crank, no start.

[Dallas]

Ok, 97 grand am 3100. Has recently been backfiring through the intake ocassionally when i start it, just once, like it had unburnt fuel in the cylinders and when it cranked it fired it, but pushed it past the intake valves. My first thought is timing chain. I'm flat arse broke, so I haven't fixed it (only been a week or so) well the other day I'm driving to work. running great, temp starts rising (cracked radiator) ok, it's low on coolant. well, then it starts smoking white smoke and the car just has now power..i had it on cruise at 75mph (2200rpm) and take it up to 3000rpm to try to hold at 70 and it steady slows...the engine was still turning, but not moving the car. I pull over, oil on both sides of the lower intake manifold. So I'm thinking that maybe the timing chain stretched too much (188k miles on original chain) and maybe jumped a tooth or just had too much slack and was holding the intake valves open during combustion. Well, I tow it to my work and start pulling it apart. take the intake tube off, oil in it and in the throttle body. Pulling the upper intake off, gaskets are old and brittle, as i figured. Is there anything I can do to make sure it's the timing chain before I pull the cover off? also, I am thinking of pulling the heads off and having them checked by a machine shop for cracks/warping due to the recent over heating issues. The OIL is clean..well, black, but normal. I have heard alot of stories of the LIM leaking and letting coolant into the valve train and ruining engines, so i want to make sure i am headed in the right direction before I sit here and put $400 worth of parts into it just to be like "oh, i guess i need a new engine..". I'm too broke to buy the parts so i am getting a friend to buy them for me and i'll pay on their credit card, but if i do the chain/head gaskets and IM gaskets and it still doesn't run..i'm F*CKED! I've got 2 kids and this is my ONLY car. I work 30 mins away, so i definately need to get this right the first time.

thanks for any assistance. Also, are there any BETTER headgaskets/LIM gaskets that aren't as prone to failure?

Dallas

[SappySE107]

Get a new motor and fix your radiator, its cheaper.

[60dgrzbelow0]

Call around to the local Auto Salvage Yards... Somewhere out there is decent GM 3100 engine with around 80-100K miles...just sitting on a palette rack that has your name on it for around $450-$600. The only engine oil that is "Clean ...but Black"... and worth anything ...is still waiting to be pumped out from under some sandy sh*thole in the Arabian Desert.

[SappySE107]

car-parts.com would be a good start for online searching.