1999 Chevy Suburban Killed Engine (oil pressure gauge broken)
Long story short: Mechanic says the original 5.7 L Vortec V8 is seized and toast, my Dad had it rebuilt 30k miles ago. They cannot turn the engine, it had 1 quart (of 5) left. Oil pressure gauge was broken so I had no idea. Has 230k miles currently. Car has sentimental value for our family so I'm wanting to find the best approach to getting another engine. Mechanic quoting ~$8k to install re-manufactured engine.
I'm not good with cars and I feel responsible, it is painful. Gas gauge was broken so assumed check gauges light was about that. Some clear fluid came out a few weeks ago which we assumed was the steering fluid (which had also been leaking consistently for a few years). Turns out the fluid was most likely coolant, and there was no coolant so the engine burned through 4 quarts of oil quick. Last in the shop in August and they found no issues with it.
I am sure I could have prevented this problem but frankly have been really busy with work, my wife drives it mainly.
Please help! Thank you!
It's an unfortunate situation but the only choices if you want to save the truck are to rebuild the engine (again), replace the engine with a remanufactured unit, or take a chance on a (hopefully) low-miles engine out of a junkyard wreck. (I would not consider the latter at all if you have to pay someone to install it. Even if the junkyard guarantees the engine you'd still be stuck paying for labor if it turns out bad.)
You could shop around a bit. $8000 sounds a bit on the high side, though admittedly everything is getting more expensive and there's a lot of labor involved. If the top end is OK a remanufactured short block would cost less than a complete engine, but then you have the labor of swapping over the heads and manifolds. For a big job like this I'd get quotes from other trustworthy shops in your area.
@chucktobias If you were to get a remanufactured engine do you have a vendor preference? Looks like we may go this route. Like I said, it has family sentimental value so hard to let it rot haha.
It's not anything I've personally had to deal with, possibly someone else here has direct experience with an engine vendor. Does your mechanic have a preference? After all, he has to stand behind the job.
@chucktobias The mechanic does but 8-10k (10k for a few other things total...) is too steep. We are considering having my brother's friend help, he is a mechanic who has experience, and my bro has never swapped an engine but he is a mechanical engineer. Willing to take the risk but want to figure out what to put in it at this point.
You might want to do an internet search using terms like "remanufactured engine reviews" to get an idea. Some "remanufacturers" just replace worn parts rather than doing a complete rebuild, and parts quality these days is poor across the board. This should give you a general idea of pricing:
https://www.jegs.com/i/ATK-Engines/059/0282/10002/-1
(The above is not a specific recommendation, it is an example. More research is needed.)
Also if you're going to attempt the engine swap yourself with some help be aware it is a very big job. Even a 1999 vehicle has a lot of sensors and electronics to deal with.
at this point repairing it will cost many times the value of the vehicle.
Car has sentimental value
just get attached to another one
