Well crap

[semperfiguy98]

I bought this 86 Suburban 3 years ago with a rebuilt engine. Took the valve covers off and it looked beautiful. Removed the intake and it looked like it had never been run. Guy said less than 200 miles on the rebuild. Score!
It took forever to get the lost title from California to Washington, so I may have put another 100 on it in 3 years.
I have an oil leak at the timing cover so I figured I'd remove it and do a cam swap. Going to replace oil pan gasket while it's off anyway. Got the pan off and the oil pump pick up came with it. Well that's just great. Looked at the oil and it's a silver mess in there... S*#t!! Better pull a main cap and rod cap just for peace of mind.


Here's what I found

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[semperfiguy98]

For the record, it's always had great oil pressure. Never below 25 psi at idle. The crank journals look great. I may get away with just replacing the bearings. Fingers crossed. Oh and I'm moving in less than a month, so no time to waste!

 

[84 M1008]

I'd go for it if the crank looks good. Definitely use assembly lube and not just engine oil when you replace the bearings. That damage could have been caused by a dry start, improperly installing the bearings, or failure to torque the caps properly.

 

[GXPWeasel]

Yea, that doesn't look good, but I agree with 84 M1008. Looks to be either debris in the bearings against the crank, or a dry start.

Good Lord this makes me nervous.... I just assembled my engine (305) this past weekend. I did a very thorough job with assembly lube and correct torque, but seeing those bearings still makes me nervous.

 

[semperfiguy98]

I'm leaning towards dry start. The truck sat for almost 9 months before I was able to tow it from California to Washington. When I got it up here I immediately tried to start it(gotta hear those horses!). It took a good 30 seconds or so to build pressure. It ran great tho with no other indications of problems. I even did an oil change shortly after that. I'm just glad I caught it when I did.

 

[84 M1008]

I'm leaning towards dry start. The truck sat for almost 9 months before I was able to tow it from California to Washington. When I got it up here I immediately tried to start it(gotta hear those horses!). It took a good 30 seconds or so to build pressure. It ran great tho with no other indications of problems. I even did an oil change shortly after that. I'm just glad I caught it when I did.

Who rebuilt it, the guy you bought it from? It should have built some oil pressure within seconds of firing it off.

 

[84 M1008]

Yea, that doesn't look good, but I agree with 84 M1008. Looks to be either debris in the bearings against the crank, or a dry start.

Good Lord this makes me nervous.... I just assembled my engine (305) this past weekend. I did a very thorough job with assembly lube and correct torque, but seeing those bearings still makes me nervous.

As long as you took your time and methodically put it together I wouldn't worry about it. I've heard some horror stories about well known engine rebuilders on Jegs and Summit. Personally I would go with a Chevy performance engine above all .

 

[semperfiguy98]

Who rebuilt it, the guy you bought it from? It should have built some oil pressure within seconds of firing it off.

I don't know who actually did the work.

 

[Octane]

Looks like whoever built it didnt prime the pump first

 

[84 M1008]

Looks like whoever built it didnt prime the pump first

Exactly.

 

[QBuff02]

I bought this 86 Suburban 3 years ago with a rebuilt engine. Took the valve covers off and it looked beautiful. Removed the intake and it looked like it had never been run. Guy said less than 200 miles on the rebuild. Score!
It took forever to get the lost title from California to Washington, so I may have put another 100 on it in 3 years.
I have an oil leak at the timing cover so I figured I'd remove it and do a cam swap. Going to replace oil pan gasket while it's off anyway. Got the pan off and the oil pump pick up came with it. Well that's just great. Looked at the oil and it's a silver mess in there... S*#t!! Better pull a main cap and rod cap just for peace of mind.


Here's what I found

You must be registered for see images attach

Those look like bearings that were starving for oil to me. I had a similar issue on my 454 when I pulled it apart and found the pickup screen laying in the bottom of the pan and the bearings looked eerily similar to the two you posted. Even if the tube was completely off the oil pump it will still be somewhat submerged in oil. But it would definitely starve at lower oil levels or at higher rpm. I thought I had pictures of the bearings from mine when I pulled the engine apart but I can't find them at the moment. If the journals look good, i'd throw a set of bearings in it and run it. Now when my truck sits for a period of time I usually pull the coil wire and let it crank at least once for 10-15 seconds to build oil pressure before firing it off. Even with a completely fresh engine it takes several seconds before you'll see any oil pressure begin to make the needle rise on a mechanical autometer gauge. But once it's been ran, the needle will move almost immediately. The oil certainly bleeds back when it sits.

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[semperfiguy98]

I plan to pull the engine tonight to inspect the crank. I already have a set of .010 undersize bearings I can throw in if the crank is still good. I just need a set of cam bearings and a gasket set. Oh and an oil screen. I've always been told to tack or braze the screen to the pump to prevent this kinda thing. I don't know why the "builder" didn't do it to this one. On the plus side, it's fortunate that I already have most of what I need to fix it(assuming the crank is still good). That never happens in my world! Plus, it's a good opportunity to paint the frame where the engine sits.

 

[semperfiguy98]

Update: the engine is out and hanging from the hoist. I'll disassemble tomorrow and inspect.. wish me luck!

 

[84 M1008]

Good luck with it.

 

[semperfiguy98]

Well the verdict is in. Crank is no good. I can feel some grooves with my fingernail. Fortunately I have a spare crank that's already been machined. Was going to go in the kid's Camaro... Oh well. I'll take it to work this weekend and put the block in the parts cleaner and start reassembly Monday.