All Right...I need to solicit some suggestions

[TexasT]

Some may know our saga of the 2k Malibu. For those that don't...  http://www.thegaragegazette.co/index.php?topic=21934.0 

got it running good, she took it to school, and she said it over heated. It spun over when we got it home but it is locked up now.  Pulled the heads with the idea I could take a 4x4 and hit it with a sledge hammer. Problem is a 4x4 wont fit into the cylinder. Have oil in the cylinders soaking. Gonna try the hot plate under the engine to heat it up. Any other suggestions to get this thing turned over so we can get the torque converter bolts out and pull it to put in a crank kit.

TIA

[xpander343]

have you priced out what a used 3.1 or 3.4 for that thing is worth? Might be easier then trying to rebuild.

[TexasT]

The used ones seem to be running in the $4-500 range and are in the 100k mile and up. I just think swapping in a 136k engine we dropped $475 on doesn't add up when I could know we put together a unit with fresh bearings and gaskets will last longer. I could be wrong. The crank kit is like $200 or so and then the gaskets. My son getting the wrenching experience, priceless.

[xpander343]

sounds like a plan.  Damn I wish we payed for parts up north what you guys do.   After I swapped my intake gaskets to the ones you bought and did the head gaskets(at 268,000km) on my old 3.4 it never gave me any more headaches.  I got rid of it with just shy of 400,000km.   Mine drank a ton of coolent and I over-heated the snot out of it when my intakes went. It was a good car except for needing wheel bearings at an alarming frequency.   

[good2win22]

What kind of oil are you using in the cylinders?  If you can get on the crank bolt with a cheater bar and the boy on one of the TC bolts heaving at the same time, that might give you the leverage you need to get it to turn. I've used a pipe wrench on the crank pulley with a cheater bar and had good results.  That also works for holding the crank when torquing the balancer bolt.

[TexasT]

I got a pipe wrench onto the balancer yesterday. Didn't bundge. I'll try a cheater on the pipe wrench to see what it'll do. He climbed under and said he could see one of the torque converter bolts. I asked if there was a cover to remove to see about the rest. He didn't see one and wanted me to crawl under. I guess ill have to go diving today.

I did get a new aluminum radiator for the suburban. $206 shipped to my door. Filler neck a little taller than the stock one but I "adjusted" the rubber thing a bit and got it to where it didn't rub on the hood. I hope it will keep it cool. I have to pull the intake still but progress is being made. Not really looking forward to pulling the distributor up to get the intake off to doo the gaskets. That orange coolant sux.

[Pyro6]

Just an option I've had to use before, since you're pulling the engine anyway, leave the convertor in tact and pull it off the front pump, engine and all. Put a drain pan under the convertor cause it makes a mess.  As long as you disconnect straight out, you won't harm anything. Than, you can pull the pan and loosen all the bearing caps to free it up.
Just a side note, I'm always hesitant for an engine that gets that hot. What other damage, cracked block or heads? Oil burner from out of round cylinders? Tensil strength compromised on the rings?

[TexasT]

Yeah, we will go over it closely with the measuring instruments and have it hot tanked and magnafluxed at the machine shop. I hope it is still good. If not, a used engine it is. One of the reasons I haven't ordered any parts yet.

[TexasT]

Al right, I lied. I did go over it with some measuring tools. Bottom end very nice, well within range. I got the rings pretty much "busted" off the pistons and we have a nifty set of eBay rings. Went ahead and torqued and angle wrenched with my new cool angle gauge the mains. I put the new rings on the pistons. I bought a cool guy ring install tool, but I guess I'm too old as I just "twisted" the rings on the pistons after I cleaned the ring lands. They move so I'm pretty happy and I know it probably will run way longer than the rest will make it. Young drivers are hard on vehicles.

Fancy ring tool


Cool guy ring compressor


EBay angle gauge needed as this is how the torques are listed now.

I was hoping to be further along with it but if you've followed any of my project threads you know not much goes as planned. I don't let it get me down. I just keep plugging away.

Off to get the middle daughter for her school tomorrow am. She is off for summer so I'm sure I'm on the hook to feed and house her for at least three months.

[daveismissing]

If we weren't so far apart I could have dropped the Rendezvous in your drive fer parts since it was at least pre-seizure. Changing the condenser was enough project for me.
Hats off to you.

[Pyro6]

You could have my 01Regal GS $2,500 delivered.

[TexasT]

Lotta miles to get another. This one will work. Just needs a couple things. We got the pistons into the block, torqued and angle gauged in there. Slipped the cam in, the drive where the distributor used to go, the pump drive and the oil pump.

Not quite short block but we are getting there.

[TexasT]

A little update. It is in and running. Had a little snafu with the knock sensor. I put it in the wrong side of the block. Should have taken more pix, but I probably would have done it wrong anyway. Couldn't fit my hand up through the little space to get the plug back in and ended up going through the wheel well.


Also forgot to hook the o2 sensor wire up. Got those two codes cleared but still had a p0113. Couldn't see how the air temp sensor could go bad so we broke out the meter. No 5v signal at the connector so I did some reading on the chevymalibu.co m forum. Decided to try to get some voltage from the maf as one of those wires has a 5v signal. Soldered a jump on and still no 5v at the plug. fooled with the wires at the plug and one fell out. Solves the mystery and ordered a new pigtail. Not sure how to test the sensor so I hope giving it 5v will solve the p0113. If not a parts changer we will be and ill order a new sensor.


We also replaced the coolant tank on the fender with a new one from ebay. You could clearly see where the old one was leaking so this contributed to the over heat and coolant loss scenario. Runs and drives well. Went to the dmv and got a 30 day temp tag so she could drive it to school.


I took it to work the other day to see about it. Cruises real nice on the highway and is pretty peppy. Im sure she will stuff it into the back of someone. She already did that with the pickup. and is getting the $279 monthly increase in my insurance because of that "little" incident. I told her then it is a BIG deal but now she knows just how big.

[TexasT]

http://www.autodiagnosticsandpublishing.com/feature/o2-sensor-testing.html


Go the new pigtail for the air temp sensor in and functional. Would not pass inspection as we had cleared the codes and hadn't driven enough miles.


Went and bought a temp thirty day tag so we could accrue the proper amount of miles. She said it was dying when put in reverse. Not sure about it. Got the scan tool out and pulled it into the driveway to check it out. Pulled it in and out of reverse several times then backed it into the drive way. Could not duplicate the engine dying complaint.


On to the problem. The link above is probably rudimentary to you sd2 type guy that do your own tuning. I'm just now (thank again Jason!) to trying to use a powerlogger on the Buick. Anywho, the scanner hooked up and the first think I notice is the O2 isn't cycling well it is a very low, like in th .1-.4 v range and the cross count isn't moving as it isn't crossing.


Car had to leave for school. So, is this something I can clean the O2(I'm guessing driving it with the air temp stuck at 33* dumped fuel in and coated the o2 and probably the cat in fuel) and maybe save a nickel or am I wasting time and just need to pry open the bill fold and get a new one?


Thanks for your thoughts.

[Scoobum]

It's a DD. I'd try brake kleen...carb cleaner etc...worth a try. If the CC's are locked up driving and in park...then I'd say it's fukd. Any chance you could talk to a GM tech at a dealer near you? Or join a forum...if you haven't already. YouTube has damn near everything.