Things are different now that I’m married and have a child. I have to be responsible, both with my time and with my finances. So when, last night, I went to move my 1989 Chevy K1500 Silverado to the other side of the street to avoid a street sweeping ticket, only to listen to my 350 V8 blow up for no apparent reason, I was really upset. More than I would be usually.
Back in my single days, if I blew up an engine, it wasn’t a major concern. In fact, as shown below, when I hyrolocked my first Jeep XJ’s 4.0-liter straight-six, I bought a new motor the next day and hat it installed within the month. I think the whole repair might have cost me $400, and yes, it took many hours, but that was just good content. And fun.
Nowadays, I’m responsible for a small family, and what was once a little setback is now a major problem.
I didn’t need the Chevy Silverado K1500 that I bought for $4,900, but I told my wife Elise it was such a great deal that I couldn’t lose. She trusted me, but I was wrong. Last night, something happened that I simply cannot explain — something so “out there” I’m still having a hard time believing it.
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It was late Monday night, and Elise had suggested I move my truck instead of waiting for the morning, since I’d have an easier job finding parking on the Thursday-street-sweeping side. So I walked up the street, installed the fuse I use as a kill-switch, put my key into the truck’s ignition, cranked, and listened to the engine rev to the sky — but before I could even think to shut anything down, the motor died making a horrible noise. I went to crank the motor again; no dice. I kept trying — nothing.
I put the truck in reverse, allowed it to roll backwards, and let off the clutch. The motor didn’t move. It was then that I knew I was screwed.
Elise knew right away something was wrong when I walked into the house, so she asked what was up.
“I… I think I just lost $7,000 dollars,” I told Elise as I stood there, clearly shocked. “What? How?” she replied.
“Yeah, the truck, which is worth at least $8000 is now worth probably $1000 because the engine just blew up.”
Elise was also surprised, asking me how a motor can just blow up for no reason. I had no answers. She was supportive, as she could tell how bummed I was.
I remained in disbelief, so this morning, I tried jumping the car myself with Elise’s Lexus (see above). The motor still wouldn’t crank.
So I called AAA, who put a high-powered jump-starter onto my battery, and got it to crank over! But the sound that motor made was absolutely horrific (follow our Instagram to listen, as I plan to rank it again as soon as I have my battery charged up). “Yeah… your motor is done,” the AAA driver told me.
I’m still stunned. The truck was driving great when I parked it last week. Now, just starting it up to move it 15 feet to the other side of the road, it just blows up? Why did this happen?
I hadn’t changed the oil since purchasing the truck in January, but the oil looked good, and the previous owner confirmed he was a religions 3000 mile oil-changer. What’s more, even if the oil were bad, the motor wouldn’t have failed like this. This was a catastrophic, abrupt failure.
It seems like perhaps there was something afoot with the Throttle Body Injection system; perhaps there was a major vacuum leak. And maybe it was the engine revving really high at idle that caused those rods to fail.
I suspect that’s what happened. For whatever reason, when I started the truck, it over-revved and the rods let go. Without warning. Or maybe the motor was flooded with fuel?
I’m not sure how I’m going to move forward with this truck. On one hand, selling it for a loss is going to be tough for me since I’m a cheap bastard, but fixing it will take many hours that I should be spending with my child. I also planned to use the truck this Saturday, as we are moving across the city. The timing couldn’t be worse!
I’m really bummed here. I’ll get through it, as I live a life of gratitude these days, but this is going to make future car-purchases more difficult to justify. I figured a 350-powered 4×4 manual Chevy truck was a low-risk buy that I’d actually be able to make some money if I sold it, but I figured wrong. Between the bondo discover on my old Willys Jeep and this, it’s a reminder that buying used cars can be risky, even for wrenching veterans.
Anyway, I will soon be getting a $75 parking ticket. Thereafter, I’ll tow this truck… somewhere and figure out what to do. I’m so tempted to just find a used truck and swap the motor in, but again — time!
This is a betrayal up there with Anakin turning to the dark side.
“HOW COULD YOU! YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE!”
Ooof easy choice now that you’re a father: wrench while the kiddo is napping.
Consider yourself lucky that you could rebuild the engine if you really had to. A lot of new parents don’t have the skills and lack the cash to buy or have such an expensive repair done.
Bummer! The start and rev to the moon is perplexing.
Tow to Galpin lot, get another 350 TBI, and summon the internet Autopian LA cohort. Get all ready and do a time lapse video for the site.. I bet you guys can do it in 4 hrs tops.
Seriously so true bestie
the only real prob is since this truck is OBD-1, DT absolutely HAS to get a contemporary CARB-certified engine and not eff up the smog controls unless my admittedly shoddy knowledge of truck smog laws in my home state
Yes indeed. Get same stuff 88-95 350 TBI. We need to see David rowing gears with the baby in that sweet old honest truck.
Does Galpin have any apprentice mechanics? If so, see if they can get some garage time and try to repair it (or replace). Have them write some posts for the site about the experience.
(T_T)
That really sucks. I have a massive soft spot for Chevy trucks of this era, and I’m sorry for your loss.
I would take a deep breath, then scroll Marketplace for a few months until the right engine for the right price pops up. Then you could arrange for 1 or 2 days in the future to do the swap, or find a local small garage that will do it for cash.
If storing the broken truck is a problem, you should carefully clean and detail the entire truck, especially the engine bay (better yet, you could get a detailer to come and do it for around $100-$200).
Then take some really nice pics and list it for sale.
I did this with my Subaru STi that blew it’s very expensive engine, and I got back 90%of what I paid for the car.
Don’t worry. I know the timing is terrible, but you’re not going to take a 5k loss on this.
Well that sucks! I’m not buying that you lost $7k since you only paid $5k. I also think it would likely bring more than $1k.
There is a reason it blew, even if it isn’t apparent at this point, revving to the sky is going to throw a rod or two, no two ways about that. So the question becomes why did it rev so high? You sure don’t want to put a new/used engine in it and blow it up the first time it is started.
So now, right now, is the time to pull off that air cleaner and take a look at that throttle body and the rest of the induction system, throttle cable, return spring ect.
While I appreciate that you want to spend time with your child, I do think you should go ahead and replace the engine. Part of that whole being fiscally responsible since you are now a family man. When they are that young they do a lot of sleeping. Putting a used engine in is a ~8 hr job, 30-60 min here or there and it will be back on the road before you know it.
You have AAA they were there you couldn’t get them to tow you out of the ticket zone? As a veteran wrencher I’m surprised you didn’t know that when everything is going good something is going to happen to the vehicle you need. Sorry to hear of your woes.
There’s no place to tow it to. The ticket zone is the truck’s home.
Did they ban him from parking more cars at that Galpin lot?
My AAA will flatbed it for 100 miles. Technically it has to either go home or to a mechanic but they never check.
The tow truck drivers hate car week in Monterey or Good Guys in Pleasanton because people have them flatbed cars to and from the event using AAA or Hagerty insurance’s tow coverage.
It is the fates, you stopped travelling to projects like Krassler and Cactus, so the Gods brought you project…Chev…something, and you have to get it working in time to do a home project, let’s say back garden to grow organic things to be pureed for the young one to eat, or they could ingest… GMOs!!!! (the horror!)
Or just get a used Maverick hybrid and go to whole foods, whichever.
Heavy sigh. It proves the adage, “It happens to the best of us.”
Try solving this one in a different style than “lowest cost possible”. It’ll be a new type of story on making the experience quicker and more pleasant.
Some suggestions:
Indoor installation
Remanufactured engine rather than junkyard
Waiting for all of the parts to arrive so the whole job van be done in a weekend
New clutch and super-light flywheel.
It’ll still be a story of having Autopian readers help you out, of course. I’ll go and I’ll see if my friends Harrison and Derek can.
I second the suggestion of trying a remanufactured engine. It’s been years since I went through that process. I’d be interested to read about the current situation with the normal insight and diligence that DT provides.
I think it can be done in a weekend, but it’ll need some real planning.
As Murilee Martin has recounted, both the Chevy 350 and the Toyota 22R will blow up when subjected to a 24 hours of Lemons race. I hope we can get more content by sending the blown engine to Importapart for a teardown video. It could be worse, a 5.7 Vortec is pretty common. Of course a family man and executive like new David probably doesn’t have time to pull an engine from a Suburban with a blown transmission and swap it, but it would be great project for some interns
It’s an act of the Gods. Your destiny, so to speak.
Oh, you seemed so smug, thinking the feral, wrenching was gone, maybe even matured. But the Gods know better. The ability to breed does not elevate one. Nope. BUT, it helps ensure that future generations will benefit from the experiences from the varied masses.
The Gods know that the world needs more DT’s out there. You have accomplished the first step. So the Gods are making sure that your need to wrench is passed on.
Can SWG fly in to help?
So are you going to go back and edit the title of the other article about this truck being GOAT? I had a friend buy one of these new, it leaked and burned oil eventually GM replaced the engine.
Buddy, can you spare $5?
Fundraiser to buy David a replacement motor.
I’m working the guilt angle again here. D&E(NHRN) just had a baby. Do you have any idea how much that costs!? A lot! Feel better about your sinful ways by donating today.
No video of the truck getting towed in neutral with a strap to the other side of the street by the i3 to avoid the ticket?
“I’m not sure how I’m going to move forward with this truck.”
The way I see it, get it parked somewhere where it won’t get a ticket asap.
And move it the old fashioned way… have someone inside the truck for steering/brakes while a couple of people push.
Or use another vehicle to pull it using a tow strap. Just do that slowly and carefully.
Then plan to swap in another used/rebuilt engine. And I imagine replacement engines for these are a dime a dozen. Most of the cost would be in paying someone to do the swap. If you can do it yourself, it can be a cheap-ish fix.
“I’m not sure how I’m going to move forward with this truck.”
Park facing downhill?
Just like there’s no cheap used German luxury car, every Chevy has a levy on it.
Echoing other suggestions, have the pickup towed to Galpin or other suitable location, buy a rebuilt engine then have a members wrenching and pizza party. Schedule it for a day when your family is occupied elsewhere, like visiting grandparents for the day.
Do maximize the family time, I’ve long appreciated having parents that actually liked to be with their offspring.
I would totally go if I wasn’t 3000 miles away. Five people with adequate experience could do this in an afternoon.
Just my 2 cents.
This isn’t horror it’s an opportunity, it is a SBC for chrissakes.
R&R the engine is a simple two person, rental tool, weekend beer and pizza job.
Sideline this operation until you can coordinate, it park it somewhere, live life without it for now. The truck value has just bottomed out $ value wise and it is physically worth more than that and it is not rusting away.
Enjoy the wife and kid, you and they probably live only once.
Bear in mind you have sold your soul and you have to produce content for the upholstery grades. Perhaps con somebody into writing an article and fixing your truck.
I agree but why tell me lol
The upside (for me) is based on your previous articles I had seriously considered picking up one of these despite not needing one. Instead, I’ll just lie back and collect my thoughts.
That sucks big time. Send out a call for Autopian volunteers, arrange to grab a used engine from a wrecker. With the right crew you could be done in an afternoon and have a couple of stories out of the adventure.
Consider it the Autopians’ baby shower.
Oh! Definitely DON’T serve “shower” spaghetti at the baby “shower”…
This is the way, although I think I’d rather spend the extra money to at least pick up a fresh rebuild with a warranty, rather than roll the dice on another used motor.
That is not the Autopian way. Warranty? We don’t need no stinkin’ warranty!
Oh no! So sorry to hear this…hope things get better. Just wondering- can someone help you push it to other side of street to avoid ticket for now? Also, if you want to keep it- store it then eventually swap another engine…otherwise I’d say just sell it for as much as possible that way it’s off your plate for now (obviously, entirely up to you) I’m sure you can find someone to help you move/borrow truck or whatever
Good luck!!!
“I just lost $7k” sounds exactly like something I’d say in the heat of the moment, until I calm down and collect my thoughts and realize that this is probably the best possible vehicle for the given scenario. It’s nowhere near that bad, man,
Hear me out — As many others have pointed out already, a TBI small block is definitely on the low-end where replacement long blocks are concerned. Add to that the fact that it’s a manual trans, and the rest of the truck is in relatively solid shape. I’d argue that you’d be far ahead to have a rebuilt motor swapped in (even if you have to pay someone else to do it) than trying to replace it with anything else in the same price range. It’s worth fixing, and I bet it won’t be as expensive as you think.
Also — You have the distinct advantage of working on a truck that a) isn’t from the Rust Belt, and b) was literally on the road yesterday. That means you’re only worrying about swapping the motor, as opposed to all of the subsystems you’ve gotten used to dealing with on your other projects. With some planning and general getting-your-ducks-in-a-row, you could quite easily push your truck into the shop on Saturday morning, and drive it back out on Sunday afternoon. It doesn’t need to be anything too protracted at all.
If I rebuild this motor, it’l be hard to let go!
As a native of Detroit that’s been here in NorCal for 25 years, if you put a motor in that truck, it’ll last forever. Seriously. It could be the last truck you ever buy. It’s not going to be in the entropy grinder that is the rust belt. If you find a spot, like Galpin, to give you some room, you could have a dozen Autopians there to do the swap. They’ll set you up, as some above said, with an Autopian style wedding/baby/not spaghetti/fixed forever truck shower.
I thought you said the new house has a giant driveway? Tow it there. Work on it there. And if you’d planned for it to help even more with the move, remember, the math of a zillion trips across town in that thing didn’t math. So your cheap-self can be satisfied with the truck getting towed over there until it can be resurrected.
If the heads and cam are still good, going with a reman short block would cut the cost (nearly) in half. Are these things known for wearing out valve guides? Are the valve seats looking OK? Beats me. But it wouldn’t be that hard to zip some new valve stem seals onto the existing heads and let ‘er roll.
If a short block gets the job done, even better!