98 STS-sert or smash??

[VIIISecondRide]

I got a "good deal" $500) on a beautiful 1998 STS. The body, interior, electronics-everything is immaculate. Under the hood there are no leaks, everything is clean and well maintained.
The bummer- the guy I got it from bought it to scrap it, but instead he figured he could get it running, then when he found out how much it would cost decided to get scrap price out of it without having to haul it away. He said his mechanic did a compression test and the cylinders in the rear head were good, there was a compression leak in the front head and the mechanic thought the HG failure was due to a bad water pump causing it to overheat (opposite of what really happened I think). He estimated $600.00 to do the one head gasket. He obviously was not familiar with the Northstar!
What I have found- the motor will barely run, if at all- when it runs it pops out the intake. The battery was not in it, so there are no codes. The little I ran it set no codes. The oil was overfull, but when I dropped it I found no water/antifreeze. The coolant overflow was empty. When I crank the motor, the overflow gets pressurized immediately. Positive the head gasket is out, not sure what else since it won't run
I have access to a 1997 Eldorado that was rolled- good motor, but from what I read about interchanging them, it may not work due to a missing motor mount bolt hole. I was worried about a bolt hole for a motor mount in 1998 that was mentioned in an engine swap thread. He said 1998 was the first year with this bolt hole, that some late 1997's had it. I'd like to know where it is so I can look for it on the 97.
I am a competent mechanic, I just don't know if I want to put the money into a head gasket/head bolt repair for a "pig in a poke". I can still scrap it and make a few bucks- but it would be hard for me to do on a personal level! This is a project car- not my daily driver.

Just putting it out there- any opinions about if she is worth the money? Is there a chance the Eldo motor would work? Is there a way to see if the bolt hole is present on the Eldo motor while it is still in the car?
Thanks for reading-
Sherri

[KHE]

$500.00 for that car is a STEAL! I would Timesert the existing engine and you'll have a very nice car. You will need an engine from a 1998 or 1999 STS to interchange. I'd just repair the exising engine.

You can verify the head gasket is leaking by building an adapter to pressurize each cylinder with shop air and watch the surge tank. Use an old spark plug and break away the porcelain. Tap the center for an 1/8" pipe fitting. Then use a short length of 1/8" pipe and an air compressor fitting. Bring each cylinder to top dead center and then pressurize the culinder. Any bubbles in the surge tank will indicate a leaking head gasket.

This is a picture of the adapter I made several years ago when I bought a '97 STS with bad head gaskets.

[VIIISecondRide]

Sweet- will have to make one. I am sure it's the HG because just turning over the engine pressurizes the surge tank The spark plugs are really bad, probably why it wouldn't start. I am disassembling it right now- I think I'm obsessed!

[KHE]

The headgasket(s) are probably shot but I'd verify that before tearing into it.

It is easiest to drop the entire powertrain (engine & transmission as a unit, and subframe) vs. pulling the engine from the top.

[Cadillac Jim]

[rockfangd]

lol. wish I got my Seville for 500. it was very clean but I payed 1500 for it. worth every penny. once Igot the engine fixed it runs great. I use it for state hopping and store it for the winter.glad you decided to try to save a worthy STS. I wish you the best of luck

[VIIISecondRide]

I think that's a hint Cadillac Jim LOL Okay I will post pics if I can figger it out

The motor is still in the car because my husband refuses to believe what needs to be done and is sure thee is a "simple fix" so it's not doing any harm disassembling like this to show him stuff, less stuff in the way to remove it. Got the left valve cover (front) off, all looks well as far as you can see. I pulled three head bolts, they were quite tight and cracked upon initial loosening.It looked like only a Loctite type stuff was on the threads,no block stuck to them. Then it got cold, a storm moved in and I being the princess that I am, went inside. This is a project for me, I am learning every part of this motor, so I'm not in a hurry. Will be warming up again soon I'll be back at it. I am working in a 1 3/4 car shed with a sand floor and a Blaze Princess wood stove. I have my ALLDATA computer set up there, so I have a good guide as to what's coming off next.

<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://s1010.photobucket.com/user/Sherri_Lynne_Consavage-Wacker/embed/slideshow/Mobile%20Uploads"></iframe>

I think I got some pics up click here ^^^^^^^^^

[rockfangd]

steal for 500. nice pics. Nice color.definately keep us posted on the bolts, curious to see how many may have pulled. interested to see if it has been timeserted. How many miles are on it?