just to ask, is dropping the pan as simple as draining the oil and removing the bolts, or is there something attached that might ruin a good weekend?

three possibilities i see

1. rod bearings are shot/oil pump sludged up

2. timing chain gears are failing (would explain the erratic running at higher rpm)

3. balance shaft? is that the same as a camshaft?

i doubt it is the balancer as there is no free play. i had a Buick with the LN3 which ...

i have already done that. if the balancer had failed i would be able to rotate it freely a bit each way. it would also go away under load. though a horrific noise on its own, harmonic balancer knock happens most at idle.

it is possible the 30 weight was actually keeping my dying engine alive or ...

a misfire that only happens in OD?

two things i want to do.

1. drop oil pan and inspect rod bearings (if only for peace of mind)

2. check/replace timing chain and gears (and the camshaft magnet which fell off long before i got the car)

i have tried the old 'pull a plug wire to see if knocking ...

yup. very badly. but mounts are fine. i checked fluid and it was normal, too. the shaking is my engine pulsating like it is badly misfiring. at higher rpm it sounds like it is badly out of time and runs horridly. is fine below 2krpm.

it makes it to 40mph no problem but refuses to sustain speeds at ...

it goes over 2500rpm at around 45, and would kick into OD at 48-50. soon as it his OD though there is absolutely zero power, and it loses speed then drops out of OD and thrashes all to hell. where i have to go is a 55mph speed limit, and tons of cops who would frown on any car that tootles along at ...

ok, an update.

i tried changing the oil (again) and filter. no dice. removed the belt. the squeak is gone but it is still thrashing. tried removing the valve covers hoping to find a dropped lifter, stuck valve, or bent/broken pushrod. nope. definitely bottom end.

i have a dilemma. i do not think i ...

i live in Kentucky. (owensboro)

going by videos of 3800s online with failed or spun bearings they sound exactly like mine. the squeaky squeak and horrid thrashing on higher rpm and all.

when i mentioned swapping the bearings i was intending to make it the 30 miles to the junkyard and drop it off ...

well my next car will only get SAE 30 since it has never let me down, plus I stick with what has worked. I will never use 10w30 ever again. i really liked this car and that was all that changed. and now it is dying. too many miles it really needed 30W.

now all i can hope for is it actually making ...

I really wish I could figure out what this is. is it a spun bearing? what I don't understand is the sudden nature of it. how does a known reliable engine go from running Great to this in an instant without warning ?

seems to me that running the 'called for oil' ended up destroying this engine. with ...

Here's another video, with my driving it. i'm afraid to go past 35 or accelerate too fast as it really gets horrible sounding if i do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V835If-7gc4&feature=youtu.be


to answer other questions posted, i have been running SAE 30 in every car i owned. it has never failed ...

well whatever is it sounds horrible it only got worse today when I went to the park. no belt Play I checked it twice. I Will try to Get a recording while driving if it helps.

The hydrolock was the first sign i had of the LIM problem. that was a long time ago. it was fixed a month or so later, and ...

i have had a Buick in the past with a harmonic balancer knock (the LN3 was notorious for it) but doesn't that go away with revving the engine up? isn't there free play where you can rotate the accessory belt to notice? this one seems to get worse (you can hear it when revving it in the end of the ...

the vacuum flourescent display might have kicked the bucket too. that's all it is, projected through a mirror or something. mine is dim, enough that you cannot see it during the day, so it's probably on its way out, too. just our vehicles showing their age.

it was fine a few days ago. went to get a pizza and now it does this. runs fine otherwise, no laboring or trouble turning over, idles fine, can't use overdrive though...it has oil and oil pressure, no metal filings in the oil that is on the dipstick, actually looks pretty clean. it is also squeaking ...

opened the hood again and it is not knocking but it is squeaking. sound is definitely coming from the place where the transmission connects to the engine, if that helps.

has to be the TC. soon as i get to 45-47, you feel it lock in, instant blood-curdling squeal and loss of power. drop to third ...

oil is black on the stick but normal otherwise. no problems turning over. i think going five miles or so would tell me something, but it still runs. i'm lost on this one. i'm taking it home later and parking it until i know what the problem is.

I have no misfire that i know of, normal oil pressure ...

all i know is it sounds horrible. would an alternator cause a sudden loss of power at highway speed? i just took it to get dinner, about 5 miles and it still starts and runs fine otherwise (runs fine at low speed, and i'm afraid of going faster than 45 until i know what it is)

it does not labor at ...

last week my heater core went out and started shooting coolant into my floor as i was pulling into the driveway. i parked it, it did not overheat or anything, and it sat this week as i took my scooter out instead to work.

so i have fixed the heater core, now i go to start the engine and hear this ...

Harmonic balancer knock is horrific and sounds like your engine is about to explode. Embarrassing in traffic.

If you have it, with the engine off, you should be able to rotate the accessory belt easily back and forth freely too.