Hey. Been a member for a little while now, first post though...


I just picked up a '91 Firebird for $150. 3.1 MPI, 165,000 miles, full powers, T-tops, Dynamax muffler (rather have a flowmaster, but it didn't cost me anything), and a manila folder full of receipts dating back to 1992.


Sweet deal, right? Here's the problem. One of the rods snapped and it has one of the worst rod knocks I've ever heard. What makes it worse is that the previous owner advanced the timing, and it idles at 1,500 RPM. The rod knock started only a couple of weeks ago, and it wasn't driven at all since. I want to swing the engine, since I want an LT1 in there anyway. It's gonna be incredibly time-consuming, and time is a commodity that I'm running low on. If I have someone else do it, it will be incredibly expensive, and I'm on a low budget. I'm wondering if I'd be better off if I just replaced the rod. I know the block is damaged, but not as bad as cars that are driven with a rod knock for any extended period of time. I was just wondering if I'd get away with replacing the rod in question as opposed to payin through the nose for another engine. Thanks in advance.

 

Welome to thirdgen.org (first post anyways )

You have a few choices, depends on your will power.

If you are dead set on just going in and replacing a rod, then get with it...my guess is that yu'll be spending way more than you'd planned on...so I'd say scrap that idea

Next best route would be to just find another low milage V6 and to an R and R. and get on down the road.

A V8 swap hasmany a headache, lotsa a work, check the motor swap forum, sure, results are worth it, but mucho time and energy is involved.

 

Explain to me how the engine runs or is even in one piece with a snapped rod?

 

Don't discount the magic of the internal combustion engine.

I had a Mopar 360 that I was dead set against working on, so moved it around for a few years running as-is.

When I finally got down to taking it apart, it had one broken rod, one lost lifter (wedged in the pushtrods on the opposite side of the galley), a hole in the crank you could stick your finger through.

Sure, oil presusre was a little low, but when it idled it only had a slight miss.

 

i threw a rod out the side of the block and a piston thru the oil pan once on a buick i had and it still would start and run althou not well.......LOL...its very possible....


as far as fixing the broken rod id give up on that idea and just find another v6 as stated above or start on the v8 swap ....

most likely not definatly thou the rod has destroyed the block inside that cylinder bad enough that rings wont seat again...you will be looking at some serious blow by .......

either way good luck and keep us posted...

 

are you sure that the rod snapped? Have you physically seen it? You could just have a spun bearing, and have your crank machined and new bearings and you're good to go.

 

yeah that is true it could be a number of things honestly ...

it could be a wrist pin...

bearings

rod

snapped ring

dropped valve

many many possibilites but the only true way for you to find out is to dissasemble it and see....