So I got my 2001 van to the shop. The mechanic drove it and just like everybody said, he says he thinks it's the either the cam bearings, possibly a rod and the oil pump. He said it should have 30 psi at idle. That might have been what messed the engine up. Some idiot driving it with a bad oil pump.

He's supposed to get back with me. He suggested I just keep driving it until it blows up and get a used engine. He said the noise is bad but doesn't think it's going to grenade anytime soon. He said it might make it for quite some time.

So do you guys think that's the best solution? That it would cost more to fix the above issues in parts and labor than to find a good used engine?

I put 15W40 oil in it and some of the Engine Restore. I've heard people say it works. I don't know. It does seem like the rattle is not as bad as it used it when I got it.

I think the PO just lied to me about this van.

I found several beat up Dakota 3.9 liter pickups on CL for less than $1000 I could used as a donor vehicle but he said he couldn't warranty the engine. Plus he would have to pull the engine from the truck.

I do like the van so I'm not going to junk it. I could probably pull the engine from the truck and fix it myself but my time is so limited these days I'd probably just have to farm it out.

 

Well, I was in the same situation and decided to just upgrade to a V8.
Everything bolts up - even accessories. You will need the wiring harness and the computers from a donor van.
From the donor van take the engine and trans - you will need to make a driveshaft but that isn't a big deal.
I did this...I now have a 360 shortie with a 46RE transmission. It is a real truck now.
The 3.9 is just so taxed in these vans. Its a good motor, but the stress from the size makes it wear out fast.

 

Im not sure what the guy is going to do . Wheather he can diagnosis the problem without tearing the engine apart. It may not be that serious. Who knows it maybe something else.

Weird that this engine doesn't smoke or use any oil. Just in the 200 miles I put on it. It seems to have adaquate power up to 50 mph but falls flat on its face after that trying to get to 65 or 70 on the interstate.

I've got a bunch of classic cars I drive from April to November. So this van may not see more than 1000 miles in a year.

My 2003 Subaru I bought new has just 83,000 on it. So if I could get 10,000 miles on it before the engine grenades , that wouldn't be bad. But I would prefer it not make this engine rattle at part throttle.

The goal was to sell my Subaru and use this van as a daily driver which would suit my needs as far as hauling. My Subaru is a Baja and has a really short bed.

I got to wondering. Rather than keeping this fuel injection system, looks like I could build an adapter plate and use a carburetor in place of the throttle body.

The distributor would still need the ECU to function unless I could find an older distributor with the vacuum advance and hook it to a GM HEI control module.

 

The kegger manifold doesn't really lend itself to carburation that well. Runners are way to long. Gas mileage would suck even worse than it does not.

Upgrading to a V-8 is indeed a good plan. A 6000 pound vehicle with the aerodynamics of a brick tends to require a good bit of power to run at freeway speeds. Even going to a 5.2 would be a major improvement.

 

So the shop get's back with me today. He tells me he found a used engine with 100,000 miles for something like $2800 with a 6 month warranty. I think that was just the engine not labor.

I told him I can get a rebuilt Jasper engine for $3000. So why not go that route?

He thinks the motor is going to grenade but who's to tell?

Here is the dilemma. Can I justify spending this amount of money on something I might drive 1000 miles a year? It may make it another 10,000 miles. I have no idea.

I think I'm going to get another estimate. In the meantime I might find another shop that actually has a good engine to get in it that could guarantee it.

I just think $2800 is way too much for a used engine. When I could get a Jasper engine for $3000.

 

You can get longblocks in 5.2 and 5.9 varieties for under 2 grand......

 

I Know a guy who runs a large junkyard that buys cars with busted engines/transmissions and uses parts from his yard to fix them up. I'm going to check with him to see if he had anything on his lot that would work.

 

Good news. I called the guy I was talking about and he has a 3.9 engine he says is good. He wants $600 for the engine and $600 to put it in. So that's not bad. Well better than the other shop.

 

I would think you could get a 5.2 or 5.9 for that kind of money used... note that my 5.9 (truck) has almost 300k on it and still doesn't smoke or use a noticeable amount of oil (never seem to have to add any between changes). I like the 5.2 in my 99 with 4.10 gears as well... I can't think of a single reason to go with a 3.9 with as many of these trucks around (many with shot or tired trannys and good engines)... for the kind of money you're talking about you could probably buy a whole truck, take what you need for the swap and scrap the rest...

Just a thought...

 

Not bad?!?!? That's cheap

Still, get the V8 if you can. It is such a difference you will not be disappointed. Cheers!