97 suburban 2 wd

[713htown]

Hi i got a 97 suburban with a 5.7l 2 wd i need to fix my engine its got 700,000 miles on it,
And its leakin water into the oil plus when its kind a cold it knocks but after gets warm
Knocking goes away.
I still want to keep same engine but i want to have more horsepower not racing but something
A little bit more hp what dou yall guys recomend me.
My budget is kinda low looking to spend around 1,800.

[96ImpSS]

You're kidding us, right?! 700,000 miles?
With that kind of mileage, pull it out of there and replace it with a low mileage junkyard Vortec. The same engine with headers and a custom tune will get you that bump in horsepower.
I would have said go with a new crate motor, but your 1800 budget won't cover that.

[Low97tahoE]

i agree with 96ImpSS, you can get off pretty cheap just by throwing in a junkyard vortec with headers and a tune, u will notice a huge increase just having a motor with low miles, plus the tune and headers will give u another 20-30hp...thats a crapload of miles, and if u gotta take it out anyway, might as well replace it

[713htown]

I found on the web a engine overhaul kit for $693.00 everithing is federal mogul and mellings and steve o lite
Parts everything its for stock parts should i get that kit and buy me a mild cam with diferent valves. Also
A friend that works on oreyllis told me to change my intake manifold and
Headers and a magnaflow. What else. Can you recomend me .

[daved931]

Another vote for a junkyard engine here. Don't waste your time and money. Just get a running junkyard engine and go.



This could be a long shot, but you could always get in touch with GM and tell them you're a loyal customer with a 700,000 mile truck and you'd like a break on a crate engine for your truck.

[96ImpSS]

Trying to rebuild a 700,000 motor with a "$693 kit" is a can of worms you don't want to open.
Get the junkyard engine. I have a feeling that the engine swap alone is as much as you want to tackle.
Your friend at O'Reillys isn't going to be much help to you. You're far from needing an intake manifold swap.

Good advice about contacting GM.....700k doesn't happen every day!

[94_c/1500]

You can't just replace parts on an engine and it last forever. There's alot of machine work too. There's so much more than just bolting on parts. My advice to you is go to a well respected garage in your area and get a quote. If it's in your price range, go for it. Second best option for you is to use a used engine. You're gonna need one from a '96 or newer. And make sure it's a 350, not a 305.

[713htown]

Thanks i think im going with your
suggestions of the junkyard engine
Once installed what else can I
change to make it sound like a hp engine.

[tahoe 9955]

junkyard engine X5

[daved931]

Thanks i think im going with your
suggestions of the junkyard engine
Once installed what else can I
change to make it sound like a hp engine.

Exhaust

[bored&stroked]

$1800 is plenty of money for a rebuild on your current engine if you assemble yourself but it doesn't sound like your at that level of mechanics. Your buddy at the auto parts store has no idea what he's talking about BTW. The only intake manifold option you have is a marine intake and thats only if you want a different injector setup [you dont].

[Doober]

All that engine BLOCK may need is an overbore so long as there isn't too much wear in the cylinders, but I would have a machine shop look at the rotating assembly as well. You would probably be looking at pistons/rings, bearings at the very least. I would look at deck/cylinder head straightness if water is getting into the oil as well... you may be lucky and it would just be a head gasket, especially with that many miles. There's no reason that engine can't be rebuilt outside the cylinder walls being too worn. The knocking could just be piston slap from worn walls/pistons, or crud in the lifters not allowing them to fill with oil properly... on the other hand it very well could be bearings with water in the oil, but usually if the knock is in the bottom end it doesn't go away. If you don't want to tackle the assembly yourself, I would also look into a rebuilt short block, especially if your heads are good (another oil-in-water possibility).

OR... you could just go with a reman long block, but a local shop could possibly get you a better price, plus it would be a local shop that could answer any questions you have... not someone that doesn't know what they're talking about at Freddy's Auto Parts.
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/1997-GMC-C1500-1-2ton-P-U-2WD/Engine/_/N-j9apzZ9enw6?filterByKeyWord=engine&fromString=search