rarebmx

iTrader: (6)

I was driving to work a couple days ago. I give it a little more gas than usual from stop light, car died before I got through light but plenty of speed to make it through light into a parking lot...

Symptoms before: clicking noise either from lifter or fuel regulator. No clicking except for over 2000 RPM. When driving on highway or outer roads had ticking but not unless over 2000 RPM so I have been kind of taking it easy. The car has 84K on it and is a stock '89 5.7 TPI IROC. 700R4 with 2.77 axle.

Symptoms now: Car is not wanting to turn over easily. It is firing but sounds like it is under a lot of stress, like something is binding up. The positive cable VERY hot, which tells me it is cranking very hard but battery still has plenty of power. I feel as if maybe something in the valve train is bad. Lifter rod bent, Lifter sticking, cam broken, cam lobe flattened or spring is bad. Possibly worse....?

I do drive the car (not right now, obviuosly) and I do have others that I can put this in the garage but want to make the right call to keep it stock. I was thinking first step is pull valve covers and see if I can find irregularities, if nothing, pull heads if nothing, pull motor. ANY HELP would be appreciated. The crank is turning but obviously something is making the motor hard to crank. I am not going to crank on it anymore and did not hear anything big when it shut down. No SES light went on when it died. If I pull motor I am not going back to stock and will go through it totally and make changes (that will be a new thread). I would like to have ay input. When I do crank it no noises coming other than a squeak but that could be the serpetine belt? There is no knock so I doubt a spun bearing. Checked oil and no metal in it.

ex-x-fire

Was it low on oil? Pull the drive belt, any accesory frozen?
Pull all eight spark plugs, this should make it turn over very easy.If its still tight then You might be better pulling the oil pan & looking at the rod bearings

rarebmx

iTrader: (6)

thank you for the response. I know it is not low on oil, checked it two days before and I did check it today. All good on oil and I will pull belt (needs changed anyway) and see what I have. Could be as simple as A/C or power steering pump... If not turning over, then I will pull plugs. Thank you. Sure helps to have a second head.

rarebmx

iTrader: (6)

Ok, pulled belt off and tried to crank it. Exactly the same result.

paulo57509

I'm thinking the timing chain jumped.

Put the timing mark on the damper at TDC and remove the distributor cap. The rotor should be pointing at the tower corresponding to either No. 1 or No. 6 plug wire.

rarebmx

iTrader: (6)

This is where I have been leaning toward too. I sure hope this is what it is. The car is not driven hard but if it did jump, I should just put on new water pump and new chain. I really do appreciate the help. Thank you. I will do that tomorrow.

ex-x-fire

Pull your spark plugs & try again, see if it turns over by hand. It should be easy. Get your starter tested, it could be bad & drawing high amps.
Timing chains on sbc are pretty tough, not likely to jump & cause hard cranking.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Yup, almost impossible for a timing chain to cause that symptom. When the cam sprocket strips (which is how they fail, not the chain "jumping") the symptom most usually is, it'll crank & crank & crank & crank & crank; and as you do that, it'll go through a cycle of having no compression (fast spinning) for a while, then slow down to near normal, then spit back out the intake, then spit into the exhaust, then spin fast again, then begin normal-ish again, then start kicking back against the starter, then seem like it's almost going to run, then seem like the timing is WAY retarded (firing in the exhaust), then spin fast again. All this, as the cam moves small amounts in little jerks, out of time with the crank, and the engine passes through various phases of relationships of when the valves are open to what the pistons are doing, and where the spark occurs relative to all that.

The SBC is a "non-interference" motor, in ANYWHERE NEAR stock trim. NO WAY anything to do with the valve train can cause what you're reporting. Forget that "explanation"; doesn't fit ALL the facts. Doesn't even really fit any. See my signature.

Wouldn't bet on the starter... those don't cause squeeeking noises or make the engine die while romping on it. That "explanation" also fails the "fits the facts" test. See my signature.

Doesn't sound good.

If it still is like this when the plugs are out, time for the engine to come out, and the pan off. Again, see my signature.

rarebmx

iTrader: (6)

Thank you for the response. I like "facts". When was towing the car to my work today, I did get it to start! There is a knocking that i for sure louder than a lifter. The engine more than likely will be coming out but before I do that, I am going to remove all plugs and do a compression test on all cylinders. I am kind of lost but for sure will update this post over time and hopefully come up with a solution.
Once it ran, I shut it off because if it is a rod I want to save the motor. I just find it strange that is is having a tough time starting. Is it possible that the "rod knock" is really a valve that is hitting the piston? There are some no good reasons the car won't run if it is a spun bearing. I think that is what is throwing me off so much. Truly, we can talk about it but the fact is I need to make some progress to eliminate some items right off the bat.

rarebmx

iTrader: (6)

So today, I fiinally started to dig into this engine to get readt to pull it probably. I was hoping the valvetrain was the issue but it seems like it is lower end after further inspection.
Anyway, I took off the TPI and I don't have a forth injector - I was thinking this car was 100% stock original. So this means according the the date code on plenum my TPI is dated 88. The second clue I ran into not being stock were the heads.
The heads on my current motor
Casting number -
14096217 350 285HP, Crate motor, 1.94-1.5, 72º intake bolts, 64cc, center bolt VC
ORIGINAL FACTORY HEADS ARE -
14011083 350, 87-up, 64cc, center bolt VC, 72º manifold bolt
They seem to be the same heads in specs but the heads I have on this motor are said to be 285HP heads were as stock L89's were 230HP - Is this just a generic HP rating because GM changed the rating if G92 and 5spd were higher.
My question is:
Is it worth putting these heads on a different 350 (out of a Chevy Van) that I am switching in?
I am planning on building a new motor out of the block I am taking out of the IROC this week but in the meanitime I have another 350 engine to go in but using the 14096217 heads currently on this engine. Does that seem like it should be about the same stock rating?
Oh yeah, and I was thinking of putting a new oil pump (for sure) and an upgraded cam in the Van engine just for a little better sound, since it might be in there a while. I was wonderig what cam I can put in that I don't have to dump money into the heads but is better than stock in the L98?

I think I will go ZZ4 in the new motor with some aluminum heads.

ALL THE HEADS GM MADE---------------Good link
http://outintheshop.com/faq/casting/heads.html