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Advice for my 99 Suburban

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  • pronstar

    TGT Addict
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    2   0   0
    Jul 2, 2017
    10,542
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    Dallas
    My Suburban has a coolant leak at the head gasket, and I’m sort of at a crossroads. Hoping to hear your opinion in next steps.

    Head gasket replacement including machining the mating surfaces will be $650 for one bank, $800 for both.
    Or I can have a crate motor installed for $400, plus the cost of the motor.

    I’m thinking I run it until the gasket blows, leaving me stranded on the side of the road LOL then drop a $2500 mild crate motor in it...house renovations means the HT383E GMPP crate motor I want is out of the question.

    Truck is worth more to me than the $4k I can sell it for on a good day.

    WWTGTD?

    A little context:
    It’s in great condition. 140k miles.
    New tranny, all-new front suspension and steering.
    New wheels and tires, shocks etc.

    Motor has a slight high rpm misfire and pings unless I run premium...runs great but hesitant to put money into it without going thru the whole motor...at which point a rebuild vs crate motor are about the same cost.
    Texas SOT
     

    Sam7sf

    TGT Addict
    Lifetime Member
    Rating - 100%
    10   0   0
    Apr 13, 2018
    12,466
    96
    Texas
    My Suburban has a coolant leak at the head gasket, and I’m sort of at a crossroads. Hoping to hear your opinion in next steps.

    Head gasket replacement including machining the mating surfaces will be $650 for one bank, $800 for both.
    Or I can have a crate motor installed for $400, plus the cost of the motor.

    I’m thinking I run it until the gasket blows, leaving me stranded on the side of the road LOL then drop a $2500 mild crate motor in it...house renovations means the HT383E GMPP crate motor I want is out of the question.

    Truck is worth more to me than the $4k I can sell it for on a good day.

    WWTGTD?

    A little context:
    It’s in great condition. 140k miles.
    New tranny, all-new front suspension and steering.
    New wheels and tires, shocks etc.

    Motor has a slight high rpm misfire and pings unless I run premium...runs great but hesitant to put money into it without going thru the whole motor...at which point a rebuild vs crate motor are about the same cost.
    That’s a high price to mill those heads.

    My vote is for a crate engine.
     
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jan 5, 2012
    18,591
    96
    HK
    Only the head gets milled if it's warped. It's not worth messing with the block. The junk yard has 20-40 sets of heads.

    A blown gasket doesn't mean things are warped. Last engine head I had milled was off a 4 cylinder Toyota. $150(?). Gasket kit was around $70.

    Back in the day the dirty way of dealing with it was to pour some stuff called 'Liquid Glass' into the radiator. You'd get it at the pharmacy. Came in a clear glass jug. It looks like sugar syrup. Air hardens into something that looks like glass.

    It's a quick temporary fix for cracked blocks, heads, rusty freeze plugs and supposedly head gasket leaks between the coolant passages and combustion chamber.
     
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jan 5, 2012
    18,591
    96
    HK
    The pinging has busted every top piston ring in the set. The pre ignition tears the hell out the motor.

    You can find used vortex motors. Stick a used one in it and drive it like you're running from the cops. It's cheap enough. Stick a bunch of magnets to the oil filter.

    Make sure you clean the throttle body. Clean the MAP sensor wire( if it has a MAP?). Most of the pinging are from the current state of the electronic devices.
     

    pronstar

    TGT Addict
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    2   0   0
    Jul 2, 2017
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    Dallas
    Used or crate...I’d lean toward crate so I know what I’m getting.

    Any thoughts on which to buy?

    Jasper makes it easy, mild build with RV-type cam for $2400 with a warranty.

    I’d love to buy from a local builder if possible.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
     
    Last edited:

    Sam7sf

    TGT Addict
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    10   0   0
    Apr 13, 2018
    12,466
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    Texas
    Used or crate...I’d lean toward crate son in ow what I’m getting.

    Any thoughts on which to buy?

    Jasper makes it easy, mild build with RV-type cam for $2400 with a warranty.

    I’d love to buy from a local builder if possible.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
    Gotta love gm crate options. Plenty at a nice price. When I had my Chevy luv, I recall seeing some mild builds for around 3k delivered. I wouldn’t shy away from ordering online.
     
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    HK

    SloppyShooter

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    Apr 24, 2018
    2,359
    96
    White Settlement, Texas
    Meanwhile, I would drop $50 on a snake oil gasket sealer from ORiellys and drive it until it starts leaking again instead of blowing it up on the road.

    I wouldn't say pinging has damaged anything unless you ignored it and done it a lot. It's definitely tough on an engine, but a compression check should verify that your rings are OK...( except the leaky cylinder will test low.)

    Or....you could just get a Ford. :what::laughing:
     
    Every Day Man
    Tyrant

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