99 Chevy Silverado 1500 Engine Quit

MarshallH · May 10, 2018

My 1999 Chevy Silverado 1500 4x4 lost all oil pressure, and then a little later engine shut off. Did not make any loud noises, It just died. When we went to restart it, we could here the starter engage, but the engine wouldn't turn over. So we had it towed, and the guy at the tow shop put a wrench on it and tried to turn it, but was unable to. We have done no further troubleshooting, this happened on January 1, 2018.

We assumed it is seized.

What I am wondering is what you guys think, is it likely that it seized or is something else more likely to be the problem? If it is seized what part would have seized up? And would it be better to rebuild the engine, or to put a new engine in it?

The truck has about 200k miles on it, and ran perfectly before this happened.

It is the new body style, btw.

Edited May 10, 2018 by MarshallH

Supreme Pizza · May 10, 2018

Sounds like you locked up the motor. When the low oil light on the dash comes on, you have already done damage. Every second that you drive causes more damage. If you keep going, you will be trading that one extra mile, for your engine. Might have spun a bearing. Maybe sized a piston. If you have a manual trans, you can lower the rear tire pressure to 25 PSI, fill up the oil, WD40 the cylinders, tow it down the road at 30MPH on dry pavement, and drop the clutch in 5th gear. You might break it free. If not, try it in reverse. Once you pop it free, you can usually drive it for a bit longer.

Edited May 10, 2018 by starman8tdc

MarshallH · May 10, 2018

It's an automatic transmission, would we have to rebuild the whole thing, or just replace some bearings? How hard do you think it would be to fix, I have a friend who can help pull the engine?

Supreme Pizza · May 10, 2018

As for the repair, you can buy a whole engine at Pick-N-pull for $150 with a 30 day warranty. Pay someone $100-$300 to install it, and your good to go. Repairing your current motor will not be cost effective. One part failed, slightly sooner than the 300 other oil starved parts exploded.

There is an old rule of thumb that will make your engine last for ever:

When you buy a new vehicle, check the oil EVERY time that you drive it for the first 5 rides. Learn the oil consumption rate and adjust re-fills accordingly.

Check the oil every time you put gas in it >> FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE <<.