Urgent LT1 Help

[jderry]

So the car I just did the head gaskets on is running.

However, the car seems to have pretty low oil pressure. Cold idle ~ 40 warm it drops way off, close to red. Turning the check gauges light on.

(The car quit when he got it to my house. Would not crank over. When I drained the oil the first time it was coolant, followed by oil.) < before the gaskets


Think the bearings are done?

[meissen]

-edit- My LT1 when it's fully warmed up and I come to a stop at a light will drop oil pressure down to about 15 psi. From what I remember, LT1s can run fine down to 7psi.

When you finished draining the coolant/oil out did you see any metal particles in the oil at all? How about the oil filter? What grade oil is in there now?



Edit: You fixed it while I was posting

[JoeliusZ28]

Doesnt sound good buddy

[WMCCjames]

Put a mechanical gauge on it to be sure but it sounds like its toast.

[jderry]

I think he probably washed the bearings driving it with a headgasket going.
It has 10w30 with a K&N filter

When it dropped it off here he shut it off and it would not crank over, even on a battery charger.

[85z28kid]

Did you cut the filter open?? That tells you a lot.

[jderry]

No, I did change it again, with 10w30 and another filter same issue. Mech gauge says 10 at hot idle, 30 at 3000 but I think he has bearing issues personally.

[2002Z4CSS]

Coolant in the oil is not good. Sounds like a leaking head gasket or intake gasket or a cracked head.

[meissen]

Definitely sounds lower than it should be, no doubt about that. Without cutting open the oil filter to check for metal or removing the bearing caps you won't know for sure, though.

[98blackbeauty]

Have you changed the head gaskets yet? or has this changed the priority of work. I would not screw around any further without pulling engine and checking main and rod bearings and installing new oil pump. I'm sure your bearings are out of spec or on the edge of being bad.

EDIT: My bad I just saw you did replace the head gaskets. Well then its 2 choices. 1. pull engine and do bearings now. 2. drive it as is untill it dies and spend more to rebuild it.

[jderry]

It's his car, so he needs to make that choice I guess. Do you guys think that coolant in there for the short time it was would be enough to wipe bearings out?

[c0ncEpT]

It's his car, so he needs to make that choice I guess. Do you guys think that coolant in there for the short time it was would be enough to wipe bearings out?

Yup.

That motors toast.

I would drive it until it died personally.

[jderry]

Alright, he wants me to pull it and do cam/main/rod bearings, oil pump and the high pressure spring.

What's a fair price?

[TylerT/AZ28]

parts a case of beer 100 bucks and a favor down the road

[85z28kid]

Tell him to get a qoute from a shop then that will give him a idea of what it would cost him if a shop did it. Then have him tell you what he'd pay you then if it's worth your time do it.

Its up to what's your time worth??