Thread: How screwed am i? UPDATE, WAS A BEARING, NOW WHAT?

Use a length of aquarium tube as a stethoscope. Stick it right in your ear (carefully!) and plug your other ear. You should be able to find within a few inches where that noise is coming from.

So got the stethoscope out today. Sure enough the noise seems loudest with the stethoscope against the oil pan. Can definitely hear it pretty good in there. Valve covers are silent as can be as is anywhere on the top of the motor. With it held further down the front of the engine (as far as i could get the stethoscope down in there with everything spinning), that being near the bottom of the water pump i could hear it knocking. So, sounds like it is the bottom end. Really disappointing. The car runs perfectly still, oil has been changed religiously and LIM gaskets were changed well before they were bad enough to leak coolant into the engine. At 103k miles i cannot believe i'm dealing with this.

I took the inspection cover off and had someone turn the motor over while i looked it over very carefully. I couldn't even find the smallest hairline crack, though from what i gather its difficult to be certain. I really want to be certain before just changing it to see if that's it. That's a lot of work to do and that not be it.

you wont see the crack most of the time. start it up and with the stethoscope listen by the bell housing and by the inspection plate.

Yeah that is one place i actually forgot to listen to. I was, and still am, pretty sure it is coming from the other side of the engine so i focused on that side. I suppose if it is the flexplate it could echo through the oil pan so hearing the knocking in the oil pan doesn't rule out the flexplate. It's dark now so that's going to have to wait till after work tomorrow.

One thing that i have started to notice is that the noise seems more pronounced now at lower engine temps than it did previously. Before i couldn't hear it until full operating temp. Still doesn't do it when cold, but doesn't have to be as warm as before.

Well as it turns out it was in fact a rod bearing. Today leaving work, literally just pulling out of the parking lot as it got up to speed i could hear something kind of "let loose" and all of the sudden the knock got incredibly more destructive sounding and much louder than before. The car was still running fine for a moment, but as i got about another 2 miles down the road i could feel the power wasn't there. Figured i'd just try to limp it home but after accelerating from a red light it reved up to about 3k rpm and would not go further...then the engine seized completely. Cannot believe how many miles this car kept driving with it being a bearing all along.

So now i'm trying to decide what to do with the car. I had planned on selling the car before this knock started. Is it worth dropping in a new (well, used) engine just to resell it? Is it better just to sell it as a roller? The trans shifts flawlessly and the rest of the car is in excellent shape. What is it worth with a bad engine? Is it even cost effective to swap in an engine and sell it that way?

Maybe 1000-1500 with a bad motor and in great condition. And thats a big "maybe", you'd have to find the right buyer.

But a running car in great shape ( I don't know your miles) you could say 3-4.5k to the right buyer.

Also, if you bought another motor its possible you can sell extra parts to gain back some cash.

The car is a 2002 Coupe, 103k miles. Exterior has normal scratches but very good condition, interior is easily a 9/10 or better, car has every available option. The trans is still in excellent working condition.

I guess what i'm trying to figure out how cost effective it is to swap out the engine. A newer engine is a big red flag for many people. I don't know exactly how much a relatively low mile L67 costs. I know Morad sells them so i may start there. Just wondering if i can get enough out of the car to make the time, money, and hassle of an engine swap worth it i suppose. Luckily, the GTP is not my only vehicle so i don't have to hurry up and do one or the other.

As for selling parts, this is true, but keep in mind this is a stock car (save for a wizair cai). I know the M90 has some value, what about the rest of the engine? The heads i guess are worth a little too but i doubt the rest is worth anything significant. Not sure entirely.

check the for sale section i think theres a guy selling a motor and trans for 1000. maybe he would split them up.

for some reason im thinking hes in the same state as you.

a running car will sell for more money and faster in the long run.

I know it will sell quicker and faster, just was curious if it would be cost effective. I suppose really all i need is a short block, the rest of my engine is in great shape. Could always swap in a complete engine and sell off the top end of mine too i guess.

Edit:The guy selling the engine/trans for $1k is in Maryland. Little too far.

with head gaskets and all it would be cheaper i think to just drop a new /used engine in. if you look around, and being that times not a issue, take your time looking for a engine, one will turn up for 500 or so. if you can do the install even better. if not looks like another 5 to 600 for labor and fluids.

if you cant find a l67 then you can always get a n/a block and top swap it with your parts.

Yeah i'm a little on the fence about doing the install myself or not. I'm pretty mechanically inclined and do most of the work on my cars myself and have some knowledgeable people to help, that said i've never pulled an engine out of a newer car (though i have older ones) and certainly never a fwd car. More worried about the electrical stuff, will the car need to be tuned, etc. The mechanical stuff i'm not worried about.

there not all that much wiring, it just looks bad, and the trans bracket to the back of the engine. after you get all the injectors plugs and the other sensors its just like the old days, starter, alt, coil, grounds. fuel lines, you know the rest, and instead of pulling it forward, it pulls to the left and up.

Contacted morad. They have a 80k mile engine for $1400 and a 120k mile engine for $1200. Don't really want to put a higher mileage engine but 1400 is a little more than I wanted to spend. Problem is sourcing s motor isn't easy. The local junkyard doesn't have any and Craigslist is pretty dry too. Is 1400 worth it? Is morad negotiable at all on prices?