1997 Monte Carlo V6 3.1 125,000 miles

JETJONES

MEMBER
1997 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO

When my car was towed to the repair shop it wasn't running at all, so the mechanic (with my approval) hoped that the problem was in the top side of the motor (please excuse my ignorance regarding this issue) and he repaired that, of course the problem was more severe and it seems it spun the main bearing. Now, what I'm asking, from a more informed source, would you recommend investing that much more $$, First let me explain that the repairs already performed only cost around $300, I'm told the remaining cost would be approx $800. The car body is in very good condition, the transmission appears to be intact, the interior also has been well cared for, it passed Missouri safety inspection about 2 months before it broke down. In summery, except for the main bearing, it hasn't given me any indication that it is on its last leg. Can you advise me, please?
Thank you for any light you can shed on this dilemma.

2 Replies

INDYUKE

MECHANIC
416 POSTS

A spun main bearing generally happens because of oil starvation. The bearing gets hot, melts, and "adheres" itself to the crankshaft and spins in it's jounel. That will spread metal particles throughout your engine and do damage to the journel.

Generally a spun bearing is cause for a rebuild, if for no other reason than to clean out the engine of metal pieces and line bore the bearing journels to repair and realign them. HOWEVER, I have personally known people to just drop the oil pan, unbolt the crank enough to replace the bad main bearing, button it up and on they go.

I would first, double check that it is in fact a spun bearing. IF it is a spun bearing and not something else that is easily repairable, then replace the engine with a remanufactured one. Don't mess with the old one. It's possible that it costs less to rebuild it, but downtime would be measured in weeks rather than days. I hope this helps.