5.0GTA

well guys, she's dead... I got her back from the shop ($2000 in repairs, new computer, new intake manifold gasket, new MAF sensor, and other stuff) on Friday and she drove fine until saturday night. I was racin a '67 Camaro and a Lotus that looks like a Pantera. Then on the way home from the movies I was gonna race this Toyota Solara at a stoplight. When i rolled up to the light, i noticed my SES light came on, i checked the tach, and my car had stopped running. So i started her back up again, whooped up on the Solara, and about halfway home i noticed she was running funny at WOT. I glanced at the oil gauge and noticed it was reading 15 instead of 40! this really scared me, so i checked the oil when i got home and it was fine. But she was makin a weird clankin noise at high rpms. Well sunday my dad drove it to work and he said it wouldnt even stay running at a stoplight. He would ahve to put it in Nuetral to keep it alive. Now its thumping REALLY bad. Sounds like its 'bout ready to throw a rod or something. And it smells really bad too :*( I'm just really frustrated with used cars right now, especially after having my dad spend $2000 on repairs. The only light at the end of the tunnel that i can see is that my uncle says he can get an LT-1 out of a wrecked Z-28. I know people have done the swap, but do you think it would be worth the effort? I have $2700 in the bank, would that be enough to buy everything needed? or should i just see how much the local scrap yard would pay for my baby so i could save up about $2500 more and add the 2700 i already have to use for a down payment on a '01 SS? help me out here guys, i just lost the love of my life :*(

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1988 Pontiac GTA 5.0 TPI
*FOR SALE* $4,000 obo
Mods: K&N Filter, Hypertech Air Foil, Hypertech Perf. Chip, 2.5in Flowmaster Muffler, Catco Hi-flow Cat

Maryland Int. Speedway Bracket Racing Trophy Winner

Best ET-15.32@88mph 2.077 60-ft.

Kills
94 Probe GT, 95 Mustang GT, 96 Impala SS, 85 Thunderbird 5.0, 95 Accord V6, 98 Integra VTEC, 70 Chevelle Malibu, CRX

1979 Pontiac Firebird
301/2-bbl automatic
Dog slow, flowmaster true duals
Best ET-break out the hour glass

PETE

iTrader: (1)

have itt checked out by a reputable shop(dealership etc.)if a rod is a knocking or a valve is a tapping cut your losses and go with the ls1 if not put your baby in icu and bring her back

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87 trans am 350 L98 aluminum heads,LT4 hot cam,slp runners,headers,y-pipe,edelbrock base,hi flo cat,air foil,ported plenum,t-5 tranny w/centerforce clutch and a 3.27 9bolt,ads strip chip,relocated iat sensor,hollowed maf

14.10@97mph w/2.01 60' 4SALE anyone want her?

5.0GTA

well its definently internal. I took off the valve cover and check out the pushrods, they're fine. Must be something more serious. the last time i changed the oil, i put in synthetic oil, would that have had any impact on it?

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1988 Pontiac GTA 5.0 TPI
*FOR SALE* $4,000 obo
Mods: K&N Filter, Hypertech Air Foil, Hypertech Perf. Chip, 2.5in Flowmaster Muffler, Catco Hi-flow Cat

Maryland Int. Speedway Bracket Racing Trophy Winner

Best ET-15.32@88mph 2.077 60-ft.

Kills
94 Probe GT, 95 Mustang GT, 96 Impala SS, 85 Thunderbird 5.0, 95 Accord V6, 98 Integra VTEC, 70 Chevelle Malibu, CRX

1979 Pontiac Firebird
301/2-bbl automatic
Dog slow, flowmaster true duals
Best ET-break out the hour glass

Cool Runner

The sythetic would only be a problem if you left some of the old conventional oil still in your engine(they don't mix). Now that shouldn't be a problem with some of the newer sythetics as they claim to be compatible with conventional oils. From what I hear you saying it sounds like you have a clogged oil pump or pick up. This would cause your oil pressure to be low and it will also cause oil starvation to the upper engine resulting in those noises and the thumping. If this is what is happening then you need to drop your pan immediately and get it repaired a.s.a.p. or you engine will sieze. Remember I haven't looked at your car though so I can't be sure, have a reputable shop look at it. I happen to be in MD too so I can suggest some good shops if needed.

RB83L69

Synthetic oil mixes fine with dinosaur juice. In fact, you can buy "synthetic blends" that are exactly that, from several of the major oil mfrs. So no, going to synthetic oil had absolutely nothing to do with you blowing up the motor.

I couldn't help but notice (being the sharp observant kind of guy that I am) how many times the word "race" appears in the part of your post immediately preceding the death of the motor. Not that abuse would cause a motor to blow up or anything...

You have either a broken crank or a spun bearing, probably a rod bearing, but maybe a main. All of this is pretty typical of what happens from over-revving an engine. Oil pumps don't make one "run funny at WOT", produce "clanking noises at high RPM", etc. So your motor is toast. Either prepare to rebuild it, or get another engine, or another car. Unfortunately, a car that old with a blown-up engine isn't worth very much; so you basically just wasted your dad's $2k in repairs, plus however much of whoever else's money bought the car in the first place. i.e., turned chicken salad into chicken **** instead of the other way around.

Your blown-up motor isn't the fault of "used cars". Learn from this experience, and make your next car last longer. Specifically, realize that the red part of the tach is red for a good reason; don't operate the engine with the tach reading in that zone. It will get more miles out of a set of bearings that way.

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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."
ICON Motorsports

whiterocz

id have to agree. racing after your cars SES light comes on and your car dies isnt the brightest idea ive ever heard.