Hey guys i need some opinions as to what went wrong. I bought this 2002 camaro with a blown LQ9 the guy didnt have much clue as to what happened just that it didnt work. I dont have the money to take it apart right now, but i still would like to know what im gonna need to fix it. anyway this is what i know:

The engine blew up(or so the guy says and i cant charge the battery to check for myself)
there is no engine oil
there is oil leaking out of the left exhaust pipe.

Thoughts?

 

update*
the engine runs (sounds like its underwater)
lots of smoke out of the tail pipe
and there is about a 2" hole in the oil pan

What could cause this?

 

Sounds like you got a big issue there. Is there blue smoke coming out of the tail pipes?

 

yea there was, but the engine sounded fine.

anyway i found out a connection rod broke, but it must have broke on the downstroke and not messed with the top end.

i looked and i found remains of the piston rings and i could see the connecting rod hangine.

 

That block may be in worse shape than you're hoping. You're going to need a complete tear down anyway so as long as everything is done right this time and good parts are used, the fatal issue should be history. I'm wondering if somebody didn't miss a shift with weak rod bolts though.

 

good luck

My 1999 trans am with stock ls1 with 93k on the clock spit not one but two rods through the side of my block and oil pan. Broke two rods, and a piston, not to mention the block obviously and all those other parts inside were trashed.

Oh yea, this happened on start up literally. Crank rurr rurrr rurr ruuuuu snap!

 

Yea i know im hoping the cylinder walls are not scored to bad. otherwise im just gonna bore it. Are the cranks forged from the factory? cause if so ill take it to a shop and make sure its okay and then get APR rod bolts forged connecting rods and forged pistons. Im also curious if the top end is f'ed too. The fact that it ran makes me think not, but it might be. I wanted to put my own cam and heads in it anyway.

 

The crankshafts are alot stronger than cast but not as strong as forged . I can;t remember what process They use . The only way to know what all is useable and what is not useable is to tear it all down , clean and measure . Aftermarket forged rods come with ARP bolts some of them are 7/16" which are way stronger than factory LS1 rod bolts .

 

I was planning on getting forged rods and pistons anyway because eventually id like to add N20. So as long as the crank is in good shape and the cylinder walls dont look too bad this is not a big step off of my original build plan.

 

Was the blue smoke on the side of the conn rod failure?
You might luck out, and only have to deal with that cylinder.
An oil pressure fail may complicate the project, but if you didn't spend much to get the car, it might be worth fixing. Regarding an oil press fail, if the engine shut down immediately, it could be ok.
Depending upon where you live, you'll have all winter to bring it up to "snuff".

 

Im still wonderin how "it sounded fine" should be in the same sentence as " there was a broken connecting rod"

 

By sounded fine i mean there was no metal banging or clanking, it sounded like it was underwater and was missing a cylinder, also felt excessive shaking of the engine due to the unbalance.

The fact that it ran makes me think that nothing inside is siezed (pertaining to the other 7 cylinders) so i may just have to deal with this one. Its either cylinder 1 or 3 i havent taken it apart yet but based on where the whole/rod is and the blue smoke/ oil out the exhaust on the driver side thats my guess

 

also i took the plug out and it was smashed pretty good, and im fearing the worst for the head...

 

If that is the one & only cylinder with damage (smashed plug/broken rod), perhaps you'll get by with an exhaust & intake valve replacement.