I am looking at purchasing a 93 SSEi with motor trouble. I talked with the owner and they stated that the Oil Pressure went really high and that they think it is caused by a check valve getting stuck in the Oil Pump. This was an educated guess. They said the pan would need to be dropped and the oil pump check and possibly replace (I would replace it anyways) they also said I would need to check the crank bearings.

Here are my questions:

What would be involved in this repair and would I be able to do it myself (with some help) and how much would it cost?

What would I be looking for as being damaged by this?

How hard would the crank bearings be to replace and could it be done without removing the engine?

What should I offer the guy for the car? it has normal 93 wear, new supercharger, and cracked fender, otherwise is in decent shape?

Thanks for your help.

Geoff

Hrm, I'm not sure what damage could possibly be done with high oil pressure...I guess it depends on how high and how long it was driven like that. I can't imagine the stock pump being capable (at any rate) of blowing out an oil plug or anything else like that...In any case, I wouldn't worry about the bearings until they become an issue.

The chances that its the oil pressure relief valve are somewhat slim. There'* a better chance that its just your oil pressure sensor. If you raise the car and pull the passenger tire and look about 5" above your oil filter you'll see a cylindrical looking thing plugged into the side of your block. Thats the sensor. You can unscrew that and affix a mechanical gauge to get the true reading. Buuut incase that isn't the issue....

The oil pressure relief valve isn't actually in your pump its inside the housing that your oil filter is on, the same housing as the oil pressure sensor. Its really easy to get out. Raise car, remove passenger tire, remove 4 (pretty sure its 4) bolts holding the oil filter housing to the block. When you pull that out you'll notice a spring and a small metal plunger. Thats what they're talking about. I guess it would be possible for the spring to get so gunked up that it holds the pressure very high but thats a baaaaad sign if its that nasty in there. If you see its so gunked up it holds the pressure high, drop your tools and run RUN RUN!!!. Haha... Anyway, total cost: free to look at it

Why does he want you to check the crank bearings though?

I'm not sure. He said that the motor had a knock in it originally and that he thought it was the open check valve. I am going to call him tomorrow to talk further on it. What would cause the knock though, I'm not sure. I am not very knowledgable in this department. Also, how much would an oil pump be?

The knock can come from a couple things. One of the worst is called Rod Knock, which would explain why he'* saying to check the bearings. One way to check this is to bring it up to about 2500rpm and rap the gas pedal quickly. If you hear a knock thats probably it. The oil pump itself isn't very expensive, its putting it in that costs. Unless the car is nearly free I wouldn't touch it. JMO

Very very excellent advice from DrJay !!

Assuming it is the oil Pump, What would be involved in Replacing it? Does anyone have a copy of the service manual showing where it is and how to remove it? Thanks for the advice already given.

Thank you

Jimmy - Its surely not your oil pump but FYI its very involved (read: costly). The pump is crank driven, I can't imagine being able to do it with the engine installed so its probably comming out (verify?). Most shops go off a book that calls for 12hours to remove and replace the engine. Multiply that by your shops hourly rate and you're close. You also aparently need to replace the bearings and who knows what else they'll see while they're in there. Add another 2-4 hours to that and you might as well do a full rebuild....Flat out man, you're looking at a trash car.

High pressure (if not sensor) = Probably trash
Oil pump replacement = 1/2 trash
Knocking sound = trash

If you were with the car when it developed the knock you might be able to save it but who knows how long the knocking went on before they decided to stop driving it. There are a lot of foolish people that drive cars .

If you're REALLY interested in buying it please take it to a pro to look over. The way you "oh by the way" 'd the knocking noise makes me think there are a few other things you might be missing. I can only help with things you notice. [/quote]

Thanks for the advice so far.

First off, what would you consider "almost Free" for this car? It is a 90k, one owner, rust free SSEi with a new Blower, and the above described Engine issue.

If I did buy the car, my plan would be to either replace the engine, or part the car. I already have a daily driver (98 LTZ) and this would be basically a project car, either to build up in my spare time, or tear apart and learn from.

Which Leads me to another question, If the engine were to be replaced, how much work would be involved in going from Series 1 to Series 2? From what I gather, I'd need Engine, Tranny, PCM, and wiring harness from a 97-99 Bonneville or if I went with the 96 I could possibly keep the Tranny. Please correct me if I am wrong. I am at the initial stage of my research into the feasability of this. Oh, and the reason for not buying a newer car is that I like the 92-95 Body style. Personal thing I guess.

Yeah I like the body style too, so no blame there.

Its really tough to say what this car would be worth to me. Cars generally don't just have skyrocketing oil pressure and a bearing knock just from normal wear and tear. This would make me think the transmission isn't in a 'good mood' either. Then who knows about things like CV joints and other suspension parts. With that I can't possibly give an estimate on price.

I can maybe help you get into the ballpark though. Get the blue book value with every option it has and all the miles. Then determine if the engine can be repaired properly. If so go to 3 nice places and get an estimate then average those out and subtract it from the blue book. Then since you obviously can't test drive it to me that takes another $500-800 off the price. Who knows if the darn thing even shifts! Then you can factor in other things like general condition (paint, interior, tires) and come up with a round about number to look at for it.

I'm not sure about the bolt up ability of a Series II but you're right so far. You'll need everything from the 97+. You'll have to use a transmission that matches the PCM so you can't get a PCM that uses the 4T65-E transmission and plug in a 4T60-E trans (verify?). I believe the '96 n/a came with the 4T60-E trans, same as you have now. The */c'd version I believe got the 4T65-E. So if you lose the supercharger you can keep the trans. I surely wouldn't keep the trans without a rebuild and for that you might as well get the 4T65-E.

Other factors like motor mounts might be an issue as I'm not sure how easily those are transferred. There'* probably a few other little issues that'll pop up with it, as with any project.

Honestly man for the time and costs involved in the transplant you can make the Series I more powerful than the Series II (stock). If you sit down and add up the costs of a good Series II motor and matching transmission then add in everything else you are planning on doing to it and just drop that into the Series I you have it might be more apealing. Plus lots of people prefer the 4T60 trans over the 4T65...

Not trying to crap on your project, just giving you another perspective .

Well, I am starting to consider keeping the 93 engine... maybe find anotherone without issues and rebuild. I started thinking this way once I discovered that there were actually some decent mods for it. I would probably do intake, exhaust and chip. Maybe some internals if I was to rebuild it. How much would a stock, or slightly modded rebuild of the engine cost? and tranny? What should I look for if I were to tear apart my current engine described above looking to possibly rebuild it?

My original Idea was to go to a series 2 NA engine, which would work with the 96 pcm and then leave it stock. Would get me the same HP as the stock 93 L67, but be able to do 87 octane. This was when I was looking at it to be a dailey driver (still might take this route) Only issue is would the HD tranny bolt up to the l36 NA?

And I looked up the car how you said on KBB. $3,480 for the car in Fair condition, with 90k miles and all options. Thinking $1000-1500 for a new engine/tranny or rebuild, puts us at $2000, and then $500 because no test drive puts it at $1500. I am paying less than that. Remember, The original intention of this car was a parts car, and I should be going pick it up this weekend and will be playing with it some when I get it home. Thanks again for everything.

Also, would the 92 SSEi Service Manual Set work for this one? I am looking at getting a set before I undertake this endeavor.