4.0 Pushrod Rebuild Cost?

[justbinfishin]

I am switching out the motor on my 93 ranger right now. I found a 4.0 from a 1993 Explorer with 100k on it for $500. I'm looking at the old core (previous owner never changed oil, it's SHOT), wondering about rebuilding it. Rebuild kits look pretty steep, what's a realistic worst case rebuild cost? A crate engine is a bit over 2 grand from a local shop.

 

[justbinfishin]

Ok, so I know that's pretty hard to answer, but what would machine work run me? The heads/block appear to be workable, a master rebuild kit is 900 bucks and I do all of my own work. How much at the machine shop for a bore/hone and getting the heads redone?

Thanks

 

[rusty70f100]

Talk to some other local machine shops. Most of 'em can get better deals than you can on parts and so on. Prices will vary from place to place too, making it hard for anyone on here to directly answer your question.

You have to go talk to the machine shops directly. They will know prices on parts (rebuild kit) as well as machine work. Obviously the more you do yourself, the less it's going to cost. I usually just use a machine shop for boring the block over, crank grinding if needed, some head work, and general parts cleaning.

One word of advice from someone who's done this, is do not let the machine shop bead / media blast any aluminum parts, particularly the intake manifold! The metal around the coolant ports can become soft over time, and blasting to clean it can leave huge pits, making the intake manifold unusable, even with generous amounts of RTV. You'll end up with internal coolant leaks.

 

[holyford86]

you're going to be looking at 1500-2000 doing a complete rebuild yourself, your most cost effective route is to find a low mileage used engine, gasket it top to bottom, and throw it in.

 

[bobbywalter]

to properly rebuild one yourself is 6-700 more then the reman houses in general


last one i rebuilt was 2600 plus, guy won some races with it...sold it for 2500, and bought a reman for 1400.......

and i did the assembly labor for free.....figure he would have at least threw me a 100 bux or something?

 

[justbinfishin]

Ok, so perhaps this project would be a bit too expensive. I don't understand exactly why the 4l's are so expensive to rebuild, but that's the way it is. The motor I got with 100k is all freeway miles, the title got lost when the owner moved up to WA from Cali. They didn't want to deal with it, so I got an engine pretty cheap. I have replaced just about every gasket on it, so I should be good. I will attempt to find a more affordable project.

Thanks for the replies!

Justin.

 

[justbinfishin]

And bobby, where in the heck did he get a reman for 1400? I might consider that if I feel the urge to get a shiny new motor.

 

[bobbywalter]

place back home in detroit ...it was a few years back....


they run 15-1700 plus 400 core most places....thats for a long block



the 4.0 is a horrible engine to build in many ways as it has some serious idiosyncratic constant changes over its life nearly yearly.

i steer clear of it

 

[Will]

I used to say that it was easier to go find a used one, but the last pushrod motor left the factory 10 years ago now. Machine shops are drying up, too.

Did you mike that block and determine where it fails? When I was a lad, I just took the whole thing in and got everything ground without thinking about it. Now, I only fix what's broken. One cylinder is scored--don't bore them all. Ford service manuals will back me on this. Oversized pistons are the same weight as standard ones. See if you can't just repair it rather then machine everything. You aren't building an Indy Car, just a lazy truck.

 

[bilzy7]

Hmmm... I found a 76k mile 99 4.0 for 900... Maybe that's the route I should take... Or find a sohc 4.0 and play wire splice... Wish I had an engine hoist and a buddy who liked to work on vehicles lol.
Ohh.. 214k started ticking bad... So gonna replace but it's still got so much power...
Hey OP, good luck with your engine.. W.E you decide to do... Was gonna buy rear doors off a member on here but 100 each... Can't afford that, an engine... And cost to install..
Was gonna buy from delta cams, but after reading about costs to rebuild... Ugh..

 

[CraigFisher41]

I am switching out the motor on my 93 ranger right now. I found a 4.0 from a 1993 Explorer with 100k on it for $500. I'm looking at the old core (previous owner never changed oil, it's SHOT), wondering about rebuilding it. Rebuild kits look pretty steep, what's a realistic worst case rebuild cost? A crate engine is a bit over 2 grand from a local shop.

Dude, the 4.0's are good up to like 300k to 350k before they need a total rebuild. Change the timing chain and a good tune up and drive it till tha wheels fall off ! Mine has 129k on it and still drips water from the exhaust ! They're great engines

 

[CraigFisher41]

Dude, the 4.0's are good up to like 300k to 350k before they need a total rebuild. Change the timing chain and a good tune up and drive it till tha wheels fall off ! Mine has 129k on it and still drips water from the exhaust ! They're great engines

 

[Brain75]

last post was 2011.... 14 years, doubt that user is around.

 

[sgtsandman]

Last time online, Sept 2020. If you click on the poster's name, you should be able to see join date and last time on the forum.