Bad Crankhaft (Page 1/1) Brantley 14 MAR 08, 02:48 PM Hey guys I have an 87 GT and I had an issue with low oil pressure in the car and continued to drive it as I was young and it was my only vehicle. I was driving one day and I heard a clunk and my engine shut off. I had it towed to my house where I then drained the oil to see if I can see any metal (sparkles) or anything and the oil was clean. I then had it taken to a shop where they dropped the oil pan and told me I had a broken crankshaft. I am wondering if it would be worth it for me to tear the engine down and see what's damaged and replace the crankshaft among some other things or if you guys think that it would not even be worth it with the crankshaft going bad while driving could have caused too much damage. I was also able to turn the engine over manually 180 degrees. Thanks for your time. 82-T/A [At Work] MAR 08, 04:13 PM quote Originally posted by Brantley 14: Hey guys I have an 87 GT and I had an issue with low oil pressure in the car and continued to drive it as I was young and it was my only vehicle. I was driving one day and I heard a clunk and my engine shut off. I had it towed to my house where I then drained the oil to see if I can see any metal (sparkles) or anything and the oil was clean. I then had it taken to a shop where they dropped the oil pan and told me I had a broken crankshaft. I am wondering if it would be worth it for me to tear the engine down and see what's damaged and replace the crankshaft among some other things or if you guys think that it would not even be worth it with the crankshaft going bad while driving could have caused too much damage. I was also able to turn the engine over manually 180 degrees. Thanks for your time. My personal opinion... and my "feelings" about Fieros aside... If you really like the car, and the car is in pretty decent shape (not totally shot and looks like hell), then it's absolutely worth repairing. Now... on what I mean by "repair," here's the thing... Fieros aren't particularly rare, and they aren't particularly sought after. They are getting there... ratty ones sell for $3,500... and pristine ones sell for $30,000. Something that runs and drives is generally going to go for $5,000, and something that's a decent looker is going to go for like $10 grand. So if you need to make the decision on value of the car, there you have it. You COULD possibly rebuild that engine (I don't know), but if an engine has a broken crank, it's probably got a lot more damage, like damage to the mains, and who knows what else. A broken crank is pretty catastrophic, and usually results in a lot of other things breaking. If the car ran perfectly fine before all the other stuff, then you could simply just drop in a rebuilt long-block and call it a day.... like, here's one for $500 bucks, minus shipping: https://www.ebay.com/itm/304520128447 You're going to have to have the engine out regardless, so the cost will largely be the same, but there's no point in rebuilding that old engine unless you're particularly concerned about it being numbers matching. Another option, that's a really simple option, is to buy a rebuilt 3.4 long block from a 1993-1995 Camaro or Firebird that came equipped with the 3.4 V6/60. It's essentially identical to our engines, and it drops right in. The ONLY thing you need to do... is have a hole drilled and tapped for the starter. The jig for that can be purchased here: https://rodneydickman.com/p....php?products_id=194 ($84.95). With this engine, literally everything else in your engine bay will simply just already drop in. It will probably run lean, so I recommend going with 17lb injectors to replace the 15lb ones you already have. EVERYTHING ELSE will just work. So you'd have gone from a 2.8 to a 3.4, and you'd have an increase of about ~35 horsepower without anything else. Since you'd need to replace the engine anyway... that's my recommendation. Dukesterpro MAR 14, 11:58 AM Your asking a question only you can answer. If you ask a normal person (non-Fiero victim *cough* I mean owner) if continuing to drag my 84 Fiero back from the grave every 3 months it has a major mechanical / electrical issue is worth it. They would probably say something along the lines of no. With a few expletives sprinkled in. To me, it is worth it, and it will always be worth it. I wanted a Fiero since I was a kid, who always believed they were some super expensive sports car far out of reach. My 84 was my dream car. I will never give up on her. Now my 88 GT can pound sand if it starts nickle and diming me to death after it gets its new engine. I would rather cut up that car and part it out before I ever let my 84 go the way of the dodo. Probably sounds crazy to most Fiero owners, but who cares, the only thing that matters its what its worth to me or in your case, to you. Typically though, if you have to ask, it isn't worth it. These cars, with the exception of rare 88s are not ever going to be a real investment. Not a set in stone rule, but usually a consistent guideline. Just my $0.02 Raydar MAR 14, 01:19 PM Usually, the weak point in a V6 is the rod bearings. If the crank broke, there's probably a lot more damage going on. Especially if the oil pressure was having issues. I would be inclined to source another engine. Used Fiero V6s are usually available for $200-500, complete, since a lot of people like to swap in bigger engines. The only trouble is that you never know what you're getting, unless you are familiar with that particular engine/car/owner.