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, and you can always rent a car for a week or two as part of the cost.I agree with you 110%. I did want to to find a place to rebuild, but have not been able to find a trustworthy place so far. In other words I have not been able to find a company who rebuilds typical engines, only high performance. I am kind of going by what my mechanic suggest, but that can change if I decide to. I can find another mechanic its nothing personal or anything, although he put a rebuilt in my van 20 years ago and i never had one single problem for 5 years and then I sold it. I am just assuming he will do another good job. His attitude is "dropping an engine in the ranger is a piece of cake". Well anyway with your good advice I am going to search the buffalo area high and low for a machine shop to rebuild my engine. I would have to ask this mechanic if he is willing to work with me on a machine shop doing the work. I have a second vehicle so that is not a concern. Also I am in no hurry because these Lima engines do run for ever. This one has low miles but is 19 years old and was used on a farm. It sounds like a bucket of rattling nuts and bolts. it goes through oil, without leaks or indication of smoke or smell. Not knowing it looses oil, I ran it down 2 quarts recently for quite a while and it sounded really bad. All and all it is a very nice little truck and it still runs good, just sounds bad especially on acceleration. I wouldn't mind having it around for another 6 years of heavy use, so to pay for a rebuild would be great. thanks your feedback it makes sense to me.Why wouldn't you rebuild the one you have?
Then you know what you got.
Rebuild engines have shipping(engines weigh a bit, lol) and warranty does not cover labor and usually only covers shipping it one-way.
So I would ask mechanic what he would do, i.e. pull the head and block out of the truck
And then send BOTH out to a local machine shop to be rebuilt
Then mechanic reassembles after its done
All local, all warrantied locally
Can't be without a vehicle........thats why we have friends,
Rock Auto lists 2.5l Lima long block for $1,600 + $300 core deposit
Long block is rebuilt block and head bolted together ready to install, so just add other bolt on parts, i.e. oil pan, valve cover, water pump, ect...
Master rebuild kit is usually about $500-$600
So if local machine shop comes in at under $700 labor then you are saving money PLUS no shipping cost
yea i think so. by the way, I could drive this thing until it falls apart and start saving some money for the rebuilt engine in the mean time. Have you had good luck or do you know if the Rock auto engines have a good track record? Thanks for the advice and help. much appreciated.
I appreciate your input and you are most likely correct. The engine has low mileage but the truck was used on a farm and had many short heavy loads. The noise is a heavy rattle during acceleration unless I use high rpm's. without knowing that the engine consumes oil, I ran it 2 quarts low for a long time with many starts ups in the cold winter. It sounded really bad when ever I started it up. Yes I could kick myself, but I am not a mechanic by trade and just did not know better. I been driving good vehicles for many years and never thought of checking the oil, because it had a fresh oil change. Anyway, I think I am going to take your advice in one way or another. I should run the truck and do what I have to to keep it running. Although I am going to start putting some money aside each month and keep that possibility of having a fresh engine and clutch perhaps if I absolutely have to. I think the main problem here is being that I can not do much myself due to lack of experience and paying 95 bucks an hour for a mechanic in my area. It sometimes seems overwhelming because I am semi retired now. I would really like to know a mechanic that can tear apart an engine and fix the engine without paying an arm and a leg. Just buying a long block now starts at about $2200. Thanks for the good advice.
Yea, I like this truck allot. I drove many manuals in my day and this one is great. I have read many stories like yours with high mileage and that they run for ever. I should do as you suggest and keep it maintained and fix problems when they break. I have to say that by purchasing this truck I am half way there. I could never see buying a new truck that cost more than my house is worth! you know what I mean. I started thinking that it would really be nice to have a fresh engine and drive around knowing that the trucks engine will outlive me! LOl. Thanks much appreciated sir.
Thanks Tom for your feedback and the time you spent giving me the incentive to do some of my own work. I have to consider your sound advice. Much appreciated. Many years ago I restored a couple old cars and have some of the experience.
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