I bought a 99 3.8 knowing it had rod knock. I am not wanting to build a new car or a hot rod I just want to get the car back into reasonably dependable driving shape. I have found a few engines in Junk yards. I can get an engine out of a 2000 with only 70,000 miles for an even $1000, one out of a 1998 with 120,000 miles for $850 or I can get a long block from a front wheel drive Regal, Delta 88, or other with about 80,000 miles for $600 that is supposed to be compatible.

Which route would you take and what would you do to prep the used engine?

For example say you got one from a Camaro with exhaust manifolds, Intake, and Oil pan attached. Would you pull them off and replace the gasket or use the existing?

 

For the motor with the rod knock i would pull it apart do an inspection on the internals? If the crank is worn have it spun and buy new rods and undersized bearings. And the others really depends on the condition of the motors. Find the one you trust the most or have someone with knowledge of motors help u pick. Get the one you believe will have the least amount of problems. It will save lots of time and end the long run possibly lots of money.

 

You will want to replace the intake gasket set, valve cover gaskets, check the rear main for leaks as well as the oil pan gasket for leaks. Its alot easier to correct these issues before you put the motor in. Also, replace your plugs while you can get to them easier. If you plan on getting under the valve cover on the passenger side, remove the rear lift bracket before putting the engine in the car. You will also want to break the O2 sensors loose if they are rusted into the manifolds so if you need to replace them, you can unscrew them.

If you get the long block, you basically are going to have to swap over everything from your original motor.

Change the oil and filter, PCV valve, new plug wires, injector orings (should come with the intake gasket set) and if you want to close the hood and be done with it, flush the rad, new radiator hoses, serpentine belt or if you luck is like mine, you will have to do that next.

 

Most likely the long block. All those prices are steep. The engine lift bracket on the passanger side should be removed because it is a pain with the engine
installed. Shop around for a better price

 

I bought my new engine from a local yard for $500 out of a 2001 Bonneville with 70K on it. That was 1/2 the miles of my car so I was happy. The FWD engines are compatable from 96-05.

Search around here a little to find a similar post that I replied to that shows what needs to be changed and what you can keep from a FWD engine to a Camaro Engine.

I think I may just need to make a write up and have it stickied since it is becoming a very common question now-a-days

Massey

 

Massey, PM me a link and I'll sticky it.
I would buy a rebuild kit for it and go from there. Spray it down with oven cleaner once its apart and scrub with and old toothbrush than pressure wash (like at a carwash). Dry it off, spray with wd40 to prevent rust, paint it and rebuild it. Do the same to the old one and e-bay it.

 

Maybe you should keep looking. It took me a month or two to find a good deal on a motor. I found a 02 motor with 48K on it for $650, I used most of the parts off of it because they 6 years newer with 100K less miles. At the time I could have found a FWD long block in the same condition for about $500. For all the extra low miles part where worth the $150 to me.
As for what to do with the motor will depend on its condition. Intake is a no brainer. Any original lower intake should be resealed (replace plastic elbow). When I pulled my intake it was super clean and the motor show no signs of any other leaks so I put it back together. If I had found any signs of misuse or any other problems I would have redone the head gaskets. Like Osduck said look for leaks. At 80K and up I would be very tempted to do head gaskets , mains and oil pan.
Your 99 has the cast manifold so doing headers at this time makes a lot of sense. You are going to have all that apart anyway might as well install a set of headers.
Might help you in your motor search:
http://car-part.com/
Click on my build thread in my sig for more details

 

im gonna put my 2 cents in and say the best ones to look for if your going the junkyard route is go for one that has been totaled out by a insurance company. one where it looks it hit something hard, cause then you know it was running when it crashed. but no matter what you do, freshen up the motor with new gaskets and inspect the bearings! nothing worse then installing a motor and having a rear main leak, or worse, a rod knock and having to do it all over again but broke

 

I appreciate all the responses. I am still not sure what I am going to do here. I have called around to about a dozen junk yards and the cheapest engine I can find out of a camaro or firebird is $800 and that would have over 100,000 miles. I can get a FWD long block for about $600 and those are the prices.

I just do not want to end up with $5000 dollars in a car that is not worth but $3000

My original question centered around not knowing how long the used engine has been sitting still and starting and engine that has been sitting up for a while.

 

At least change the oil and filter. Depending on how long it has been sitting, you might want to at least rotate the engine over a couple times by hand before throwing the power to it.