obviously im new here, me and my wife just got a 1996 chevy blazer, bought it from a friend, or thats what we thought anyways, he is a machanic, said it was in great running shape, the engine in it is from an 02, we didnt notice anyhting about it at first, because at his home we just drove it around the yard, it had no tag, after we bought it and got it home we had to wait a couple weeks before we could get a tag on it, i live in the woods and there is a little gas station right down from my house, so i drove the blazer down to the gas station one day while my wife was at work, and i noticed a knocking sound, now im not a machanic, i can work on cars, but im no good at diagnosing the problem, but i had heard what i thought was a similar sound before, and so i thought it was a valve tapping, the time before when i heard this it was a 67 f-100, so i poured a cap full of trans fluid in the carb and it cleared it up, that didnt work here, i used the vacuum line to take in a cap full of trans fluid and it didnt help, so i took it to my old machanic.... long story short its a rod and piston issue, at this point i have heard this from 3 seperate machanics, one i 100% trust, he wont lie to me to get a job, the other two were refered to me and i was told were trust worthy people, thought right now im a sceptic because if the so called friend we got it from............


anyway, i have to replace the engine, im told this a better option then fixing the one thats in the blazer now, what are my options? is there any other engines that will fit and bolt to the same tranny? or is the 4.3l my only issue, if a v8 will fit i have no issue going that route, though i would prefer the 4.3 because it will be less work, im just trying to figure out my options. im on a tight budget, as of now i have about $50, lol. so this is going to be an interesting ride.

 

Just to back up a bit because one thing stands out to me here. What was done with the knock sensor? Your '96 has a screw in style while the '02 would have come with a bolt on style. Did you attempt to retain the bolt in style? If so, the PCM cannot properly utilize this sensor and you could be experiencing really strong detonation. If it hasn't already damaged your bottom end, I would hate to see it damage the new bottom end as well. But it is could be the whole problem.

It would be cheaper to rebuild your current engine providing that there is little permanent damage done.

 

the guy we got it from did the engine change about a year ago or so, not sure about this sensor, i could check if you tell me how? also, from what i was told this knock is pretty bad, it sounds worse then it did just 2-3 weeks ago, this is our only vehicle, i lost my job do to an off the job leg injury, so she is the only one working right now and i have to be able to do this quickly, one day is great, two days is doable, and 3 days we might be able to pull off, if its able to be rebuilt i thinki would prefer doing that, all the work will be done by me and a friend of mine, im new to chevy, my previous vehicles were ford and dodge (please, no badgering, lol) so i have no real knowledge about these engines.just so you know. lol. thanks in advance for the help by the way.

 

The KS is on the back of the block between the distributor and the brake booster:


If the knock is that bad, it likely is a bottom end problem.

 

thanks, i will try and take a look when the wife gets home wiht it, its with here at her work right now.... if i have to replace the engine, and i have to go with a v8 (305?) how big of a deal is it with the wires? from what i have found looking around online and such is that it will bolt to the tranny but there may be wiring issues, also, while looking for an engine should i find one that has the screw on style KS? or is it not so big a deal to use an engine that has bolt on and it just needs to be done prperly?

 

A V8 swap requires wiring, programming, and some fab work to get everything to live happily. I wouldn't call this a budget friendly conversion even in the slightest. The PCM can be reprogrammed and rewired to work with an SCFI v8 from a fullsize pickup. The fuel system should support a v8 as well. Much of the wiring/sensors/etc swap over, but some wiring may need to be extended to reach.

Have a read through ZR2Mike's V8 Swap webpage.

The two KS designs are not compatible from a PCM stand point. The sensor types are physically different in both their attachment methods and their output. The hole for the bolt on style KS can be drilled & tapped for the 1/4" NPT thread on KS.

 

so basically, stick with the v-6 and find an older one, what years am i looking for? no older then 94? and when did they change from the screw style to bolt style? if im looking around and cant find one then thats what i need to get, make it easier, thus cheaper and faster to do, time is money.

 

You can use any 96+ engine. Your '02 engine can be modified to work with the older KS.

 

alright, as long as someone can tell me how to do it then were good. lol. i have some truck parts from my old f-150 i just posted on craiglsit, hopefully i can get an engine withina couple weeks, dont know how long this engine is gonna last us.

 

Already detailed that for you above; quoted below: