Engine knocking

[Blanco_53]

Looking at a 80 k10 swb and sounds like the engine is knocking a
Little , should I be worried about it or just buy it for cheap and fix it ? How long can it be driven without fixing it?

[68c10owner]

There is no way to tell how long it will last.

[74CustomK20]

I had a s10 4.3 with a knock. Lasted 4 years before I sold it. Bought a 77 c30 350 with a knock. Literally made it 2 blocks.

[andrewmp6]

Depends a lot on where its knocking from and if its a spark knock or not.

[cadillac_al]

I wouldn't trust it very far. If it is priced accordingly, just plan on putting some bearings in it or a crank kit. Of course that snowballs into an oil pump, timing chain, possibly cam and lifters and a few other odds and ends. Then you will have a truck you can depend on.

[Dead Parrot]

Can you afford the price of the truck + about $2000 for a new crate motor plus the various things you discover need replacing during a motor swap? Are you are willing to put in the labor to make it happen?

If yes, and the rest of the truck is what you want and priced accordingly, consider buying it. If no, pass.

If you are prepared for a worse case scenario then anything less then that seems like a bargain.

A dying PS pump can make a noise that sounds a lot like an engine knock as can a subtle exhaust leak.

[barry1982]

Does it knock all the time, or just when driving? I had a weird experience years ago. Had a 78 Camaro Z-28. It had the 350/350 auto. One day is started "knocking" while accelerating. Let off the gas, it would quit knocking....??
I licenced mechanic told me it was a rod bearing for sure.....I was puzzled because a rod bearing should knock all the time. I took it home, and pulled the inspection cover off of the transmission, exposing the bottom of the torque converter/flex plate. Turns out my flex plate was cracked between the large "punch out" holes in two places. When the car would accelerate, the torque converter was pulling back too far, and ticking on the bell housing. This sounded EXACTLY like a rod knock. I pulled the tranny, installed a new $30 flex plate, and drove the car for eight years with the same engine.

[cheepin]

Originally Posted by barry1982

Does it knock all the time, or just when driving? I had a weird experience years ago. Had a 78 Camaro Z-28. It had the 350/350 auto. One day is started "knocking" while accelerating. Let off the gas, it would quit knocking....??
I licenced mechanic told me it was a rod bearing for sure.....I was puzzled because a rod bearing should knock all the time. I took it home, and pulled the inspection cover off of the transmission, exposing the bottom of the torque converter/flex plate. Turns out my flex plate was cracked between the large "punch out" holes in two places. When the car would accelerate, the torque converter was pulling back too far, and ticking on the bell housing. This sounded EXACTLY like a rod knock. I pulled the tranny, installed a new $30 flex plate, and drove the car for eight years with the same engine.

I actually had about the same issue. Bought a 79 Suburban with a rebuillt 400. Started knocking 2 weeks after. I thought it was a bearing forsure. I crawled under it looking for lose anything. I could see daylight between the motor and trans. Turns out 3 bellhousing bolts fell out and the other 3 were lose. This cracked the flexplate around the crank.