cracked crank

I've just gotten some bad news and I could use some advice. I have a 99 Grand Am and the crank is cracked therefore I need to replace the engine. My initial estimate is $3500. That's out of the question. What are so cheaper options I may have? Can anyone tell me what a crank is and how it could have cracked? Please and Thank You :)

The crank is the part of the engine that is connected to the rods and pistons. It is the portion of the engine that transfers straight line movement, up and down movement of the rods, into a rotating motion that provides power to the flywheel. It is hard to explain it other than that. It is impossible to say the actual reason why the crank broke. It could be due to a bad casting at factory or it could be from metal fatique. It is hard to even believe that a crank on a normal everyday use car would crack without there being some defect in the crank from when it was manufactured. Is the engine damaged beyond repair? If not they may be able to replace the crank without replacing the engine. It would cost far less to do this than to replace the entire engine. As for your options if the engine cannot be repaired and needs to be totally replaced, I would suggest that you look for a used engine with low mileage. You didn't say where you live or what size engine you have so it is hard to determine the cost. Go to Cherry-auto.com and search for an engine in your area. They should be able to help you find one for about $1400 with a warranty. If that is too much go to Car-part.com and look for one in a wrecking yard. You can probably get a good engine at a reasonable price. Have it shipped to your mechanic and have it installed. He should install it for you for 500-700 dollars. This is far less than the original quote. I hope this helps.

The only way a crank can crack is due to overrevving the engine, or a balance problem. If it was a manufacturing defect, it would have broke a long time ago. If your car has the 3.3 liter, they have a known problem with the harmonic balancer's breaking, which allows vibration to go unchecked, and cause a crank to crack.