98 catera engine problems

Here i have a 98 catera...

I pulled off the intake and found foamy oil inside it
The car runs rich due to a vacuum line missing for the fuel pressure regulator...
Leaking coolant
Leaking oil from drivers side valve cover

Heres the real problem...
A decent knocking/ticking is heard from the motor. Not discinctly on one side or the other, the oil level was up to par when i purchased it with all these problems...
The oil should have been replaced in may of 06 but the car was not driven since... also really old gas in the car... SO... could the knocking be coming from old oil and gas or do i have to worry about head issues? I have the intake and valve covers off now... would be great to know if i have to take the heads off or not!

The knocking was pretty loud sounded something like a VW TDI!

so im in the process of putting rebuilt heads on the car and just wanted to let you guys know....

DONT BUY NAPA THERMOSTATS for the catera!!!!
the thermostat is built into the housing and the housing is defective. I tried 2 of them and the angle of the neck and depth of the neck is not the same at all, causing the extension pipe to be set at the WAY wrong angle and will not bolt up without breaking the extension pipe.... what a pain!!!

OK GUYS.... WHAT DO I DO HERE

I REPLACED THE HEADS WITH NEW REBUILT ONES
NEW HEAD GASKETS
NEW INTAKE GASKETS
NEW HEAD BOLTS
NEW TIMING BELT
NEW WATER PUMP
NEW THERMOSTAT
NEW EXHAUST GASKETS
NEW VALVE COVERS
NEW VALVE COVER GASKETS


I STILL HAVE A BAD TICK
I TEST DROVE THE CAR AFTERWARDS AND AT LEAST HAVE POWER NOW BUT THE OIL PRESSURE WAS SOMEWHAT LOW WITH THE OIL LIGHT ON... I PULLED IT BACK INTO THE GARAGE AND REVVED IT TO 4000 RPM AND LET OFF AND THE OIL PRESSURE DROPPED TO 0 AND DOESNT COME BACK UP.................... :banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead: :banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead: :banghead:

NOW I COME TO FIND OUT THE 3.0 HAS OIL PUMP OIL COOLER AND RELIEF VALVE PROBLEMS LEADING TO BEARING FAILURE AND THE PUMP IS A SON OF A GUN TO REPLACE MEANING TAKING ALMOST EVERYTHING I INSTALLED BACK OFF... WHAT DO I FREAKIN DO NOW....?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

im seriously so ticked off right now i could just strap a bomb onto this car and shoot a bazooka at it and watch the 2500 i have invested into this thing vanish into thin air

Yeah Cateras suck. Get a used engine is your only ecomonically feasible answer. Or try to sell the car to a Cadillac mechanic.

While the lose of pressure is a sign of worn bearings a leaking relief valve can cause problems. Disconnect the oil cooler and blow through with a air hose.
I haven't worked on this one but normally the relief valve is in the housing where you screw on the filter. Pull the unit off and check for a broken spring or badly worn parts. I think you will need an allen or torx to pull the spring.
If not bad pull the pan and check for a plugged strainer. From my past experience I would buy a rebuilt short block or have a machine shop bore it replace cam bearings and turn or polish the crank. Usually a rebuilt short block is cheaper. I was at a junk yard one morning and a man was getting a 3rd engine as all the previous engines had no oil pressure. The junk yard replaced free but he did all the work and paid for parts.

sorry about not getting back to this one sooner but after thorough research and digging into it... i pulled the main bearings and rod bearings and yea they were bad... i figured sure ill just swap em out wont be too bad the crank wasnt too bad... NOOOOOOOOO the bearings are DEALER ONLY and cost 100.00 a PIECE!!! over 1000 in bearings alone i think not... i just ended up putting in a junkyard motor and being done with it and sending it back to the owner... I have a pass side brand new head just sitting around right now btw if anyones interested 150 and its yours (plus shipping) (40.00) i paid 350 a piece for these...