so kinda read something on here just going through old threads cus i was bored. something i never heard or knew about. and it kinda seems like i could fall into this category. heres what i read

"I have heard stories that the bottom ends like to go in the 2.8's. Over revving them will cause the rod bolts to stretch allowing the clearances to widen, then you get a drop in oil pressure then the rod knock, then lastly that rod decides to poke a hole in your block. Heard that from a Chevy mechanic. It's mostly 5 speeds that it happens to but autos can have it happen as well."

now im in the process of just tearing down my 2.8 to just replace parts and get her running like new so i can drive her in the spring. after reading this tho im concerned. because i do have an issue with no oil pressure. i have oil pressure when first start her up and let her idle but after driving away for a little it drops down to almost none. goes back up a little when on throttle but not much. also i "think" i here ticking noises during idle but it could just be me as its not the definitive. i didnt think it was a big deal and thought maybe my oil pump just went or something and was gunna replace it. also the drain plug is like stripped out and i think its barely holding the oil in the pan. did have a leak issue till i put some thread sealant on it. (i was planning on replacing the oil pan) and as far as the noise after tearing down my engine the rockers have a little play in em so i figured it was that andd they just needed to be torqued back down to specs.

so what do u guys think? and how could i check to see if the rod bolts have streched or anything like that? dont wunna rebuild the freaking thing if im gonna find out in the end i gotta tear it apart again because im not tearing the thing down to nothing. just down to the heads prob.

 

anyone?

 

Get yourself some Plastigauge and check your oil clearances as they are. Also get either a caliper or 2-3" micrometer and a bore gauge and check the bearing seat in the rod for out-of-round.

And, if you're seriously worried about it, get some new rod bolts.

:edit: Look on eBay for an oil pan... Got mine for about half of what a new one costs. You can also get a new one on Summit. BTW, what makes you think you have low oil pressure? Have you connected a manual gauge to the oil pressure switch port on the oil filter adaptor and checked it that way, or are you relying on your notoriously inaccurate dash gauge?

 

i actually havent checked with a manual gauge. i am relying on the dash gauge. are they considered to be really inaccurate? i figured they weren't the best. but being down to almost none i figured it had to be right some what. but its to late now as i already have a bunch of parts stripped down and i dont really want to put everything back on only to take it apart again. i can consider that a mistake by me

its a learning process for me as ive never torn down an engine before. figured i gotta learn somewhere. i kinda always looked past it being something serious cus i never had any issues with the car its never broke down or anything. only issues ive really been having with her is starting issues and high idle when i start her then she calms down after awhile other then that shes honestly been fine. and my worries about the ticking i thought i heard went down once i saw the rockers had a slight in some of them. there is one thing i didnt mention. when i took the valve covers off i did notice on the same side of each spring it almost looks like a small dry spot thats not coated in oil? i have no idea. ill post pics maybe you can see something i dont

 

heres some.

 

i havent yet taken of my intake mani but this may also have something to do with the loss of oil pressure. i have a leak somewhere. taking the engine apart i think its just old gaskets as all the gasket wer completly nasty and falling apart. i dont think im burning oil because she doesnt smoke or anything like that. heres some pics from the tear down.

 

The pressure loss on decelerating to idle may be a pump problem, not neccecarily clearances. Things get old and stick, springs get weak, varnish and gooey crap builds up. I was amazed by the layer of gritty filth in the bottom of my 2.8 when I dissasembled it. But most of that was probably from the abuse I put it through at the end.

 

thanks man. i can tell you this tho heres how it goes in order.

when i turn my car on the oil pressure goes right where it needs to be. i could let it sit and idle and itll stay. then ill drive away and itll stay for about a half a minute to a minute and then it drops down. and it goes up SLIGHTLY if i give it enough gas. but it never goes back to where it should be intill i turn it off let it sit and do the process all over again.

so obv the oil is thicker before it warms up so as soon as it warms up it craps out.
ill be taking out the oil pump and all that once i get a jack for christmas. my uncle stole my other one and hopefully ill find it clogged or just worn out cus i really dont want to have to worry about checking clearances and all that mumbo jumbo. the car has low miles too. only 100,000 so shouldnt that not really be a concern to much anyways? idkkk

 

Once upon a time 100k was the life expectancy of a car.

 

Sadly enough, I know people that won't buy a car if it has more than 100K and get rid of it one as soon as it gets there.

There's a spring in the oil pump that regulates pressure. I don't know if the P/N is still good as it's a few years old, but the spring P/N is 10044435 through GM. It's a lot cheaper than a new oil pump which you may not need. But it won't hurt to check to see if the guts of the pump are all crudded up with gummed-up oil.

 

alright thanks ill deff check it out. and im not to worried bout replacing the pump. i just got a new job working at carmax as a body tech so the moneys good since im still 19 and live at home with the parents. only having to pay a cell bill and car insurance making 17.80/hr full time (plus the other two jobs i fit in) puts a good chunk of change in my pocket. only issue is im not to found of tearing down the 2.8 and checking for clearances and all that. not worth. seems weird. ill spend all the money to replace the parts but i wont go that far. but like i said im just starting out not ready to tear it down that far pretty much ill do what i can replace what i can and once its all done if it still has the issues ill drive it till it dies and hopefully by then ill have saved up enough for someone to do a swap for me.

really appreciate the info guys. theres no other place i can go where people know these cars that well. sometimes i feel like im an annoyance with all my questions! lol