Jojo:
Thanks for mentioning that you're a girl! My testosterone was starting to brew when you mentioned how pretty your car was!! lol! It'* OK for girls to have pretty cars, but not for guys - I've never heard Boosty say his car is pretty, anyway. At least not in public. :P

Your description of what your engine did (low oil pressure, knocking) could merely be a spun bearing on either your crankshaft or a connecting rod. While this is certainly bad, it may not be catastrophic. Your car only has 55k on it - that engine is barely broken in. If it were me, I'd rebuild the engine you have (or have it rebuilt). Chances are your valves are all good, pistons are good...you COULD have new piston rings installed but your current ones are probably fine. It'* possible you could get away with nothing more than new bearings and whatever machining is required on the crank journals. Of course the engine still has to come out to do this, buuuut your parts (and machine labor) wouldn't be all that much - $200-300 maybe? Assuming all you did was spin a bearing. You can put all the upper intake mods on at that time too.

My Bonneville spun a rod bearing at 120k. I didn't put pistons in or do anything to the cylinder heads - it'* pushing 200k now and passes emissions testing like it was new.

Was I trying to make a point? Oh, yeah, the point is that you have several options and this is yet another. For me it would be the best option. But then I'd also do it myself. Cuz I'm a tightwad. And I don't want anyone else touching my car. But mostly I'm a tightwad.

Good point, Jr... Jojo would certainly want to have all that checked. If she was quick enough to shut 'er down as soon as she noticed something was amiss, she may not have a bunch of bearing material to clean out of her block either. Unlike me.

In my defense, my #3 rod bearing called it quits on I-80 about 10 miles east of Winnemucca NV (yes, there really is such a place). Since there'* nothing but jackrabbits between where my bearing parted company with the crank and Winnemucca, I drove the car to Winnemucca while watching the oil pressure steadily drop. The result of that was babbit material all through my oil galleries. It was so bad it seized my cam to one of it'* bearings (cost me a new cam). Probably not the smartest thing I've ever done, but it beat making my wife hike into town after a tow truck while I suffered there sitting in a hot car bored to death and sweating. Ya don't want to fall asleep out there 'cause the jackrabbits might get you. There wasn't much for cell reception out there at the time, so we couldn't call a wrecker. Not to mention the "got you over the barrel" towing charge. Tightwad. Remember?

Hey guys, I am totally heartbroken and sick right now.

My ex had the car towed to a shop and the mechanic found a 2003 engine he is going to put in it.

I told my ex to stop immediately but it is too late.

So, anyways, I called this halfwit mechanic and told him what you guys have been telling me and he said, and I quote, "don't worry I have done many of these and the engine is a 2003 and GM has fixed the problem in this year engine".

OMG! Tell me I am correct when I told my ex he is full of something!

I saw the topic on here on fixes from was it 93 to 2005? That means the 2003 ones are still garbage right?

Now what do I do guys?

I tried to tell him I want the new intake you told me about earlier put on and about the aluminum something or others you said to get from GM (forget the name of the part, lol) and he said there is no need for any of that nonsense.

Help!!!!!!!

BTW he is working on taking the old engine out, should I get the car out of there?

The UIM is still plastic (unless someone who had the 03 had it replaced). As for me, unless your ex is paying for it (leave it there ), if you have a way to fix it, get it out. It'll be a lot cheaper on a do-it-yourself

So since it is still plastic, what do I need to do? OH and the engine supposedly came out of a wrecked grand prix.

The mechanic is talking about putting in a dorman as they have them in stock. If I would insist on the apn being put in, is there anything special he would have to do or does he just put it on like the dorman.

Jojo, basically what it boils down to is that if you do not want your or your ex'* mechanic to do the work, get your car outta there. Before it gets too late. You can always take it back to him

I have just started to gain back some sanity and thought I would update and ask some more advice.

I was not able to use any of the advice any of you have given me up to this point as my ex had the mechanic put in the engine and I had no say so in what they did.

Anyways they put in an engine from a 2003 grand prix and used the dorman intake even though I wanted to use the special one from the guy on the board here.

TO TOP IT OFF, are you ready for this? They put in dex cool instead of the either or stuff. They told me if I change it to the other stuff it will void my one year warranty.

What should I do now? If I wait until the warranty is up and keep that crap in there aren't I screwed anyways?

I read what I can around here but I still don't know anything, lol.

Jo