rebuild or buy new engine

[Zach Grossman]

I have a 98 silverado with the 5.7. It uses about a quart every 1,000 miles and when first started on cold days it makes a ticking sound. after its warm it sounds fine. I don't if its better to swap in a new gm engine or rebuild the current engine. Truck only has 141,000 original miles. What are the price differences.

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[90halfton]

I'd rebuild if you have a reputable shop nearby. I'm kind of fond of supporting the local greasy guy though. Plus, if it goes boom you just drag the truck back to em for a redo.

 

[boredandstroked]

By rebuild do you mean have them just do machine work or are they doing the building as well? If so then a GM vortec engine is the way to go. If you can assemble yourself, rebuild.

 

[Biggershaft96]

Yea if you can do the teardown and the assembly yourself its definatly a cheaper route. If you have to pay someone to do the teardown and assembly a crate motor will be cheaper.

 

[Mgezee1992]

I am rebuilding another 350 my mechanic has. In the meantime, put Lucas Oil Treatment in it. You can't wrong. Use it until you figure out what you want to do. I have right at 299k on mine now and I use a full quart of Lucas every Oil Change.

 

[andfern97]

I had this same problem a few weeks ago due to low compression misfires. I decided to go with a new L31 crate motor from the dealer just for peace of mind and the 100k warranty. The price was cheaper for a new motor than having my indy rebuild it, so I went with it. If you have the knowledge to rebuild it yourself that may definitely be a cheaper route.

 

[Hipster]

Block and crank work, head work, valves, gasket kit, etc. It doesn't take long to get close to or eclipse the 2k GM crate depending on what machine shops charge in your area, and not all are created equal. Then it's a weekend job instead of your stuff sitting at a machine shop somewhere.

I too have one with close to 300k and run Lucas in it. Not all oil oil filters have the proper anti drainback valve for the 4x's