my_99Z

iTrader: (4)

Hey all, been a long time since I've posted on here. Mainly because I sold my F-body and didn't need to reference the forum so much.
I'm looking to change that and am currently looking at a 2005 CTS-V. However, the person selling the car says that it has a blown head gasket, oil in the water, and the car won't start.

With that in mind, I'm thinking of going to look at the car and decide if the price he wants for it is worth my time to fix it. What should I be looking for with these motors to make sure I'm not buying a car with a motor that will require an entire rebuild?

Thanks

pdxmotorhead

Blown head gasket, water in oil = full refresh/teardown.

my_99Z

iTrader: (4)

Pull the motor and take it completely apart, or bring it down to the short block and refresh the top end?
I'm asking because I'm relatively busy and would be doing the work myself. So its one of those situations where you decide if you're willing to get that far into the car.

G Atsma

Too many unknowns in this engine. If it started and ran, not so much. But in this case, a full teardown is warranted as the level or extent of potential damage is a total unknown. Better to know than not to...

88bruce

Pull the valve covers, if there are orange deposits on the inside of one and/or
both the valve covers, then the leak could be from multiple sources, i.e.; a
cracked head or liner.

A blown head gasket could have caused coolant loss, leading to an overheated
engine and a cracked liner. Coolant could have been added and the vehicle
driven in this condition. In this situation, the engine is probably junk.

my_99Z

iTrader: (4)

Okay, so basically pull the motor, replacing all gaskets on the way; check bearings in the bottom end and make sure the cylinder walls are good. Check the heads and make sure they aren't warped, replace if necessary and then put motor back together?

my_99Z

iTrader: (4)

What are a set of 243 heads going for these days?

kingtal0n

iTrader: (1)

go into the deal assuming the engine is trashed, and that you will need to buy a new engine and install everything yourself. The new engine will likely need parts as well, oil pump for starters, balancer bolt, head gaskets, head bolts, stuff like that.

this way if you get the engine out and it looks salvagable, then score. Otherwise, you paid for what you expected.

G Atsma

Practically AND psychologically good moves......

my_99Z

iTrader: (4)

Small update, I put a fresh battery in the car and went to crank it, only to have oil coming out the side of the block...pulled the starter and the rod was sticking out the side of the block! Great.
Bought a used LS6 long block, I plan on taking the heads off to make sure nothing fishy is going on with the rotating assembly, then putting the accessories back on the new motor and bolting it back into the car. We'll see how this all goes

G Atsma

Well, now ya know! Good luck with the new mill!

my_99Z

iTrader: (4)

Been a bit since I posted an update.
The original block once pulled was complete JUNK. Number 7 and 8 rods had both broken, while the number 7 piston was cracked and sitting sideways in the cylinder!
I'm not too sure what happened, but there was coolant/water in just about every piece of the motor. When removing the intake there was a bunch of water that came sloshing out.


Decided I would buy a complete running motor from a friend down the street, its an LS6 with ported 863 heads from West Coast Cylinder Heads, a set of RC Racing fuel injectors, and a 224/224 114 LSA Cam from Comp in it.

I just got the motor started last night.
I am having a small issue with the cooling fans not turning on, checked/replaced relays and fuses to no avail. Jumpered the fans to the battery and they turn on so I'm kind of stumped at this point.

Sorry for the wall o text.
Cliff notes version: bought a different motor with assorted aftermarket mods, installed and got it running, cooling fans are not turning on though.