i loaned my son-in-law my 94 skylark and told him to check the oil often,he didn't it is a 3100 engine with 210,000 miles on it,it ran great,didn't burn oil and no oil leaks, in fact the only problem i had with it was the lower intake leaked a little. the low oil light came on and he didn't know to check it so he drove it 30 miles with a engine that now rattles. i checked the oil it was full whether he added the oil afterwards or not i don't know. should i rebuild this motor or scrap the whole thing? are they worth rebuilding? it looks like a pain in the backside to pull the pan off but the parts are cheap unless it scored the crank. the parts stores want 2000 bucks for a reman engine i could rering it for 500 bucks. but it doesn't smoke or leak oil just goes through about a quart ev ery2 tanks if you drive it hard (over 55) your opinions would be appreciated thanks.

I would see what you can find in a used engine. Also, look around to see what similar vehicles go for in the area. Also, find out if he added oil, and if so, how much. I don't know how low it has to be to trigger the light, but if we are talking 1 quart, it'* not the end of the world, or at least likely not the cause of the issue.

Also, I would have reservations putting anything beyond $1000 in to the vehicle, assuming the rest of the car is in tip top shape. It may very well just be a case of go till it blows. I believe thicker oils may buy some time too, but not much in the grand scheme of things.

that'* what i figured. he won't say how much oil he put in but he drove it home rattling real bad,don't know if it was bearing noise or lifter noise. i will change the oil and try to start it. when it died he cranked it until it finally started. i was thinking about rebuilding the engine anyway just not so soon.

Yeah, let my brother borrow the car once....never had a problem until he returned it....