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Help: 89 GMC 4x4 with bad engine

4

4thefamily2

Registered User
I bought an 89 GMC this past summer for my kids to drive around town. Well the past few weeks it has a ticking sound the sounds like the loose bell housing or cracked flex plate. Both of them checked out and it is still doing it. I assume my motor is falling apart, it has 320000 miles on it but the truck is straight and in great shape for miles and year. So here are my questions to you guys.

Would you go buy a rebuilt engine?
Would you buy another running vehicle with same engine and do a swap?
Would you part it out
Try to sell for parts?

If you go the rebuild route, who does a good job? and how much would it cost me?

If buy another running vehicle what do you think it would cost? estimate?

Thanks
 
mbryson

mbryson

.......a few dollars more
Supporting Member
Location
Bountiful, land of rocks
Tough to get more reliable than a TBI GM motor. Even Toyota guys swap those in so they must be awesome :D

I think you need to ask yourself about the projected usage of the truck going fwd. I bet you can get a $700-1000 freshened 350 from your favorite machine shop (possibly less $?) or just find a runner and swap it. If the truck is in good shape and works for your situation, I don't see a reason to dump it.
 
R

rholbrook

Well-Known Member
Location
Kaysville, Ut
You wont be able to get another clean, straight truck for the price of a freshened motor. Even if you found a good used one in a wrecking yard and swapped it out yourself. There is probably someone on here that has what you need. Does the ticking stop after it warms up?
 
4

4thefamily2

Registered User
rholbrook said:
You wont be able to get another clean, straight truck for the price of a freshened motor. Even if you found a good used one in a wrecking yard and swapped it out yourself. There is probably someone on here that has what you need. Does the ticking stop after it warms up?
Click to expand...

No it doesnt stop. At times it will go for a while without the ticking. A week or so ago after the shop checked the flexplate it didnt make a sound for a week or so, but now it is back. Sometimes you can start it up and sounds good but then the ticking "loud" starts up when you put it in reverse. But then most of the time it will continue to tick when it is in park.
 
UNSTUCK

UNSTUCK

But stuck more often.
Dump some 50w oil in it and see what happens. Or remove the valve covers and look for a broken spring. Both easier than a swap.
 
chicken77

chicken77

throttle jockey
With that many miles, I would drive it until it stops running and then worry about fixing it.............
 
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