I'm looking at grabing an engine and tranny during the "lovely" 1/2 off at Pick-n-Pull this weekend(sorry, night class fucks up any possibility of making the cleanup run:(:( )

Anyways, I'm going to drop the oil pans to check the cylinder walls. Should I pull bearing caps to check bearings?

I'm thinking of pulling the valve covers... what should I be checking for damage wise there?

Is there anyway to check a flexplate?

On the tranny, is there a way to just make sure it isn't completely fucked? It is going to be rebuild with a new output shaft no matter what... so I'm mostly concerned about the case and the "hard parts".

My plan is to "mix and match" an engine that I will at least refresh(gaskets, oil pump, water pump) if not rebuild. I'm definately looking at swaping oil pans between two engines(need a rear sump thanks:p) as well as the exhaust manifolds(need center dump thanks:p)

I did a search and didn't find anything :(

Any useful information would be GREATLY appreciated,
John

Originally posted by Lil'John
I'm looking at grabing an engine and tranny during the "lovely" 1/2 off at Pick-n-Pull this weekend(sorry, night class fucks up any possibility of making the cleanup run:(:( )

Anyways, I'm going to drop the oil pans to check the cylinder walls. Should I pull bearing caps to check bearings?

I'm thinking of pulling the valve covers... what should I be checking for damage wise there?

Is there anyway to check a flexplate?

On the tranny, is there a way to just make sure it isn't completely fucked? It is going to be rebuild with a new output shaft no matter what... so I'm mostly concerned about the case and the "hard parts".

My plan is to "mix and match" an engine that I will at least refresh(gaskets, oil pump, water pump) if not rebuild. I'm definately looking at swaping oil pans between two engines(need a rear sump thanks:p) as well as the exhaust manifolds(need center dump thanks:p)

I did a search and didn't find anything :(

Any useful information would be GREATLY appreciated,
John


I am not an expert on the issue, but here I what I do. THe first thing is to make sure the engine turns over. Second thing is to pull the spark plugs and see how the engine ran before it was sent to the junkyard. Check for compression in all cylinders by putting your finger over the hole while your buddy turns the motor over. Yes I would pull the pan, and check the bearings. I once pulled a cherry looking 460 that had a spun bearing, 1/4" was missing out of the crank. When you pull the valve covers, check for any broken springs, loose pushrods and valve keepers that are loose. Myself personally, I would replace all of the valve keepers anyways (I lost an engine once that way) Once again, have your buddy turn the motor over and check to make sure all of the valves open/close. If there is a bunch of crud in the pan/heads, you might think about passing up the motor, It might have been neglected, and ran too cold.(tho nothing might even be wrong with it. As far as the tranny goes, it is all gut instinct. If the vehicle was wrecked, it is guaranteed that the tranny at least kinda worked at one time before its death. I would check the pan for any large shavings of metal and debris. A small amount of metal is ok, but if you see more than that (like clutch material, or the intermediate band,) RUN AWAY! A flex plate is a flex plate. If you dont see any cracks, and the teeth on the ring gear look acceptable, you cant loose (usually) Just make sure that you are buying one that is balanced correctly for the motor you are buying it for.

Hope this helps

[edit] BTW buy the guarantee!!