89scottsdale

Recently bought a 2003 Silverado in literally MINT condition. Interior and exterior is close to new. it had 119 Miles off the lot and i have 121 Miles on it working. Engine oil is Clean, No black, Hasnt used a drop of oil.. Its a Sweet truck.. im getting 20MPG, Can go 500 miles on a full tank of premium, a Huge upgrade from my 1998 Dodge which got 10 if i was lucky.

Few things that im literally losing sleep over and cant stop worrying about. Im literally scared my Motor will explode and I owe money on a paperweight.

I can hear a tick under the motor. if i use a prybar and put my ear onto the Oil pan i hear it the best there. I pulled the serpentine and AC belts and the noise didnt change. I also get a little faint chatter when i start it but i was told it was normal for these trucks. im running AC Delco Filter and Valvoline oil. It isnt Loud.. but i know its there and its really making me nervous. (When my old 5.9L Dodge started ticking it ruined the motor)

Is this just a Chevy thing? or did i get screwed...

Ronin1014

I could be wrong but sounds like you have a bearing getting ready to let go, in other words, yes the motor is on it's last legs.

Can it be fixed? Yes, A spun bearing is a spun bearing, it could be as simple as replacing the failed bearing, but it is all ways in the best interest of the truck owner to do a bottom end rebuild and replace them all.

Can you fix it your self? Most likely not. Bottom end rebuild is not a simple task that can be google trained. If you or you have some mechanically inclined friends it might be doable but This is best left to service professionals.

Is it worth it to have it fixed? Might be. this is all highly contingent on how much you like the truck VS what the truck is valued at VS the repair cost. You are prolly looking at around a $1000 or so for repair.

When my 99 spun a bearing it sat decommissioned for several years until I went through and dropped $1100 in an effort to replace it my self, rebuild kit was around $500 which is the course I should have taken but that was my mistake. But our trucks are different so rebuild kit will not be the same, you'll have to research it.

89scottsdale

If that was the case wouldnt i lose oil pressure and have nasty oil?

I found a broken Exhaust header bolt on the rear driver side today. broke flush at the Header. I dont know if this can do it but i find it weird the sound is on the oil pan.. (Maybe the noise is echoing?

Ronin1014

No, when my truck had a spun bearing the oil and oil pressure were fine all around for a long time. What will happen is the sound will gradually get louder and become a knock and you'll notice power dropping.

Yes, you can still drive the truck, it's not like it's an active bomb or anything. That baring will continue to deteriorate and could spread damage to other components if not tended to in a reasonable amount of time.

As for the broken exhaust manifold bolt, the only thing that will do possibly cause a issue with the seal of the exhaust and maybe trip some sensors, it won't cause an internal noise.

89scottsdale

So what your saying is one day Your motor spun a bearing, it made a occasional faint ticking sound, and it was blown up? How in the hell does a motor blow up at 119K Miles thats literally been babied its whole life?

Ronin1014

No, not what I am saying at all, there is a big difference between a spun bearing and a blown up motor. Big Big Big, difference. There is no saving a blown up motor, we're talking cracked block and whatnot. We are not even close to that, nor will a spun bearing take it to that point.

What I am saying is my truck spun a bearing and I did not know nor did I have the money to get it fixed. It still ran and drove, it just sounded like a diesel motor with all the racket coming out of it. 500 bucks and a little know how and I could have fixed it. I am also saying you should be able to continue driving to work to make the money to get it fixed.

While you can baby a truck you can't baby all it's internal parts. What's more many people don't have a clue, they think babying a truck is keeping it clean, pretty and oil changed regularly, but while they are doing that they are driving it hard or like a moron putting undue stress on the motor and not even knowing it. Just driving it all those moving parts are doing their thing. Start towing or hauling, in general using it like a truck this is eventually going to happen. They think and claim they have babied it but in reality they drove the **** out of it. It is wear and tear from use, I have heard of people having bearings go out on them in under 50,000, so 119,000, it is possible, uncommon but possible. Mine crapped out around 180,000.

People will tell you a spun bearing is really bad and your truck is scrap bound, but that is not the case. Truth of the matter is, it is a major repair involving pieces deep within the motor it self. Many people simply do not have the patients to deal with this kind of repair.

You have two options here.



Speaking from experience here, changing the motor, could easily become more expensive than having it rebuilt, but it is a viable option. I made that mistake and still owe money on that screw up but my truck runs like a champ.

My recommendation, get the rebuild kit, you will rest easier knowing all the internal parts and gaskets are new and should be good for 150 to 200 thousand miles.

98k

I had a noise like that and ir was a loose flywheel