Need a new ride~!

CrazyKenKid · 09-15-2008, 07:59 PM

so here goes my story!

currently i have a 95 grand am with 287,000 km on it 178 333.532 miles on the engine. it has a rebuilt trany in it!

the current issue i have with the car are that the engine is knocking, and i have a cracked head in my engine block.

basicaly with the cracked head water is escaping leaving me to have to fill my coolant in my car once a 1week about 1gallon a week of water i lose!

also with the engine knocking basically it is a lifter rod, or is it called a push rob which isn't lining up. but once the car warms up and oil gets to it and what not the knocking or rather a ticking noise goes away.

so my question is what should i do? keep my high mile car till it dies or should i be looking for a new car(used). on average i have been looking for a car around 6-8k but also i am in school and money is tight and blah blah there is my story

my dad tells me to just keep adding water and don't beat on it! me i am like shyt if i get a new car i will have to pull all my car audio stuff out of this one and into the new one! fun times if i have a major to study for

o btw i am a canadian jsut in case you don't know me!

all idea's welcome
thanks
Kenneth

*Tirefryr* · 09-16-2008, 07:08 AM

It's just a lifter, no rod. The lifter rides on the cam lobe and moves the pushrod which moves the valve. Eventually that lifter is going to give way and you could have an even bigger mess than you have now.

Now, why your father would tell you to keep this thing is bewildering. There is NO reliability here. IT may work for you right now, but there is no telling when this thing is going to crap out. By constantly losing coolant, you're creating an environmental issue, and hurting the thing more and more every day. Not to mention the fact you're pretty much left with no heat when it gets cold out. You're block will eventually get water in it without any coolant and the water will freeze and cause more damage. Do you want me to keep going here?

You could buy a new engine, reman, or just swap, but the vehicle is not worth anything right now, so to make that feasible, it would have to have sentimental value or be extremely cheap to do.

Get something different, yet cheap and reliable and bank the rest of your cash.

jdc753 · 09-16-2008, 12:14 PM

If its truely just the head and not the block you could look into getting a new head(s) for it. Is it a 4-banger or a v-6 car?

Tirefryr pretty much covered it all though. You could get some Marvel Mystery oil, or some restore and put that in to try and revive the failing lifter. Otherwise the lifter most likely needs to get rebuilt which isn't too bad, but getting to them can be.

I would probably keep limping it but start looking for sure, no major like need a car next week rush but most certainly looking for something before winter and that you can rely on.

CrazyKenKid · 09-16-2008, 06:58 PM

umm good idea guys thanks i will give some of that marvel mystery oil a shot.

well you see i don't think it is hurting the environment that much only b/c it isnt' leaking somewhere it is leaking though my exhause so it is getting turrned right into vapour but you do bring up a good point though when you say water in the engine is no good lol! i could only image what would happen lol.

and my car is the v6 front wheel drive so changing the engine in my opion will be a lot of work. i could be wrong though.

but come winter i will definitaly be wearing a big winter jacket in my car lol or i will start a fire in my passenger seat lol jk! but ya thanks guys for the imput it has helped out a bunch!!!

*Tirefryr* · 09-16-2008, 09:00 PM

The engine swap is actually fairly easy, but I have a lot of experience with this, so it may just be me. GMs V6 engines are pretty good. You've got the 60 degree engine, so head and intake work is fairly simple as well. If it were me, I'd go to a scrap yard and pick up a low mileage replacement for a couple hundred bucks, install all new gaskets on it, and toss it in.

CrazyKenKid · 09-16-2008, 10:47 PM

you bring a good point up! but to engine swap do i have to take off the front wheels, and axels, and all that fun stuff? including the brake assembly!?

and yes the engine should be easy to work on but i don't know b/c i don't do engine work. normaly i do trany, brakes, you know easy stuff filters, tune ups oil jobs lol! the engine now that i don't know about!

CrazyKenKid · 09-18-2008, 05:46 PM

whoa! good news! i was able to score another 95 grand am! total cost 900! complete car and runs good! just don't fill tank over half? lol. and the tranny is shyt and the engine has almot half the miles mine has on it! only down side is it is a teal colour!

the plus side i am going to make 2 crappy cars into 1 good one lol and part out the other one lol! so i will jsut save my money!

thanks again everyone who commented!

***Electrodynamic*** · 10-02-2008, 02:35 PM

Haha, good idea to merge the two cars together!

CrazyKenKid · 10-02-2008, 02:37 PM

lol what does 1 POS plus another POS =? a bigger POS loll! o well i do what i have to do i guess! fun times all the same!

CrazyKenKid · 10-15-2008, 01:36 PM

whoa! i got off easy! futher investigation of my engine revealed that i only had a fucked up heater core (about 150-200 to fix) and the oil leak was only a cracked reciever in the engine block, and the ticking noise is actualy a sticky lifter! so other then that no new car for me! lol! o well at leastt i tried!

09-15-2008, 07:59 PM	#1 (permalink)
CrazyKenKid Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Windsor, ON, Canada Posts: 234	Need a new ride~! so here goes my story! currently i have a 95 grand am with 287,000 km on it 178 333.532 miles on the engine. it has a rebuilt trany in it! the current issue i have with the car are that the engine is knocking, and i have a cracked head in my engine block. basicaly with the cracked head water is escaping leaving me to have to fill my coolant in my car once a 1week about 1gallon a week of water i lose! also with the engine knocking basically it is a lifter rod, or is it called a push rob which isn't lining up. but once the car warms up and oil gets to it and what not the knocking or rather a ticking noise goes away. so my question is what should i do? keep my high mile car till it dies or should i be looking for a new car(used). on average i have been looking for a car around 6-8k but also i am in school and money is tight and blah blah there is my story my dad tells me to just keep adding water and don't beat on it! me i am like shyt if i get a new car i will have to pull all my car audio stuff out of this one and into the new one! fun times if i have a major to study for o btw i am a canadian jsut in case you don't know me! all idea's welcome thanks Kenneth

09-16-2008, 12:14 PM	#3 (permalink)
jdc753 Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Mass Posts: 92	If its truely just the head and not the block you could look into getting a new head(s) for it. Is it a 4-banger or a v-6 car? Tirefryr pretty much covered it all though. You could get some Marvel Mystery oil, or some restore and put that in to try and revive the failing lifter. Otherwise the lifter most likely needs to get rebuilt which isn't too bad, but getting to them can be. I would probably keep limping it but start looking for sure, no major like need a car next week rush but most certainly looking for something before winter and that you can rely on. __________________ 2005 Ford F350 crew cab long bed, 6.0L diesel, 4x4 HU: 10.4" touch screen computer linked to Alpine 9887 Front Stage: Polk Audio SR6500 Active Front Amp: Sundown 100x4 Sub: Stereo Integrity Magnum 12" V4 Sub Amp: Sundown 1500d

10-02-2008, 02:35 PM	#8 (permalink)
*Electrodynamic* Stereo Integrity Owner Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 775	Haha, good idea to merge the two cars together! __________________ Electrodynamic Don't install suckage! Power handling is not a power requirement.

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09-16-2008, 07:08 AM	#2 (permalink)
Tirefryr Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: IN Posts: 345	It's just a lifter, no rod. The lifter rides on the cam lobe and moves the pushrod which moves the valve. Eventually that lifter is going to give way and you could have an even bigger mess than you have now. Now, why your father would tell you to keep this thing is bewildering. There is NO reliability here. IT may work for you right now, but there is no telling when this thing is going to crap out. By constantly losing coolant, you're creating an environmental issue, and hurting the thing more and more every day. Not to mention the fact you're pretty much left with no heat when it gets cold out. You're block will eventually get water in it without any coolant and the water will freeze and cause more damage. Do you want me to keep going here? You could buy a new engine, reman, or just swap, but the vehicle is not worth anything right now, so to make that feasible, it would have to have sentimental value or be extremely cheap to do. Get something different, yet cheap and reliable and bank the rest of your cash.

09-16-2008, 06:58 PM	#4 (permalink)
CrazyKenKid Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Windsor, ON, Canada Posts: 234	umm good idea guys thanks i will give some of that marvel mystery oil a shot. well you see i don't think it is hurting the environment that much only b/c it isnt' leaking somewhere it is leaking though my exhause so it is getting turrned right into vapour but you do bring up a good point though when you say water in the engine is no good lol! i could only image what would happen lol. and my car is the v6 front wheel drive so changing the engine in my opion will be a lot of work. i could be wrong though. but come winter i will definitaly be wearing a big winter jacket in my car lol or i will start a fire in my passenger seat lol jk! but ya thanks guys for the imput it has helped out a bunch!!!

09-16-2008, 09:00 PM	#5 (permalink)
Tirefryr Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: IN Posts: 345	The engine swap is actually fairly easy, but I have a lot of experience with this, so it may just be me. GMs V6 engines are pretty good. You've got the 60 degree engine, so head and intake work is fairly simple as well. If it were me, I'd go to a scrap yard and pick up a low mileage replacement for a couple hundred bucks, install all new gaskets on it, and toss it in.

09-16-2008, 10:47 PM	#6 (permalink)
CrazyKenKid Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Windsor, ON, Canada Posts: 234	you bring a good point up! but to engine swap do i have to take off the front wheels, and axels, and all that fun stuff? including the brake assembly!? and yes the engine should be easy to work on but i don't know b/c i don't do engine work. normaly i do trany, brakes, you know easy stuff filters, tune ups oil jobs lol! the engine now that i don't know about!

09-18-2008, 05:46 PM	#7 (permalink)
CrazyKenKid Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Windsor, ON, Canada Posts: 234	whoa! good news! i was able to score another 95 grand am! total cost 900! complete car and runs good! just don't fill tank over half? lol. and the tranny is shyt and the engine has almot half the miles mine has on it! only down side is it is a teal colour! the plus side i am going to make 2 crappy cars into 1 good one lol and part out the other one lol! so i will jsut save my money! thanks again everyone who commented!

10-02-2008, 02:37 PM	#9 (permalink)
CrazyKenKid Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Windsor, ON, Canada Posts: 234	lol what does 1 POS plus another POS =? a bigger POS loll! o well i do what i have to do i guess! fun times all the same!

10-15-2008, 01:36 PM	#10 (permalink)
CrazyKenKid Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Windsor, ON, Canada Posts: 234	whoa! i got off easy! futher investigation of my engine revealed that i only had a fucked up heater core (about 150-200 to fix) and the oil leak was only a cracked reciever in the engine block, and the ticking noise is actualy a sticky lifter! so other then that no new car for me! lol! o well at leastt i tried!

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