Quote Originally Posted by h23bb2
The oil light flickers @ idle but goes out with a little throttle.
That's a good indicator of a worn/bad oil pump. The torque wrench is a possibility for premature bearing failures. Invest in a good one. Craftsman is decent and they are pretty affordable. Get an oil pressure gauge on there and let us know what the pressure is at idle and around 3k. You can get the oil pressure gauges very cheap at pretty much any parts store, you just need a 1/8 brass tee to tap into the back of the block where the oil pressure sending unit goes. It will save you alot of money as you can catch things before they happen. Are you using the same rods each time? Because when you spin a bearing it throws them out of round. Just don't give up on it. I would probably spend the money on another low mileage short block this time around. If you want to rebuild it, just make sure you have a good platform to start from, no spun bearings or scorched crank/rods. If you want to take a picture of the bearings once you break it back down, I can let you know what's up. You can read them kind of like spark plugs.