92crimsonRS

have had the car for quite some time now.
went to get smog done and found i have a miss. i've replaced every sensor and checked everything. did a compression check and no 4 has something wrong with it. im sure its a burnt valve due to when i got the car no 4 had an odd injector (p.o.) and the exhaust system looked as if something exploded.

1989 5.7 tpi L98

so my dilemma is thus....
i need to pull the heads regardless. i also noticed the oil pan is starting to leak and i do have a little bit of piston slap (local speed shop told me)
should i just yank the motor and rebuild it? if i do im going to just replace any item that incurs wear or milage. im thinking might as well do a 383 kit.

but i am on a budget. heads are being redone for next to nothing by a friend that owns a machine shop.

would i be better off finding a truck motor for the 4 bolt main?

what im trying to achieve is: 4 bolt main (if reccomended), 383ci, roller cam, keep stock heads, keep current intake setup, pass smog with good numbers.(currently passes at idle but jumps to over double at 25mph test.

any reccomendations for a kit or maybe cheap/fast solutions. local shop gave me a quote for $2000 for the entire kit assembled onto my block. will by block hold it? not gonna beat the living hell out of the car but i do plan to scare a few hondas back into hiding

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

I'd suggest finding out what's REALLY wrong with it before chasing after a bunch of .... that.

What's the compression readings? Where do you hear the leaks? (intake, exhaust, crankcase, other, etc.)

How did it run when you put the right injector, matching the others, back in it?

92crimsonRS

when you run the rpms up you can hear something rattling inside the motor. its a rattle not a knock. and it does come from the no. 4 area from where i can hear with my scope.
its definitely has a miss. not sure what the readings are for the compression test (lost the paper) but there is something definitely something broken in no. 4

i got the car 2 yrs ago and its been kinda a back burner project. all new injectors and i just redid the rockers and pushrods and timing set. its internal im just thinking i might as well pull the motor and go 383. it'll be down for a while but i feel it will be worth it.

will my 2 bolt main hold the 383 set up w/o many problems? just going to do the basic build with stock heads and cam. just want a little more power.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

It's a GIGANTIC leap of ... something ... from "I hear a noise" and "it has a miss" to "yank the motor and throw it away and put in another".

Which is not to say that you shouldn't yank the motor and replace it; only that you might be spending $5000 by the time you're done, fixing a $50 problem.

Everybody is "on a budget". Only thing is, some budgets are BIGGER than others. I think next time we see somebody type that on here, we're all going to puke. Usually that means "I don't have enough money to be doing this in the first place, what corners can I cut?" You'll get answers that match your intentions a lot closer if you'll tell us what your budget is, instead of just beating us over the head about that you have one.

Figure out your priority. If that is repairing your existing motor economically, then set the whole "383" talk aside and focus on figuring out what's wrong with your current one. If putting in a 383 is your priority, then it's irrelevant what your current motor is doing, and there's no sense in even worrying or talking about it.

One or the other.

Now... if you want to fix what you've got to where it works, I notice you "redid" the rockers and pushrods and so on. Have you gone back and checked your work?

This compression test that you "lost the paper"... was that done SINCE the problem occurred? Sounds to me like you need to get down to AutoZone or wherever and "rent" a compression tester and see what the engine is doing NOW TODAY.

If of course you even care about fixing it. If not, then who cares what kind of noise it makes, it's going in the trash ANYWAY. Right??

If your priority as a new motor regardless, then as long as you keep TPI on top of it, a 2-bolt block and cast crank are perfectly fine. TPI will protect them from ever seeing any significant stress. Assuming no nitrous or blower or such as that.

paulo57509

It doesn't take too much cash to re-boot and check the things related to a miss:

1. Ignition - Got spark?
2. Fuel - Is the injector working?
3. Compression on no. 4. Might as well check no's 2 and 6 while you're at it.
2. Pull the valve cover and eyeball what the top end is doing.

You might get to the problem before even getting to 3 or 4.

NagleMac

iTrader: (1)

Choose what you want to do with the car first. If you dont have enough money for a 383, then why not just fix the current problem for now? That way your car won't sit unable to drive for the next year or two. If you want to build a 383, you'll be spending AT LEAST $5-6k in parts alone. If this is something you can't do yourself, then you'll be looking at a few thousand more for labor.