Hey gang,

The semester is coming to a close so the hunt is ramping up again! Came across an SR that needs some mechanical help, though it *seems* like it might not be that big of a deal. Here's the skinny:

3.5L SR, 150k miles
Smokes on startup and under accel
Oil is sludgy
(Sounds to me like head gaskets)
Brakes screech loudly
(I'm assuming worst case scenario, brakes all the way around)

I'll also need to handle DMV fees and smog. I have a smog guy, and I will check DMV fees tomorrow morning. It should be under $250.

The price on the vehicle is $600.

I would have to either (1) travel to the truck, make shoddy repairs, and limp it home or (2) borrow someone's tow rig and trailer it back.

Summary...
150k miles, needs brakes and HG. I'm assuming the rings and bearings are good at that mileage.

Cost to repair...
I may try a liquid HG repair first, as I have some in the garage. If it works, I'm only out the cost of fluids, which will need to be flushed anyway. If that doesn't work, I'll be in for HG's and valve stem seals (I can do this at home). The HG set is $180. Brakes are $250 for new discs and pads all the way around.

Parts total, minus maintenance parts (HG set, brakes): $500, with some cushion built in.

What do you guys think? Should I arrange to go have a look? I'm kinda <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" /> about it!

Sounds like some piss poor maintenance on it. If the engine is in that rough of shape - Can't imagine the rest of the truck not much better.

If I'm wrong $600 is a good deal.. and you can refresh the whole engine and tune it up for what the truck's worth probably.

I don't see any money for having the heads milled flat, either, or replacement of the lower manifold/butterfly assembly.

My plans are hinged on pictures of the truck. I'll decide from the photos whether I'm going to go look at it. But if it's in fair shape, and the liquid HG repair actually works...I'll be all in for about $1000. I won't hold my breath...but, stranger things have happened. We'll see.



Heads would cost $40/each to resurface, if they're warped. I can check them at home first, it may be only one of them. As for this butterfly assy...is this something that automatically needs to be replaced? I didn't see an item with that description available on the parts sites I was looking at. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

i rent the tool to do the valve stem seals i also have a set of head gaskets for it i also have a lower intake with the butter flys removed

I would buy it. Of course, just work them down too, I would just tell them all the money at max what the pros would do the work for.

The butterfly assy is the lower intake. It changes the intake path at around 3000rpms from the long small runners for low speed to the shorter fatter runners for higher rpms - an intake tuning trick to make the power band wider.

THe butterflies tend to break off the shaft and eat up the engine when the shaft bushings get loose and let them vibrate, eating up the screw heads. If your shafts are tight, you should be ok.

Sounds like a good deal to me. I paid more than that for my heap with 230K miles and signs of a blown HG. It drove half way decent though and just idled rough with no smoke or blowby, everything worked, OK leather int etc.