Recently I've learned that my main and/or rod bearings are shot. I completely lose oil pressure after about 20 min of driving and I can hear a rod knock. Please, no speculations about what this might be; I know for a FACT, 100% guaranteed, that my problem is the bearings, and not the gauges or the sensor or whatever.

I'm left with 3 options: Sell the car, replace the engine, or fix the engine.

- Selling the car would leave me with maybe, MAYBE $1000, and no car. So that'* out.
- Finding a series I supercharged 3800 has been almost impossible, and if I went to a scrap yard, the engine would probably be worse than mine and with more mileage. So that'* out. (my car has 121,000)
- So I want to fix the engine myself (mostly because shops won't do it), which I understand can be difficult, with the machining of the crankshaft and blah blah, I've read all about it. But I need a workshop manual to give me all the specifications and tolerances in order to properly fix the bearings. WHERE CAN I FIND ONE? Secondly, if anyone out there has done bearings before, please give some tips on how it should be done. I'm also thinking about hiring an out-of-work mechanic to help me out.

You say you have a "regular manual". Is this the factory service manual?

Check this out:

1992 Pontiac Bonneville SSE+SSEI Service Manuals OEM 92:eBay Motors (item 290361996306 end time Oct-27-09 21:50:48 PDT)

The factory service manual is a 3 book set. There are less expensive ones on Ebay, but if you read the descriptions you see they aren't all 3 books. The one I linked to is a full 3 volume set.

By regular I mean the owner'* manual. The one that shows you how to use a seat belt and how to put the car in drive, among other relatively useless things.

And Yes! The link you sent me is exactly what I'm looking for, thank you.

Good. You may be able to get a set for a better price, but like I said, make sure it is all 3 volumes.

Here'* an interesting thought... So I said in my first post that it'* almost impossible to find a Series 1 3800 */C...well, almost is the key word, in my search for the shop manual I found that exact engine that has been rebuilt, tested, and up for sale for $1100 (with free shipping too). The seller is EverDrive and the engine is on Amazon. Is this a good deal? I would think so, then I could sell my engine and get some money back, and completely avoid the hassle of changing bearings. It'* definitely a possibility.

We all knew that but were afraid to tell you. Your instructions were very specific, and you were quite insistent we not provide other options.

Find out where the engne on Ebay is located. You may be able to pick it up and save even more $. I would be concerned, however, that $1,100 for a rebuilt, tested and shipped engine sounds a little to good to be true.

I know, I know... Sorry I had to sound so serious, but I've been getting really obvious responses to posts I've made like, "just get a different engine, that should work," or "don't forget to replace the oil pressure sensor, that should fix it right up." And I've gotten really frustrated that nobody seems to realize that I know what I'm talking about and don't need those kind of responses. In fact, I've searched ebay and many other websites for a rebuilt series 1 3800 and NOTHING came up...until now. I don't want to go to a scrap yard because I'll have no idea the condition of the engine.

Here'* the engine advertised on the seller'* (EverDrive) actual website, tell me what you think:

EverDrive Guaranteed Used Auto Parts

I don't know anyone that has purchased an engine from them, so I really don't know what their reputation is like. Reading the description, however, the engine is not rebuilt. It has been inspected, spun tested (what does that mean, turn the crank by hand?) and cleaned.

Personally, if it was my car and I was going go to all the trouble to pull the engine, I would rebuild the one I have. It won't cost you $1,200 and you will know exactly the quality of the labor and parts going in to your engine. It also gives you the opportunity to use upgrade and/or performance components in rebuilding your engine.

I am not trying to push you one way or another, just telling you what I would do.

I was thinking the same thing. That engine is not rebuilt, but better than mine (it said on Amazon that it had been tested for compression and oil pressure). However, with the amount of work I've put into my existing engine, which has been quite extensive, rebuilding my bottom end would still be the best route. I've done engine work myself before (gaskets and valve covers etc.) but nothing like bearings, which is why I'm probably going to hire a mechanic for assistance. First job is to get the service manual, then the fun begins. As always, if anyone has done bearings before please comment.