Started an intermittent clicking/knocking noise (appeared from house to mechanic but almost not from mechanic to gym then not present from gym to home).The mechanic listened. He then had 2 other mechanics listen. The consensus was a bad rod which equals a new engine. All agreed that I drive until it dies since the time to death is variable cost high.
What’s a fair price range for the supply and install of a Jasper engine so I know what to look forward to?
I have no intention of shipping anything to my house. I’m just looking to get a good ballpark on the overall cost or at least the ‘book rate’ for the mechanic’s labor to install same.
You have either a 5.3 or 6 liter. That will change the price on a replacement. Enter your VIN code found on the dash or your title here and it will tell you what engine you have. http://chevroletforum.com/forum/vindecoder.php
A “bad rod” will not be intermittent. A sticking hydraulic valve lifter can be intermittent. If it was truly a clicking sound and not a knocking sound I would suspect a hydraulic valve lifter. That would not warrant an engine replacement.
Definitely not a knock. It sounded like steel tapping against steel. Although I didn’t stop, get out of the truck, lift the hood and listen on my way home from the gym, twice I turned off the radio and stuck my head out the window and didn’t hear a thing. When the sound was going full force from the house to the mechanic you could have the windows up, radio on and clearly hear the sound that increased in frequency with increased rpm. If there’s a mechanic listed on this website for my area, can I assume that that person could diagnose the problem by listening presuming that it recurrs?
The transmission should be a 4L80E and the engine code should be on the underhood sticker.
That sticker always takes precedence over anything else.
It’s near impossible to provide accurate estimates as the cost of the parts, the markup, and labor rates can vary so much. A reman engine installed could hit 4 grand or more.
As mentioned, a rod bearing is not going to be intermittent. If the intermittent noise is kind of tinny sounding that usually means a problem in the valve train.
In the event this noise is a sticky lifter or something like that you might consider adding a can of Berryman B-12, SeaFoam, etc to the engine oil and see what happens after a few miles are put on it.
Too many variables for anyone here to offer a guess that means anything. Labor rates vary so widely across the country that what may be a bargain in one area may be ridiculously high in another.
Remember, the price of the engine is just that, just the engine. At 200,000+ miles, I would install a reman engine and recommend the following along with it:
New spark plugs and all ignition coils and wires.
New water pump, fan clutch, thermostat and housing, and heater hoses.
New radiator, cap, and radiator hoses.
Both serpentine belts.
Oil cooler lines if equipped.
New or flow tested fuel injectors.
Air and fuel filters and PCV valve.
Exhaust manifolds checked and resurfaced as needed.
And a few other miscellaneous items that would come up.
You’re gonna have to raise the hood and start detecting where the noise is coming from at least. I did have a terrible tappet/valve noise on my Olds after 240,000 miles. When I pulled the valve covers off I found that a few of the rockers and the rocker retainers were worn and therefore loose. Cost about $10 in NAPA parts and a couple hours and the car was quiet and good as new.
I’m certain someone here would have said so already but I have to ask. There isn’t an electronic snooper of sorts that can narrow down what and where the problematic ticking/clicking is coming from?
If the problem is the hydraulic lifter(s) then from what I’ve read online the longer the problem is left unattended the more damage will be done to the engine. This of course is in contrast to the mechanic opinions I received Saturday essentially saying since it’s a rod you may as well drive the truck till it dies since you’re into a new engine.
The noise should be quite obvious to a mechanic. A deep thud from down below versus a ticking noise from under the valve cover. I suppose a wrist pin or piston slap could sound like a valve. A mechanic’s stethoscope could also help pin point it.
Thanks, I’ve located a long established shop specializing in engines. They generally have excellent Yelp reviews. I’ll touch base with them over the phone so I can ‘drop by’ when the truck is making the noise–otherwise it would be a waste of time.
I would ask the mechanics if they have visually inspected the flexplate. Assuming you have a V8, this truck has a removable inspection plate. Remove it, grab a strong flashlight, and turn the flexplate one full turn. Wouldn’t surprise me if the flexplate is cracked
These commonly crack on GM trucks . . . and the sound is often mistaken for other and more expensive things
Many, many guys have been fooled over the years
yes, the shop might have chassis ears and an electronic stethoscope. They’re not even that expensive, so I would expect any halfway decent shop to have them
Since it is a chevy, you might have your mechanic check the price of a new crate motor. Might be competitive with a Jasper. My daughter did not have a good experience with having a Jasper put in, First one leaked oil through the head casting, Second one had issues with intermittent rough idle and vibrations. Installer kept working on it for more than 2 years but every time it seemed to be solver, the issue came back. Never solved it, traded in the car,
Yeah that might be an idea if you need an engine. Way back I had a GM diesel factory reman put in and it was a good engine-for a while. It was done at a rural dealer and I think the total cost then was about $2200. Same thing with transmissions. I could have gotten a new GM transmission for about $500 more than what Rollie the jerk charged that never lasted.
I checked out the Berryman B12 and it’s billed as a Carburetor, Fuel System and Injector Cleaner. The website doesn’t say but if it’s cleaning the aforementioned it’s got to be added to the fuel not the oil?