4.0L Buy New or Buy From You Pull It?

[gungfudan]

Is there a Good and I mean (a place that is not going to screw it up) place on the internet to buy a New/rebuilt engine or should I just go to a U Pull it place?

 

[enjr44]

In a one word answer, "NO!"

After that it is, "Maybe!"

I would say that the only way to be sure is a "crate" engine or build it yourself. Usually a crate engine comes from or to a local place and you pick it up and if it is bad to take it back to the same place. When you build it yourself there is no warranty; but, you know how well you did it.

A yard will give you a 30 to 90 day warranty on a used engine, which does not include labor and means, you bring it back and they will give you another one "just like it!" Never your money back!!!!

Online - As good as their, the engine seller/builder's, rep. But, if you get a lemon (and almost everyone builds a lemon once in a while), you are back to a total pain in the butt with the warranty (labor, shipping, etc.).

A local, long time in business, independent shop is the best bet (supplying the engine and install labor) for high quality work. It is high cost. They have to cover overhead and come-backs. They only use first quality parts because they have to eat the labor on come-backs and you will pay for that. And, if they have been in business for say 20 years they probably stand behind their work of they wouldn't still be there so you pay a premium for that.

In this day and age there are no guarantees.

 

[adsm08]

LKQ is pretty good.

 

[AllanD]

I have four good u-pull-it junkyards in a triangle around where I live the furthest about 40miles the closest about 20 and the best just under 30miles...


In years of pulling engines from them between my brother and I we have a record of 48-1-1. only one engine needed any thing serious done to is and one was determined to be trash....

If you look seriously at the Donor vehicle you can usually form a pretty reliable opinion of why the vehicle was junked...

If the vehicle looks clean like it was car show ready walk away.. you want the one that looks like it was driven into a bridge or tree, this presumes it was running....

the Donor for my engine swap was T-boned by a stolen car and looked like it...

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[trail B2]

I bought a motor off Craigs list last year.When I got it home it turned but not quite all the way.Had to take the heads off found powder in the cylinders from a fire extinguisher I believe because was in a accident.Just trying to think ahead replaced the lifters while the head was off one was defective had to take the left head off a second time.
Here's the thing if you go to a shop have it replaced your putting $3000 dollars in a $2000 dollar truck and it makes the truck worth $500 more.The very best deal is a motor you can hear run with low miles to put in.As usual AllenD has a good point the best indicator for the condition of the motor is the condition of the car that's what I don't like about buying the motor without seeing it.

 

[gw33gp]

I know some people have luck with dropping in used engines but I don't think I would ever do that without thoroughly taking it apart to inspect everything. Most likely I would just do a complete rebuild.

Then again, I have bought used cars without taking the engine apart but at least then I am able to run the engine and listen for potential problems.

 

[tcbaklash]

If you have room for another vehicle, find yourself a running one. I got my parts rig for $600, and the motor is working great for me.

 

[AllanD]

If driving here is practical for yo one pf my local U-pull-it junkyard has an "engine lot" where nobody is allowed to pull parts off vehicles in this fenced in enclosure until the engine is sold...

Before they sell the engines out of this area they demonstrate them for the buyer... then they pull them and all you do is back your truck up to the gate for them to load it...

They charge a bit more than random engines in the yard at large, but KNOWING it runs is worth quite a bit...

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