84-86 engine rebuilds

[hrscrk]

gents,

sold the black beauty and now am looking at a couple of 85-86 cabs....both had engines rebuilt at about 150,000, one replaced w/a crate engine...

is there something i should know about these motors......everything i've seen said they should go 200k w/no probs...

any ideas?

tx

[Arne2]

3.2 motors have a reputation for wearing out their original valve guides, and many need(ed) a top end job anywhere from 80-120k or so. Mine was done at 110k.

[BE911SC]

Make sure the oxygen sensor connections are not broken. And whether the brake wear indicators are connected or not.

[geoz]

wow, a new engine? I thought he 3.2s were pretty much bullet proof apart form the valve guide issue which means a top end rebuild. this was done on my car (87) before I bought it.

[hrscrk]

thanks. the black beaut only had 87 k on the odo when i sold her so i musta gotten out just in time

[aigel]

Rebuilt can mean a lot of things. Many just have the heads off and the valve guides fixed, as that's really the only thing that goes around 100-130k.

In both cases, I would like to see a receipt showing the entire build sheet. Post it here and we can give you more input. 150k without getting into the bottom end will be fine. They are good to 250k IMHO. But you want to avoid paying a huge premium if it hasn't been completely gone through.

HTH,

G

[motogman]

What are the tell tail signs that valve guides are worn? Can this be diagnosed in a PPI?

[88911coupe]

Supposedly some are able to "feel" the valve guide movement but I think this is more like something JW could do, not me. My '88 was using a lot of oil which is a major sign. I waited till my starter ring gear wore out and sort of forced the issue. I did a full rebuild rather than just a top end. As many point out you're 85% there with a top end anyway.

[yelcab1]

The other fairly well known but less popular reason is the con rod bots are thinner, and if you over rev the engine in a 3.2L, they will break leading to a full engine rebuild.