hello everyone, obviously i am new on here, i just have some questions about my girlfriends 1998 sunfire with the 2.4L engine (vin t). we went to the track (great lakes dragaway) last night. she raced me the first time, everything went fine, both of our cars seemed to be running fine... my car has a good amount of mods, not a j-body, and her sunfire has a short air intake. anyways, she ran a 16.5 1/4 if anyone cares... but, her second race, she didn't make it all the way down the track... the car killed about 3/4 of the way down... looked like smoke coming from the back of the block/head. we pull over, and try to crank it... you hear the starter engage, but nothing happens. i've had time to check the battery and starter, so yes they are both in working order... now this leaves me with a couple possible ideas of what is wrong. either... the motor siezed from lack of oil (not likely, just under the hash marks on the dip stick.), the timing belt/chain broke or jumped timing (i believe that these are interference engines right?), or she blew her headgasket while going down the track, allowing coolant to get in the cylinders... but since fluids cannot be compressed, the engine locked up (hydro-locked).
now, if it is hydrolocked, can i just drain the fluids, and replace the headgasket? will i have rodknock when i get everything put back together? does anyone want to trade a working 2.4 for a non-working 2.4? what would be my most cost effective way of fixing this?
i have a good amount of experience in doing my own work. swapping engines, doing complete rebuilds, and replacing headgaskets are all things that i can do my self. so i want to find the best way to fix this while spending the least amount of money possible. this car won't be raced again, it wasn't intended to be raced, she just wanted to because it looked fun.
i'm not sure if these engines are prone to anything, like my supra engine (blown headgaskets, rodknock) so any information would be greatly appreciated.
also, what year 2.4l engines would i be able to swap in for a direct replacement? any vin T model? any year?
and thanks again everyone!
dont know much about your beginning problems as far as engines go it would have to be a 96-98 to be perfect. 99+ dont have an EGR and unless u swapped stuff youd have a CEL
But anyway you seem to know enough so basically any 96-02 LD9(2.4) would work
CEL, what does that mean?
thanks for the help though, anyone else with any info on this?
What you have described doesn't sound very good.
I personally know of two people who owned various GM products from the 1998 model year with a 2.4L motor whom had serious motor problems and had to have them replace at about 100k miles.
Good luck.
Cheapest is probably just get a junkyard engine, like brandon said. If you did blow the gasket and hydro locked it, more then likely you bent a rod in the process. Buying a new engine from a junkyard would be a lot cheaper then rebuilding it unless you were going to bore it out, and get all new internals and such. If you can do it yourself just put a new(used) engine in it.
i found a used engine from a junkyard for a woping $750...seems like a lot for an engine. ...this sucks..
also, do you neeeed to raise the body off the engine when removing it? or can it be pulled from the top? also... can just the engine be removed and not the tranny?
thanks for all the help!
i don't think that would be any cheaper.... but thanks.
Yes, the engine can be pulled from the top. The hood is going to have to come off though.
And you can drag the tranny along with it.
I'd also pull the radiator, just in case.
good good, that's how i did mine.... hopefully this engine will be easier, and lighter.
Oh sorry, I didn't mean put the ecotec in, I was just using it as an exapmle of how he got the old engine out.
