may sound dumb, but can a main and/or rod bearings replacement job be done w/o completely taking the engine out of the truck?...2000 4.3 4x4 S10LS...Also..if I HAVE to go used engine replace vs. a bearing job, can ya point me to RELIABLE/trustworthy online engine sellers? I am having difficulty findin any sources other n junk yards in my area, plus i really dont wanna put a junk yard'er in this puppy...thanks

 

yes...this can be done in vehicle. remove the front diff, heads, crankshaft. You should be taking measurements...what if it needs machining? What is the problem? noise, low oil pressure? Slapping bearings in blindly is not engine rebuilding.

Phone some repair shops in your area and see who they use for autowreckers. they know who the goods one are. What do you think you are going to get off the internet for a used engine? What makes you think its any better than a wrecker? a good wrecker will provide warranty, they will know the mileage on the used engine and will have had it running.

 

just tryin' to wrap my head around the logic and am wonder'n why, if as u say yes, engine can stay in truck, that the heads and crankSHAFT also need to be removed...bearings are all below all that, except the upper bearings...and saw vids of bearings, including uppers, being installed w/crank still firmly in place in engine, albeit those vids all had engine out n' upside down-upper bearings are lightlty tapped and rolled/walked into their nesting spot...reason I am asking all this is truck has dev'l a recent and sudden engine knock, so am hopefull the short time since the knock started and me NOT driving the truck since the crank is still useble...if the engine HAS to come out to throw a bearing job at 'er, then I'll go the other motor, since the mech's labor is already there..I will not be doing this myself-dont have the necc tools...gonna pay a mech to do..once a mech has his peepers on the crank w/bearing removed, he should be able to tell if bearing replacement is a waste of time and if it is, the xtra labor from that point on of swappin engines is not a significant price adder
As far as junk yards...where I live it is a significant drive to any that have a good selection of ALREADY-REMOVED engines that they will STAND behind..I def dont wanna go to a "u-pull-it" place is what I meant

 

any good tech will measure the journals and plasti-gauge the clearances when new bearings are installed. if you replace bearings and the problem is with the journals you won't fix anything. What if the knock is a piston skirt issue?
if you want to take your chances and slide in bearings without checking anything you probably can do it without head removal.

 

k...thanks..what I needed to know

 

justa update...decided to do a full used engine swap and take my chances the replacement used engine isnt a lemon...screw it

 

what a joke...dropped my truck off for engine swap Dec 20 w/ a "reputable" shop, w/a good track record...btwn a blizzard, holidays, and a poorly-removed, poorly-shipped used engine, it is STILL in the shop 2+ weeks later...this is why i hesitate to use junkyards as a source for engines, but remans are totally overpriced...I bet my poor shop guy wont ever agree to do a V6 S10 engine swap after this...Chevy engineered that engine to use up as MUCH avail space as humanly possible in that engine bay...prob should have sacrificed power n went w/a 4 banger..Ida just went w/another used truck, but just couldnt find anything within a 250mi radius in as good a shape otherwise for the cost of an engine swap...Live n' learn, they say

 

..just an up date...after 3 weeks in the shop and a $1400 bill(does not include the cost of the used engine), got my S10 back..used engine came out of a '99 S15 GMC Sonoma w/125K on er that I order'd online off Ebay...been back on the road for about a month now and after chasing down a p0174 code (retorqu'd intake cover n replaced throttle body base gasket) and a non functional 4WD (clip broke @ vacumn actuator valve under battery tray), she purrs like a kitten...sendin a BIG shout out to my shop...bet that he (AND ME!) will think twice about agreeing to do another S10 V6 engine swap!! ;-)