95 3100 Problems!!!

[TRayford]

Allright Guys,
Sorry this is a long post but I need help badly! I'm ready to push this *&%#@ car in the lake! First, this is my wifes '96 Monte Carlo. It didn't have oil pressure, and lotsa miles so I pulled the engine. The owner (a buddy) of the wrecking yard told me to find a mtr and I could have it free. The closest I found was a '95, but the starter was busted and I rolled the dice and didn't pull the pan. I put a starter on it at home, and did a compression test, all good. I installed it and it had spun 2 rod bearings, stupid, stupid, stupid!!! Got burned, so I went and got a rebuilt long block. Cleaned engine bay and all accessories spotless, and installed the long block. Just cranked it and it sounds like crap. Looks bad ass, though. Mtr is rattling, sounds like bottom end, and my first guess would be the timing gear was installed off a tooth? I know muscle car V-8's w/carbs but not great on fuel injection. With the oil filler cap off I can see oil pumping well in the rocker arms. I reused my roller lifters, but didn't notice one mtr was roller rockers and the other was reg . The core I took them was the 95 without roller rockers. The 96 had them. I tried to put them on but the boss on the heads didn't have a slot so I just stayed with the non-rollers. I used the push rods from the 96. QUESTION: Are the push rods from non-rollers a different length than rollers?
Tomorrow, I guess I'll do a compression test on the NEW long block and see what it has. I was thinking about changing some of the injectors because it has a miss I can't get out. The ironic thing is the used mtr w/spun bearings ran good, just had the bad knock! That's why I'm confident all my sensors and coil packs are good because everything ran alright on the two previous mtrs, within the last two weeks. Does anyone have any thoughts or input on a problem I'm not seeing? I've got that sick feeling it's just a bad mtr that I'll have to pull back out, I just don't like that rattling and it won't idle. I sprayed starter fluid all around the intake, top & bottom and it didn't change the RPM's. Any input appreciated...

[imported_germ]

go to www.car-part.com

get a 3400 motor from a grand am or monte carlo or other car...

go to www.3400swap.com...

do it right

then go to www.mymonte.com if you need help with other problems with your wifes car.

[SappySE107]

If you bought a rebuilt longblock, I would hope they have some sort of warranty. There shouldn't be a need to buy yet another motor. You can have the 2nd motor bottom end rebuilt if the latest motor is indeed crap out of the box.

Had you not already gone through all this, the 3400 would have been a better choice. The 96-99 minivan motor would be a direct plug right in ordeal (no 3400swap.com needed for that...this is a 60V6 site afterall:P).

[TRayford]

Update,
First thing this morning I did a compression test. Two back cylinders dead... no compression. Ripped the heads off and had two bent valves. It was my fault, before I installed the mtr I hooked up the starter to check out everything, after I primed it w/drill, and had installed two exhaust pushrods on the intake valves! I've never seen a motor w/diff size pushrods. I knew I bent the pushrods at the time but I just exchanged them with the ones on the other mtr and didn't even think about it bending the the valves. It hit the the pistons hard but no cracks. I went and picked up two more rebuilt heads, this time I got ones to fit the roller rockers, almost finished tonight, got everything back on except the coil pacs and wires, I'll have it running in the morning. Oh well... chalk it up for learning experience.
Germ, I'm w/ya on upping the horses and performance on swaps, but the V-6 thing is too much for me. You guys know these mtrs in and out and there just hell for me to work on, too tight. I find it easier to get horses out of the cubes and theres plenty of room. My swaps are my 82 Culass w/Poncho 400, 73 Cutlass w/Buick 430, and my 85 Cutlass w/Olds 350. My wife would hit the roof if she thought I was doing anything DIFFERENT to her car! Appreciate the help guys. I'll let you know if it cranks in the morning.

[SappySE107]

Cool, should be an easy fix. Hopefully the lifters aren't fucked up though from the pushrods.

[TRayford]

Update,
Fellas... the baby is on the road again! The wife is happy= I'm happy!Put on the coil pacs and it cranked right up. The rebuilder here used .015 over Silvolite pistons, mtr runs real strong. I think w/the extra intakes, I'd like to gasket match the ports and put them on later. I noticed alot of material that can be cleaned up around the gaskets and its gotta help a little. Really I just need a practice on the die grinder! Thanks for the help.