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Replace the engine or just replace the oil pan?

  • Just the oil pan, you've got good life left in the current engine

    Votes: 0 0%
  • Replace it with either engine

    Votes: 0 0%

New engine: Should I or not?

1.8K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  red-vette-ragtop  
#1 ·
Bought my 2014 Z51 convertible used with 140,000 miles on it. Long story short, I'm waiting for either GM to make a new oil pan or to miraculously find a used one somewhere (I've done an extensive search, dealer has done and is doing an extensive search to no avail. Dealer even trying to find a used engine to use the oil pan off of it for me.) I found a parts dealer with two engines, one with 37,000 miles, 6 mo unlimited mileage warranty for $7495 and one with 13,000 miles, same warranty for $8500. Would you just take advantage of the car being dissembled currently anyway and replace the whole engine? Or do you think my 140,000 mile engine is still good for some years. I have no idea of the previous owners' maintenance records as far as oil changes, etc. I do have an idea, though.
 
#5 ·
I think it matters how long you want to keep the car and what you do with it. If you only want to keep for a few yrs and just drive it around, then just keep the engine as is. You could do a valve job and pistons in a yr or two and the engine would last a long time. If you want to keep it long term and the rest of the car is in good shape, and you really like it then put a new engine in. LME makes great short block and long block engines.
The only reason I would put a different used engine in is to flip the car.

I did an engine swap in my 2016 Z06 at 50k mi. I significantly increased power. I dropped an LME short block in it. I sold the LT4 short block for $2k.


My 2 cents
 
#7 ·
I had to have some "underparts" leaf-spring, etc. replaced from hitting a raised man-hole cover a few years ago. The oil pan was scratched and had only cosmetic injuries. It was included in the claim and replaced at the dealership. I kept the old one because there's nothing wrong with it and it's stashed in the basement. If you decide to replace yours, I'm open to selling mine. Let me know if you are interested.
 
#8 ·
I appreciate the comments made. I've been super busy starting teaching the first weeks of school here, so that's why the delay of my response.

The story behind the oil pan is...well first, I bought the car sight unseen from a private owner. Discovered a few things wrong with it, some of which, I don't know if it was the previous owner or the original owner's fault. At any rate, took it in because I could smell gas fumes in the cabin and trunk after a fill. Also had a problem when I filled it up, it backwashed at the nozzle shutoff. Took the car in and they discovered that the fuel sensors were bad on the gas tanks. While the tanks were down, they discovered that the aperture (I don't know what to call it) where the gas pump nozzle goes into the tank was at one point broken off (how does that happen?) and was "fixed" by some glue. Therefore it was not within spec and certainly did not allow gas to properly fill the tank and caused the backwash when the tank got full. So the tank had to be replaced. (Dealer found a used one to save me money and parts for these C7s are weeks from coming from GM.) Then, when it was up on the rack, they saw that at one point, the car must have hit something hard because the engine cradle of the frame had a hole in it and it was bent. This also caused problems with the motor mounts and this also pushed into the oil pan, creating a small dent and small crack. There is no oil pan to be found in any salvage yard or parts store anywhere in the country and so they finally relented and figured out they yes, this aluminum pan could be fixed by welding it. So that's the long story. The good and (expensive) final ending of the story is that I finally have my car back.

Now it's just little things I'm tending to, like I replaced the trunk lift supports and other annoying things like I need to find a pair of sunvisor vanity mirror cover replacement lids, which seems impossible to find. Plenty of those for C6's out there, but not for C7's.
 
#9 ·
I had to have some "underparts" leaf-spring, etc. replaced from hitting a raised man-hole cover a few years ago. The oil pan was scratched and had only cosmetic injuries. It was included in the claim and replaced at the dealership. I kept the old one because there's nothing wrong with it and it's stashed in the basement. If you decide to replace yours, I'm open to selling mine. Let me know if you are interested.
Thanks, buddy, I might have taken you up on that.