dragon30073
Newbie
Shane.
I don't want to bore people with a long post, however I feel it can't be avoided. Bare with me?
I purchased (see signature) a 1995 Suburban K2500 (insert sub-model here) 4x4 7.4 TBI with 253,000 a year ago. When I got her, I could tell she was not maintained well towards the end of the previous owner(s) ownership. She had her fits in the beginning but I was slowly working them out, thanks to this great forum.
However, I come with sadness today. As this is my first time interacting with the forums, I have come for knowledge with what I am facing.
Short story? Yet? Haha. Anyway, wife's car got side swiped a couple of weeks ago and the Burb isn't my daily. It's for those days when it rains in the desert, or snows, as I can't ride my motorcycle. So, the wife needed the Burb which is fine because I have worked some kinks out (upper ctrl arm, lower ctrl arm bushings and ball joints, heater core, shocks, all steering components minus gear box and that one thing on the passenger side frame rail, zip ties.....zip ties for all vacuum lines, oooooh tyranny solenoids with manifold cause she went into limp mode.....a lot, etc.)...well, the Burb had an oil leak(drip?) somewhere cause I found the engine degreaser too late. The day she went farther than a 10 min drive the Burb wouldn't start. 12 hours later I'm in front of the mall at 11pm grinding a 3/8 ext to fit sqaure plugs for the oil adapter. Yep, you guessed it, she (the Burb) blew a total of 6 qts out. Is it short yet?
New adapter oring, 6 qts of oil later she was on the road back home. Next day, the ticking. Next day pulled valve covers, all fine. Couple days later (yesterday) dropped oil pan. (That Took Me Too Dam Long!!!!! 11 hours!!!!!) Today, found play on connecting rod #1 and #3. So much that a new standard bearing at torque would not squish the plastigage. So much so that connecting rod #1 would fit a .04 inch feeler gauge with little resistance between bearing and crank (obviously flat vs curved but I figured it's beyond saving at this point so I want to know).
The pan is a heavy 1/8 grayish thickness at the bottom with gold sprinkles. I hope you enjoyed my short? introduction. Now to the question?
At this point motor is toasty and I'm on a budget of the lower middle class disappearing. So I feel my only option is a new motor. What's the budget friendly route? What do I want? Better mpg? Yea right with this wind blocker good luck unless you've got $$$$ but then buy something else Make it powerful? Sure, as long as I don't nuke the mpg it would get on a good day with the wind behind me and downhill. Again, $$. And let's not forget the 4L80E with 253k of neglect. (Insert grenading trans). Other than that I'm not sure. That's why I'm here. And man, I will be awfully embarrassed if I posted this in the wrong spot.
Short right? Hello, my name is Shane. I am happy to be a part of the community.
Thank you ^_^
I don't want to bore people with a long post, however I feel it can't be avoided. Bare with me?
I purchased (see signature) a 1995 Suburban K2500 (insert sub-model here) 4x4 7.4 TBI with 253,000 a year ago. When I got her, I could tell she was not maintained well towards the end of the previous owner(s) ownership. She had her fits in the beginning but I was slowly working them out, thanks to this great forum.
However, I come with sadness today. As this is my first time interacting with the forums, I have come for knowledge with what I am facing.
Short story? Yet? Haha. Anyway, wife's car got side swiped a couple of weeks ago and the Burb isn't my daily. It's for those days when it rains in the desert, or snows, as I can't ride my motorcycle. So, the wife needed the Burb which is fine because I have worked some kinks out (upper ctrl arm, lower ctrl arm bushings and ball joints, heater core, shocks, all steering components minus gear box and that one thing on the passenger side frame rail, zip ties.....zip ties for all vacuum lines, oooooh tyranny solenoids with manifold cause she went into limp mode.....a lot, etc.)...well, the Burb had an oil leak(drip?) somewhere cause I found the engine degreaser too late. The day she went farther than a 10 min drive the Burb wouldn't start. 12 hours later I'm in front of the mall at 11pm grinding a 3/8 ext to fit sqaure plugs for the oil adapter. Yep, you guessed it, she (the Burb) blew a total of 6 qts out. Is it short yet?
New adapter oring, 6 qts of oil later she was on the road back home. Next day, the ticking. Next day pulled valve covers, all fine. Couple days later (yesterday) dropped oil pan. (That Took Me Too Dam Long!!!!! 11 hours!!!!!) Today, found play on connecting rod #1 and #3. So much that a new standard bearing at torque would not squish the plastigage. So much so that connecting rod #1 would fit a .04 inch feeler gauge with little resistance between bearing and crank (obviously flat vs curved but I figured it's beyond saving at this point so I want to know).
The pan is a heavy 1/8 grayish thickness at the bottom with gold sprinkles. I hope you enjoyed my short? introduction. Now to the question?
At this point motor is toasty and I'm on a budget of the lower middle class disappearing. So I feel my only option is a new motor. What's the budget friendly route? What do I want? Better mpg? Yea right with this wind blocker good luck unless you've got $$$$ but then buy something else Make it powerful? Sure, as long as I don't nuke the mpg it would get on a good day with the wind behind me and downhill. Again, $$. And let's not forget the 4L80E with 253k of neglect. (Insert grenading trans). Other than that I'm not sure. That's why I'm here. And man, I will be awfully embarrassed if I posted this in the wrong spot.
Short right? Hello, my name is Shane. I am happy to be a part of the community.
Thank you ^_^
Attachments
Last edited:
