Why does nobody mention how much you can lose on a bad engine rebuild kit

I put $1,200 into a rebuild kit for my 1990 Chevy Silverado from a place in Tulsa last spring. The pistons were wrong size and the gaskets didn't fit at all after I already had the block machined. Has anyone else thrown good money after bad on a parts order that went south?

3 comments

3 Comments

gray_schmidt81mo ago

Ha! Sounds like you paid $1,200 for a fancy paperweight instead of an engine.

grant7281mo ago

Totally feel where you're coming from @gray_schmidt8. I had a similar issue with a cheap rebuild kit a few years back. Ended up draining the oil, pulling the pan, and finding a cracked pickup tube from manufacturing defects. Spent a whole weekend tracking it down and swapping parts, but at least I saved the $1200. If you can get your hands on a borescope, check inside the block before you do anything drastic. Might be something simple like a stuck relief valve in the oil pump instead of a full engine swap.

eva_ward881mo ago

So you found that cracked pickup tube yourself @grant728, what brand was the rebuild kit?