Allright...i am turning to you guys for help. I think you've heard the situation before... high school kid, not much money, tears up car like dumb@$$. Anyway, I was driving a few months back and my car died, I had the t-tops off and the radio on so I thought it was electrical, I waited a few minutes and the car started again, I was on my way to autzone at the time and since I was close I continued on, as I pulled into the parking lot it died again. I asked one of the guys inside for help(biggest mistake of my cars life) and when we got the car started there was a loud knocking which I hadn't heard from inside the car. the man checked the oil and said it was bone dry and that I should put thick oil in order to keep the rod from getting further damage (he told me I had thrown a rod bearing). so i put 5 quarts of oil into the car, let it set and started it again, it wasn't any better. I had the car towed home and i had 3 people tell me it was a rod bearing by listening too it. (perfect time for an LT1 swap, thats for sale if you want it) We got it into a friends shop and he listened to it and said it sounded more like a broken rocker arm/camshaft problem. I stripped the valve covers and the rocker arms all look okay. he checked them and none of them were loose. SO the car sits. Have any of you ever seen anything like this? Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the long post but i wanted it to be detailed.
thanks inadvance
jared

 

If you drove it with no oil in it then you probably spun a rod or main bearing. Expensive lesson to learn.

 

from my experience, when bearings go bad, there's a screech/whine from the engine, not a knock, a knock sounds like something being broken

 

From my experience with an engine that has been run low on oil (I didn't do it, but got the engine later), it makes a knocking noise when it is getting oil but the clearances are too large from the wear that occurred when it was starved for oil.

 

Thats how my sisters little Mazda pickup sounded after she run it out. Knock, knock, knock, BANG , big veiwing hole in the side of the block.

 

thanks guys
the guy helping me fix it says that there might have been a recall on the camshafts on these engines. he said he had one more do the same thing. it's an 84 with a 305, have any of you ever heard of a recall or is he wrong(Wouldn't be first time)?
thanks again

 

check here http://www.alldata.com/TSB/10/841002GB.html

 

I had a 71 Monte a few years back where the oil pump died on the highway and the idiot light on the dash was burned out. The noise started off as a light ticking, then escalated into a horrid slamming sound. 'Twas a spun bearing and a dead engine. Hope your guy is able to fix yours, I was faced with either a complete rebuild, or replace the engine. So I sold the car.