Bad Connecting Rod Bearing --- Replace My Engine????

Hi,

I've got a '96 3.3L Dodge Intrepid with 152,000 miles. I've been hearing a "knocking" sound from the engine and brought it to a garage today. They said that the connecting rod bearings were damaged and mentioned something about having low oil pressure???? Anyway, I really like this car and am wondering what to do. The body is in good shape, I think that the transmission is OK, and I've replaced alot of the steering + suspension (steering rack, tie rods, sway bars). So...what do you think...do I have the engine replaced or do I just try to drive the last few thousand miles I can get out of the car? I basically want to do whatever costs less over the long run - right now I'm guessing that it's probably cheaper to ride my car to the death (the death of the car NOT ME! that is!) and then buy used again? Speaking of used cars which would you choose: Intrepid or Crown Victoria? Thanks for you help! - MATT, BOSTON MASS.

Reply to
Matt
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Well, it's debatable whether or not the engine will last another thousand miles. Rod bearing failures tend to lead to unpredictable and catastrophic engine failures, the kind that have you sitting in the middle of the road with an oil slick full of engine parts strewn out behind you.

Cheapest bet would be to get a low mileage junkyard engine and install that, replacing the headgaskets on it first if this is one of the Dodge engines that likes to eat gaskets. Next option would be to put a short block in it and have the heads reconditioned. Both options would probably be cost-prohibitive unless you can do the work yourself.

JazzMan

Reply to
JazzMan

A 96 car shouldn't go to junk this early. It's got a lot of life in it! A new car will cost you much more than you'd pay for a new engine so I say get the engine rebuilt or find a used one somewhere.

--Viktor

Reply to
electricked

Ditto on that. I just sent my brother a set of rod and amin bearings for a '68 IHC truck with a 304 V-8. The rear main is worn as are all rod bearings. The truck has only 58,000 miles on it when he bought it at auction last fall. Your car is too good to junk! My '84 Voyager is still too good to junk too. Get the drift? A newer used vehicle has no better guarantee than yours would have with a rebuilt/used engine.

Get the rod bearings replaced (if the main journals are not scored) at the least. OTOH, a good used engine will be your next bet.

Reply to
Ken Pisichko

Thanks for all this helpful info.! You know, I'm going to look into a reman'd engine. If the whole job (parts + labor is less than $3,000 I'll consider having the work done). Still got a couple of questions though... What about the transmission? Should anything be done with it? If the transmission also looks in bad shape, and you were standing in my shoes, would you still go forward w/ the engine replacement? And is there anything else in particular I should be considering here? Thanks again - MATT.

Reply to
Matt

Early 3.3 engines are also known for breaking off rocker shaft pedestals on the head, which makes a very loud rapping sound much like a dry lifter. If that's the problem, replacing the heads is much cheaper than a whole engine.

Pull the valve covers and look for signs of a cracked pedestal.

Reply to
Steve

||Hi, || ||I've got a '96 3.3L Dodge Intrepid with 152,000 miles. I've been ||hearing a "knocking" sound from the engine and brought it to a garage ||today. They said that the connecting rod bearings were damaged and ||mentioned something about having low oil pressure???? Anyway, I really ||like this car and am wondering what to do. The body is in good shape, ||I think that the transmission is OK, and I've replaced alot of the ||steering + suspension (steering rack, tie rods, sway bars). So...what ||do you think...do I have the engine replaced or do I just try to drive ||the last few thousand miles I can get out of the car? I basically want ||to do whatever costs less over the long run - right now I'm guessing ||that it's probably cheaper to ride my car to the death (the death of ||the car NOT ME! that is!) and then buy used again? Speaking of used ||cars which would you choose: Intrepid or Crown Victoria? Thanks for ||you help! - MATT, BOSTON MASS.

I was talking to a used car broke a few months ago who advised me to run away from any of the FWD Dodge products with the 2.7, and probably the larger variants, because they very often had serious engine problems. He said the salvage yards sold used engines as fast as they came in. Whether your engine is one of those with the problems he aluded to, I don't know, but be sure you aren't buying into another round of a flawed design. You might research that topic a bit before you decide what to do. There's a large website devoted specifically to Chrysler products.

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has lot of info about the 3.3LRex in Fort Worth

Reply to
Rex B

1) The 3.3 pre-dates the 2.7 and has no endemic problems other than the aforementioned rocker pedestal problem on early variants. 2) There ARE no "larger variants" of the 2.7. The 3.5 and 3.2 are a different design, and the 3.8 is an enlarged 3.3. The 2.7, while related to the others in that it shares bore spacing, is pretty much a beast of its own. For starters, its a hain-timed DOHC vs belt-timed SOHC (3.2 and 3.5) or pushrod (3.3 and 3.8)
Reply to
Steve

"Steve" wrote

Ah, nice, someone who actually knows what the hell they are talking about on the subject.

Ian

Reply to
shiden_Kai

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