blew it up

[99camaro-3.8]

well iwent to the track tonite and blew up my engine. i was getting some type of knock so i stopped racing and while i was babying the car home it shut off on my and wont crank over. i think its something in the valvetrain cuz i heard a tapping the other day that went away once i changed the oul. somehow i think its related. anyway what all should i look at replacing when be-doing the valve train? also since im in there i plan on putting in a GT2 cam. what type of springs and rockers should i go with?

[AZ3.8Camaro]

Re: blew it up

I think it might be more than your topend.
Knocking implies death of the bottom end.

[99camaro-3.8]

Re: blew it up

yeah im wondering about that. ill drop my oil pan and check out my mains and see what condition they are in. im gonna tear it all apart tomorrow and see where im at with it. any answers on what i should be looking to replace valvetrain wise? i know if its my bottom end all i really have to worry about is the main bearings right?

[AZ3.8Camaro]

Re: blew it up

Main bearings and rod bearings.
Then if they went out, you almost always need to turn the crank, get new rods, etc.

Valvetrain wise, pull the spark plugs out and the valve covers off and turn the motor with a breaker bar on the harmonic balance. See what happens. Look for one of the rockers to be doing something that the others aren't. :D

[slow6]

Re: blew it up

........"something that the others arent"??..... like what binding? sticking?
what are you implying?
99-camaro-3.8 you did not "blow up" your engine. I'm sure alot of things are reuseable. but, tough to say without looking.

people say the crank bearings are the most stressed component but i completely dont believe that!! my rod bearings were trash but my crank bearings were awesome!
good luck

[slow6]

Re: blew it up

there is more in the bottom end to worry about than main bearings

[camaroman1181]

Re: blew it up

maybe i'm just not reading this right, but are you sure it blew up in the first place? if it was ticking a little before you changed teh oil, the old stuff coulda been broken down and no longer protecting your lifters and such. the new oil coudl have stopped that. i mean, there are lots of sensors that will just shut your car down too, so maybe you want to take a bit of time and first check them out. at the very least, they are cheaper and easier to change than to rebuild your engine. say a cam sensor went, or an ignition module... they would shut down your car and potentially give a false read right before they do that could be causing some knock. if you are sure there is a mechanical problem, they hey, go ahead and tear it down. but maybe you wanna check a few things first that might be a hell of a lot cheaper and easier... sorry to hear bout the engine... good luck..

[Kidcamaro98]

Re: blew it up

at the track or on the way home before your car shut off....did u notice oil pressure to be lower then usual?? if not then its not your crank bearings. It sounds to me (i just had crank bearing go in my motor...currently have a brand new engine in my car) that its top end related. You would be suprised how long a car will drive while its knocking with bad crank bearings. when they went in my old motor i drove it around for nearly 3 weeks with little to no oil pressure and the loudest knock ever (with a turbo installed) because it was my only way to get back and forth to work. Its deff. not crank related, i would check out the top end first before pulling the pan. just my .02

[Kidcamaro98]

Re: blew it up

it also could have just simply been your alternator that went...and it going right after u changed your oil just happened to be a coincidence.

[AZ3.8Camaro]

Re: blew it up

A tapping noise could be a lifter, yes.
A knock, like a rod knock is unmistakable.
It is a hard metallic knock like someone hitting the block with a hammer quickly. It usually starts only when you let off the throttle, it will knock as engine speed goes down, then it happens all the time, then it dies.

A spark knock sounds different.

Tapping before the oil change could have been from low oil pressure. New oil tends to raise it a little, but hopefully you where watching it.

It could be top end, it could be bottom end. It depends on the type of "knock" you heard. Does the car not crank over like the engine is stuck, or like the battery is dead?

[Camaro Dom]

Re: blew it up

wait wait wait.... everyones so eager to damn the engine. he said it wont crank over. are you SURE there arent any electrical problems? you very well could've hit a bad ground which cut your ignition and now you're not getting starter power. dont be so hell bent on that being the definate problem...

[Camaro Dom]

Re: blew it up

besides, its a hell of alot less hassle to make sure you're getting power to everything than to start taking engine stuff apart...

[99camaro-3.8]

Re: blew it up

when i went back with my tow trcuk to pick it up today the car turned over and drove. i was able to drive it on and off the rollback. it was making noise the entire time. it sounds like its a top end related problem. im in the process of taking it apart now. i have the valve covers loose but ran out of time to dig into it further. ill give an update tomorrow when i can tear into it further

[Camaro Dom]

Re: blew it up

ok... fair enuf lol. sorry to hear that dude. i hope its just something small and cheap! good luck.

[slow6]

Re: blew it up

it was making noise the entire time. it sounds like its a top end related problem.

"it was making noise" ?? Can you be any more vague??