Sorry for the length in advance.

Remember the good news that I got my car all fixed? Yeah, seems that was only a temporary thing. I put just over 300 miles on the newer engine (had 64K when I dropped it in). Looks like that'* gonna be about all she gets.

I was coming home from school today on the highway and she didn't seem to have as much power as she should. I was going 65 and kicked it down to pass a car. Revved way up to almost red line with next to no go. Then I hear a knocking. Not thinking, I figure that my air filter fell off and was bouncing around the engine bay (just build a high flow intake but cobbed together a bracket to hold the filter on to the tubing)

Decided I should pull over. Took the closest off ramp and right at the end by the traffic lights she cuts out on me. I coast around the corner onto the shoulder. Pop the hood and...flames. Great. What is it with me and flames?? Got those put out. They seemed to be coming from around the exhaust manifold in front (just little flames)

Car starts but knocks like a sonovabitch. Oil is full. Gauge was reading correct pressure. Coolant was around 190 on the gauge. Overflow was maybe an inch below full.

Any clues? Engine has a 90 day warranty on it. Gonna start ripping it back out either tonight or tommorow. Before I even dropped it in I changed:

Upper intake manifold and gasket
Lower intake gasket
oil pressure sending unit
pcv valve
coolant elbow
spark plugs (ac delco)
oil (federated 5w30)
filter (hastings)
topped off coolant

If it was in flames, wow. just take it back to where you got the engine, its still under warranty you said?

i was thinking fuel lines, but i guess that doesnt explain knocking. that sux!

Well, talked to the place I got the engine from and I get another one for free. They are even delivering it. This one is out of an 1996 Olds 88 (or 98, or forget right now). My buddy and I have the old engine ready to come out. Just need to pull the engine mount. We would have had it done tonight, but we didn't have a cherry picker. Oh well. I should have it back and running by sun/mon.

again not really explaining the knocking, but it could have blown a tranny cooler hose and covered the front of the motor with fluid and caught it on fire, this would explain the almost getting to redline with no go (tranny slipping)

the flames weren't really that big. Just a couple of flicks around the pipes. The rest of the engine is completely clean. The manifold itself got super hot though. There are a couple of white rings around it and there is also a crack (not sure if it was there before or after the fire though.) Everything else on the front of the engine is perfectly fine though. Oh well. Just more practice. By the time I'm done, I'll be an expert at pulling these engines

progress update: Old engine out. Top half of new engine torn down. Top half of old engine torn down. Oil pans swapped (new engine had a crushed pan and pickup.)

Tomorrow my buddy is gonna bust his a$$ to try to get it done (his wife wants to have the garage back some time soon!) I'm done with work at 7 so we'll see how far he got and how far I can help when I stop by. Cross your fingers guys and gals!

Wow, that must really suck. What are the odds of getting another engine that has problems at only 64k miles. Well good luck with the newer engine, hope it works out good.

There was nothing too noticable with the oil pan off. Just oil that was kind of grey and shiny. Sorry. I'll try to get a pic of the exhaust manifold though.

Progress update: Looks like I won't have her running until Tuesday or Wednesday. Darn you work, school, girlfriend, and wife!

*note: girlfriend is mine, wife is the friends*