My crank shaft blew out on my 02 ss and i was told that it will be cheaper to buy a used 3800 engine and swap it out.Does anyone near the greater Los Angeles area know of anyone selling one?

 

Morad Parts Company- search google or also on ebay. Then look on craigslist, then on the various 3800 boards- clubgp, 3800pro, etc etc

Do you have any pics? I really doubt the crankshaft is what failed unless there was a factory casting defect or something- people have pushed stock cranks to nearly 1000 crank horsepower. I'd bet chances are either it got starved of oil, or something else went first and took it out.

But everyone is right- depending how bad the damage is, you're better off just buying a new short block. You won't even be able to get all the machine work done to rebuild the engine for what a used shorty goes for, and the 3800 bottom ends are known for being crazy reliable.

 

well let me explain to you what happened.
I bought the car from a guy, but when i bought it was still in the shop because it had the heads and radiator rebuilt.The major reason why i bought it was because there was a misunderstanding and i was told that the whole engine had 2 year warranty. I bought it on a wednesday and on the wednesday after that, i was on the freeway and the car began to decelerate, then, it completely turned off. Then the battery died, so after the police pushed me off the freeway, my friends came with an extra battery, nd when we put it in, and tried to start the engine, it makes a click sound but the engine doesnt roll over. So then we began to think it was the starter. After taking it back to the shop where i got from, they checked it and said it was the crank shaft.So i told them doesnt the engine have warrant and they told me no, just the parts we touched which were the heads and radiator. So now im on a hunt for an engine.

and no i have no pictures of the engine because i havent pulled the block out. I was really hoping it was something else.

 

whats the oil level, whats the oil look like, no problems with it running hot?
soundslike it seized up from oil starvation like bumpin mentioned

 

the oil level was where it should be, although, it was pretty dirty.i was planning on doing a tune up on it the same weekend that this happened.and i have no idea how it ran on hot.never really drove it that long. 2 of my friends had told me once that the pistons sounded like they were knocking as i drove away?idk if that helps at all?

also, if it did seize up due to oil starvation, will it still be the crank shaft or something else?and if it's something else, how can it be fixed?if there is any fix.thankyou for your time and consideration.

 

spending a tone of money getting you block refurbished at a machine shop or like bumpin said go pick up a used engine, locally i have been seeing 3.8's goin for anywhere from $500-$800 i'd say start checking with salvage yards around you and Craigslist

 

02Monte

Just go to Car-Parts.com and put in your location, it will give you a list of engines in and around your area. Shh I can find some low mile L67 for $600-800...Check it out..

Will pay a good amount with Morad as he gotten expensive and you WILL pay for shipping, not worth it...Get it locally.

 

damn that sucks.well thank you guys for all your feedback and advice. Ill let you guys know when i get the car fixed.

 

sounded like the oil pump went out and didnt create enough oil pressure. but the oil gage now a days cars have idiot gages as in look like they are working and run by voltage. the older vehicles like 70's to mid 90's have working oil gage but it is hard to tell what happend to your engine. i wold go what bumpin said you can get a good new block from auto zone or a really good bottom end from the site he mentioned.

 

who wait retract what i said didnt read all the way threw. it sounds like the shop is throwing you threw a loop. go to anouther shop dont mention what the preveus shop has said and mention it died on the highway and wont start. it sounds like a bad altinator and a electrical problem then a engine. a heck of a lot cheaper than replacing bunch of engine parts.