecting it for external damage because there was a trail of oil following me... Hoping for better than a hole in the block, I was rewarded by finding the oil pressure sending unit to be leaking BADLY. Pretty common on these and likely the cause of the Bu's untimely demise. I considered buying a reman engine, but that would be at least 2200.00 from my sources. Used is a gamble on this one and would need a certain things before even dropping it in the car. The nearest one was a 100+ miles away and 600.00. So by the time I bought fuel for my friend's truck and lunch for both of us, I'd have 700.00 wrapped up in it and still need to replace the oil pump, water pump and timing set.
Here it is, just after I started working on it. I took the photo as an afterthought- you'll notice that this will be a common theme on this project. Sometimes I get started and forget to take pics as I pass various stages.
Here I've got some things taken off and am ready to really dig in!
A bad pic, but here it's almost ready to take flight via the engine hoist.
So once I was able to get the engine out, I took the pad off, expecting the worst. What I found was pretty impressive!
and YIKES!!! Yes, that's bearing... Rod bearing to be precise.
I took the balance shaft assembly and oil pump off so I could get to the bum rod. The nuts were suspiciously loose and the journal was hit pretty hard.
I called a machine shop who told me that they could do the crank for less than 200 bux. A reman crank and bearings is 500.00 through Rock Auto. Hmmm. Tough choice.
I'll have some more pictures in a little while- as I've got to go for now. They'll be interesting for sure...