Don't ever agree to do this.....VENTING

[cleatus12r]

About 3 months ago I agreed to rebuild an engine in a '93 F-250. Of course, 7.3L IDI with an automatic. No problem. In and out piece of cake right? ......... with dollar signs in my eyes.

Not so fast.....

I just got it running tonight; about 3 hours ago to be exact. As it turns out, I broke even. I spent COUNTLESS hours on it and I'm not getting any money for my labor. The original engine dropped an intake valve and needed a complete overhaul (cracked pistons and pre-chamber cups) along with new hardware in the heads.

I ended up getting a remanufactured 7.3L after the original sat at the machine shop for 2 months.

Why is it that someone who has done COUNTLESS engine replacements and rebuilds all of a sudden loses his shirt on a "simple" job.

Enter: Gale Banks Engineering Sidewinder Turbocharger

Don't EVER agree to replace an engine in one of these that has been equipped with a Banks turbocharger. It added about 8 hours worth of work by FIGHTING EVERYTHING I had to do to go in and out with this engine.

UGH. Now I have to add some transmission fluid but have to wait until tomorrow when I can borrow a funnel from work that's long enough to reach the dipstick tube (again, turbocharger interference ) and reinstall the hood.

All of this grief from something that adds a minimal amount of performance.

I just hope the guy doesn't flip when I give him his invoice for $5000 (which I initially told him it would cost) PLUS the $450 in labor.

I learned my lesson....no more big jobs at home. It's so flippin' hard to get the motivation to work on that garbage when I've been doing it all day at work.

[soutthpaw]

Oh man!! Been there, Done that!!! I feel for you. I have sold myself on the same thing... no more engine rebuilds or tranny pulls at home... not to mention one engine I did over a period of about a year on and off... when i finally got it done It went kaput after 5 mins. I had forgot to tighten the connecting rod bolts... had to swap everything to the engine I pulled out to replace with this one.... at least I had 2 blocks

[cleatus12r]

How's this for awesome......

I went for a test drive tonight. Runs great but smokes a little; I assume it to be turbo seals but I am washing my hands of this job once it's gone.

Next AWESOME.

I have an oil leak. I think it's an oil pan seal leak and it's BAD. How? I don't know. I Right Stuff-ed the hell out of it and how it's leaking I don't know. I have to pull the balancer back off to see exactly where it's coming from but I am NOT HAPPY. I wasn't before but now I am infuriated. If it's the pan seal, the engine......




...comes back out......


...and I get REAL mad.

[Power Hungry]

You want a good one?

1988 Olds Delta, FWD 3.8L. For a friend, I offered to swap the blown engine for a salvage yard engine. The salvage yard we used has always provided dozens of reliable engines for us in the past so I didn't really have any concerns. Well, silly me...

Engine shows up and it's not a 3.8L but a 3800 engine (yes, there's a difference). Called back and they don't have any 3.8L engines so I'm stuck with the one I've got at this point. Of course, I'm thinking "this isn't so bad" so I drop the engine in, bolt everything up, and it's all good up to this point.

Well, when trying to get the wiring in, I realize that the harness is completely different. The ignition module is all wrong, the cam and crank sensors are different, the injector harness is different, and about half a dozen other things.

I call up the junkyard and they tell me they'll sell me the correct powertrain harness from the car the engine came out of. It should drop right in, no problem. Gave me a helluva deal on it too. Nice guys. I get the harness, plug the engine all up, and the main end doesn't match the bulkhead connector. Son of a %!^@#!!!

I'm quite thrilled at this point because I've got 15 hours tied up in an 8 hour job. I call the junkyard again and they sell me the rest of the harness along with the correct PCM for this engine for a song because the really feel bad for the spot I'm in. I tow the car home from the shop because I don't want to drive all the way to work to finish this up and I know I'm headed for a LONG weekend.

So I start into it. The wiring harness is 1 PIECE with no connection plugs ANYWHERE! After removing all the seats, the carpet, the dash, the steering column, the door panels, and just about every other freakin' thing in the car, I begin the arduous task of replacing the ENTIRE wiring harness. It took me 6 days to replace the harness from headlight to tail light and get all the interior back in, with only minor splicing to address a couple small changes in the body styles between the donor and the victim. Thank God for miracles because the instrument cluster matched the harness, along with all the switches, motors and whatever else was in the car. Even the fusebox wasn't a problem.

I'm ready to go. I hit the key, the engine spins... and that's it. No fire. After screwing around for another 2 hours, the ignition module is bad and it's about $160.00 to replace it. Pop that on, along with a coil pack that turned out to be bad, and we're up and running. FINALLY!

Because the customer ended up having to pay for the harnesses, module, and coil, not to mention a rental car for 2 weeks, I ended up with nothing on that job but a firm dislike for GM. Of course it was my fault. I never should have accepted the engine if it wasn't an exact match and should have looked into a reman at that point. But what can you do at that point.

I feel your pain Cody... REALLY!

[cleatus12r]

Live and learn I guess. That sounds like a couple deals I've been involved with. A friend of mine put a supercharged 3800 in an '87 Fiero. After all of the wire splicing and harness routing, it just fell on it's face...no power whatsoever. Turns out that it was an ignition module and one coil pack on that car too. You can always count on GM for pattern failures.

I got the balancer off and looked...yeah, it's the pan seal but it's nothing that an R&R of the front cover won't fix for good. The sealant was a little thin in the corner I guess.

I have an idea that I'm going to try first. I can blow through the sealant with the propellant left in a can of brake cleaner so I'm going to hope for a miracle by cleaning out the hole with brake cleaner and compressed air. Then I'll put some Right Stuff in a syringe with a needle (thank goodness for livestock needles) and inject the sealant right into the open wound. Then I plan on slathering the stuff all over the suture and keeping a space heater running to keep it warm. It's supposed to be in the single digits for the next week.

If it works, great. If not, I'll have to get a front cover and water pump gasket.

[John Anderson]

Have a Mustang in the shop that had an "engine noise." Long story short, the crank and all the bearings are wiped out. No big deal, right? The engine is a stroker motor built for boost with a vortech supercharger and crap all over the place. Pop the motor out, tear it down, and then tried to find the right crank since the rods and pistons were still good. I spent a full 8 hours checking part numbers and calling for parts. Got scammed on the first crank I ordered. The second one took Summit over a month and a half to get.

The car has been here for roughly four months. We are putting the engine in now and finally got everything but the bastard long tube headers in. Hope to fire it this week.

Should have been a fun project. Looking to be in the 500's at the wheels for power after I get done tuning it. I probably have 30+ hours that I probably will never be able to bill for.

But here's the real kicker: The owner was up here on vacation when it starting making the noise. When the car is done, he is flying up from Florida to drive it back home. No pressure.

[soutthpaw]

oh just for and here is a couple pics of that engine I mentioned above


this is it all pretty before I windowed it..... cant find the after pic right now