Crank No Start

[j cAT]

your truck is the 5L engine ....the engine is a 200K miles total damage.... the 5.7L engines of the trucks are 400K miles looks great ..

[Trio3b]

Hallelujah to Schurkey! Appears to be no coolant in the oil. Passed the "cook and crackle test" - cook a couple drops of oil from dipstick in cup of tin foil and listen for crackling. (This has to be done after engine has run to allow coolant and oil to mix). Then pulled drain plug after engine cool to allow potential coolant to settle to bottom of pan. None found.
1.Still have coolant disappearing though. Is there any way the coolant is being suck directly into the cylinders and burned?
2.There are two wet spots of coolant - one up by the intake manifold and one down near the lower radiator hose. The amount in those locations is not even puddled, it's just wet which to me doesn't explain the amount of coolant I have to keep replacing . That's why I asked coolant being burned. Radiator was replaced last year so no problem there. I will address the Leaky hose/ radiator joint. We'll have to think about a manifold gasket job. Done several of those on Buicks and although doable, it's not fun.

Electrical connections to fuel pump front and back appear mechanically and Visually to be good, but that's not always a guarantee proper voltage/amperage. Still gotta use starter fluid occasionally so there's that but at least I can use the truck now. Will keep posted

[Blue Bowtie]

Intake gaskets can also leak into an intake runner(s) and not necessarily have a path to the crankcase (mix with oil). Any coolant leak into intake tract leak would be amplified when the engine is running due to the intake runners being in a vacuum. Coolant would burn/vaporize in the combustion cycle and be ejected with the exhaust. There would be no indication of dripping, pooling, or external loss.

You mentioned in post #6 that "Old plugs appeared ok" but did any of them appear cleaner than the rest? That could be an indication of the presence of coolant in that chamber.

The fact that you found no traces of coolant in the oil is a really good thing, since the chance of wiping out main and rod bearings is minimized.

[Trio3b]

One plug did appear half black half tan I thought was odd. I generally number everything as it comes off the engine as a reference but been pretty slammed lately so it's possible I missed it. Will check new plugs in a couple weeks. I'm thinking maybe a block test would help?

[Trio3b]

BlueBowtie must be clairvoyant. Started truck yesterday and spun 3-4 revs and stopped dead cold. Did it again for 3-4 more revs and stopped cold again. Where have I heard that sound before? Oh yea. When intake manifold gasket failed on LeSabre and engine hydrolocked! So...finally got motor running and thick clouds of white smoke filled driveway along with #6 misfire and 3-4 other DTC codes. (Forgot what they are right now). Pretty good indicator THAT'S where all my coolant has been going! Pretty sure motor is tired at 170k miles. I could have top end redone and fix the issue but then would put a lot of new stress on the bottom end and risk losing engine months later. I think I'm gonna confirm with my mechanic and look into a Jasper reman with 3yr/100k mile warranty. Considering what new pickup trucks are going for, and not wanting someone else's problems, I think thats a better option. Transmission is good and even if it went out a year from now that's about $2200 + $3500 for the new motor at least I know what I have.

[Blue Bowtie]

It's tough to argue with that assessment. At 100K, it would be sensible to take care of the top end and expect another 100K out of it. At 170K, the return on investment (both cash and time) is less certain. A rebuild with all the upgrades to address known issues seems like a ticket to another 150K+ of reliable driving, whether the rest of the driveline wants to play along or not.

Then again, it's easy for me to spend your money.

[ASJT3]

Originally Posted by Blue Bowtie

It's tough to argue with that assessment. At 100K, it would be sensible to take care of the top end and expect another 100K out of it. At 170K, the return on investment (both cash and time) is less certain. A rebuild with all the upgrades to address known issues seems like a ticket to another 150K+ of reliable driving, whether the rest of the driveline wants to play along or not.

Then again, it's easy for me to spend your money.

Just for my education, what are we contemplating here? Sounds like a new intake manifold gasket is the fix so why are we talking about replacing the engine? Last time I did an intake manifold on a 350 vortec was less than 8 hours, I'd say that's worth it to keep the truck running for occasional use, but maybe I'm missing something...

[j cAT]

the 5L engine is 200K miles then its done !

[Blue Bowtie]

A '97 pickup in New Mexico is usually a little different compared to a '97 pickup on the DelMarVa peninsula. The one out west might actually have a body, frame, and some service life left in it. A '97 pickup here along the Wisco/Ill-noise border probably has seen 300K miles and been crushed for the metal to make six Toyotas by now.

It also seems that "could have the top end redone" means paying shop labor and parts to swap intake gaskets and potentially get it running for a while. Since it is possible that coolant has already gone where no coolant has gone before, there is the chance that bearings may have been washed. Add to that the 170K or timing chain stretch, ring wear, bore tapering, and oil pump gears spinning, a 305 can't be expected to be factory fresh at that point.

If it were mine, I'd probably reseal the top end and keep an eye on it. If Trio is paying to have the work done instead of DIY, I can understand the curiosity over the benefits of an engine swap with a guaranty for $3K or top end repair for probably most of $1K with no guaranty beyond the fact that the mechanic will deposit your check. A reman L31 (roller cam 350 Vortec) can still be had for under $1,800 minus the intake and oil pan, so the interest in the swap is understandable.

[Trio3b]

Mechanic confirmed fairly extensive coolant leak into the engine. Redoing intake manifold was an option, however I've decided to pull the trigger on a reman engine with warranty. Shop called and confirmed my suspicions about a weak fuel pump and a new Gremlin reared it's ugly head. Apparently the old distributor had enough slop in it where he had trouble with timing on the new engine. So we're doing a new distributor and a new fuel pump. It's going to run a little more than I thought but like I said, I'm in no mood to drop 15K on a used truck with who knows what going on. Over the past couple thousand miles I've got pretty much a new cooling system, (radiator, all hoses, wp, thermo) mostly new ignition, and now with a new fuel pump I should be okay for 3 -5 more years. I appreciate all the suggestions. Now I gotta get back to two LeSabres with high STFTrims. See you in the Buick forums.

[Blue Bowtie]

I hope it works out for you. A fresh engine should give some peace of mind for quite a long while.

[j cAT]

the 5l engine changed it ...... then the junkyard changed the engine .
how many miles of that junkyard engine .