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Engine out...was hoping it was a cracked flex plate but it wasn't

kc199

New member
Like the title says I finally got around to pulling the engine out of my GT. Was hoping that the knocking sound was just a cracked flex plate. But that wasn't the case. This is what I found in the oil pan

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Looks like I'm on the hunt for a replacement engine.

I bought the car with the knock issue already so I don't know what conditions were when this happened. I didn't see any coolant in the oil when I drained it or in the pan. Anyone have any theories on what might have happened?
 


!!! that is wicked! i never seen a cap busted like that haha. im currently purchasing a motor myself. mine had seized. i would suggest buying a good used motor. im picking mine on car-part.com. 55k for 1400. ive already considering buying a remanufactured motor but imo for the price, you cant beat a good used motor.
 
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theory on what happened... whenever you opened your gas cap, you turned away just long enough for a gremlin to jump inside and hangout for awhile, tapping away on the inside of your motor until it finally gave out.

but seriously... it may have just been a bad a/f ratio that was causing knock which was putting strain on the internals. which may have just been a vaccum leak. or maybe your cat was clogged. it could be a multitude of things.
 


theory on what happened... whenever you opened your gas cap, you turned away just long enough for a gremlin to jump inside and hangout for awhile, tapping away on the inside of your motor until it finally gave out.

but seriously... it may have just been a bad a/f ratio that was causing knock which was putting strain on the internals. which may have just been a vaccum leak. or maybe your cat was clogged. it could be a multitude of things.



my guess is it got a rod knock, then some one just floored it till it blew.



i had a friend who had 78 t/a, had a 400 in it cam heads, intake and Nitrous. it got a rod knock, so he put the brick on the gas pedal, then reached in with a broom stick and hit the red button, it screamed bloody murder and grenaded. he took it all apart all the rods were bent, push rods looked like pretzels, and the cam broke into 3 pieces. heads took a beating as well, there went 4 grand real fast.
 
Wow that poor 38000.

Have you checked out motors from LKQ or Morads? They're prices are reasonable. Or see if anyone on here has a spare they'd sell.
 
I bought this cheap due to the knock and was hoping for a quick cheap fix. Really have to idea what happened but it was owned by a college student. His dad said that he had no idea what happened just started knocking. He went and got another GP and switched some parts with this one. Now I'm thinking there is more to the story. As I was pulling the engine out I was amazed at how easy a lot of the bolts and other things came out. Then I found a bolt missing from the transmission and a missing piece from the flywheel cover. I'm sure this engine isn't original to the car.

!!! that is wicked! i never seen a cap busted like that haha. im currently purchasing a motor myself. mine had seized. i would suggest buying a good used motor. im picking mine on car-part.com. 55k for 1400. ive already considering buying a remanufactured motor but imo for the price, you cant beat a good used motor.

Check out Dahmer Powertrain. They quoted me $1200 (plus core charge) for a reman 3800 with a 3 year unlimited mileage parts/labor warranty. That included delivery since I am local so not sure how much shipping would be to you. I found a 26K engine out of a 2006 for $475 so I will probably go that route.
 


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