So I'm home in the states for a couple weeks, and my buddy tells me he blew up the motor in his work truck. It's a '98 Chevy K2500 extended cab with the Vortec 5.7/350 and auto-trans. He's a contractor, truck was loaded down with tools/supplies and also towing a 15' or so enclosed trailer loaded with more tools. This is what he told me- He was going wide open up a fairly steep grade at about 65-70mph. He said it made some pretty loud clunking noises and started slowing down...rpm's were climbing but the truck was slowing down. He called a tow truck, had it towed to my gramps place. The tow truck driver told him that the oil filter was missing, there was no oil in the truck and the engine had seized. 
That obviously freaked him out....he relies on the truck for work, and he had just lost his job and was on the way to a job interview.
It sat for a few days till he decided to check it out himself. That was yesterday, I was there too. The oil filter was there, there was oil in the truck and the motor was certainly NOT seized.
After we charged up the battery, the engined fired up just fine, but there were some pretty damn loud and scary sounding noises coming from somewhere. It's a loud clunking and chirping/squeaking noise that sounds like its coming from the bellhousing area....broken flex plate or torque converter? Sounds like a steel rubbing on aluminum sound. The sound changes in pitch and frequency when the trans is shifted into gear. The trans was a brand new rebuilt unit 3-4 years ago. Fluid in the trans still looks pink and doesn't smell burnt.
It has good oil pressure and starts just fine, the oil looks good, dirty, but nothing obvious about it. It idles ok, smooth and even. The sound it makes seems too slow in frequency to be a busted/broken push rod, rocker arm etc. And if were anything top end related, wouldn't it have an effect on how the engine idles?
I'm just trying to get some ideas before we rip into it. The first thing we're gonna do is pull the converter back and fire it up to pinpoint weather the noise is coming from the engine or trans. That's if the flex plate/torque converter doesn't fall out in pieces when we unbolt the inspection cover.
He said he's had to replace the flexplate a couple times. My feeling is something trans/torque converter/flexplate related. We'll see.
I'd approciate any input you guys have.
That obviously freaked him out....he relies on the truck for work, and he had just lost his job and was on the way to a job interview. It sat for a few days till he decided to check it out himself. That was yesterday, I was there too. The oil filter was there, there was oil in the truck and the motor was certainly NOT seized.
After we charged up the battery, the engined fired up just fine, but there were some pretty damn loud and scary sounding noises coming from somewhere. It's a loud clunking and chirping/squeaking noise that sounds like its coming from the bellhousing area....broken flex plate or torque converter? Sounds like a steel rubbing on aluminum sound. The sound changes in pitch and frequency when the trans is shifted into gear. The trans was a brand new rebuilt unit 3-4 years ago. Fluid in the trans still looks pink and doesn't smell burnt.It has good oil pressure and starts just fine, the oil looks good, dirty, but nothing obvious about it. It idles ok, smooth and even. The sound it makes seems too slow in frequency to be a busted/broken push rod, rocker arm etc. And if were anything top end related, wouldn't it have an effect on how the engine idles?
I'm just trying to get some ideas before we rip into it. The first thing we're gonna do is pull the converter back and fire it up to pinpoint weather the noise is coming from the engine or trans. That's if the flex plate/torque converter doesn't fall out in pieces when we unbolt the inspection cover.
He said he's had to replace the flexplate a couple times. My feeling is something trans/torque converter/flexplate related. We'll see.I'd approciate any input you guys have.
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