Re-manufactured Engine Suggestions

[Joes4x4Ranger]

My 91 198K mile motor has a blown head gasket. I've thought hard the last couple days and decided to go with a re-manufactured engine. Anyone out there have a recommendation? I found a BUNCH of places most offer 3-5 year 100K warranty. Average price is about $2,000.

I figured getting another rig for 2 grand is going to be another high mileage piece of **** anyway. I got screwed on this truck paid $2500 put a TON of money and work into it. It only lasted 7 months and the motor is blown. The puke that sold it to me claimed it had 89K original. Well I found out later it really had 189k.

I simply don't have the time or patience to overhaul the motor myself in 100*+ temps we will have from now till October. I've Been looking at Rhino, Power Source and PowerPro.

 

[Blacksheep Josh]

i myself have 260k original miles on my engine, and it's a 93. So I definitely feel where you're coming from.

It all depends on how much you're willing to spend. If money wasn't a concern, or a HUGE concern, and you could lose it as a daily driver (if it is), I would say why not convert it over to either a V8 or the SOHC V6. I'm looking into the SOHC V6 conversion for gas mileage and power.

If you're wanting to stay stock, I would look into the places you're getting quotes from, and find out WHERE the engine is coming from. I know here we have Autozone and Advance Auto, and when I got my tranmission, they both get the transmissions from the same place/supplier/distributor, except Autozone was 300 dollars more.

Also, if you've ever considered doing an engine upgrade (like the SOHC V6 or V8), you coudl do what I'm doing. I always keep an eye out for a wrecked/rolled Explorer with an intact drivetrain. Like right now the local police department is selling a 2008 Dodge Charger for 2500 because it's totaled, but it has a Hemi V8 in it!!

Just remember, the wider your options, the easier it will be... and good luck! Sorry it's such a long/repetitive post.

 

[ricco750]

I just wanted to make sure you considered Jasper Engines. They have an excellent reputation. I bought one from them in the early 90's (not my X), never a problem. They have a great website that shows their reman process, will keep you entertained for an hour or more.

 

[boggs1227]

jasper is good to use .another place is called "www.everdrive.com" they sell quality used engines and transmissions all with a 3 year warranty / unlimiited mileage .just giveing you another route to look at .goodluck

 

[yellowcat]

I would go with a new motor only. The best option, if available is to have a LOCAL shop rebuild the motor you have now. There is a guy in my town and he takes like a year to do a motor. He is very very good.
You can spend a great deal of money on a motor, I would first educate yourself before building a motor. Like the difference between cast and forged pistons. What is blue printing and balance mean? Understand the range is huge. And skill levels vary greatly.
If you buy something from out of town, it can be a real pita if you have a problem. If your going to spend the money, I would spend a lot. Besides the fact that prices for things are sky rocketing, thats to say, our dollar bills are soon to be used as shop towels. A good running truck can be a good investment.

 

[mrboyle]

Jasper has one of the best reputations in the engine remanufacturing business. You may find cheaper aletenatives but I really don't recomend them. VatoZone, Checker, etc.... typically use Roadrunner or ATK engines and from my personal experience they don't have the best products or reputaiton.

 

[MDewell]

It's close to the 2K mark...but you do get the name and the warranty with Jasper:

Pricing and Availability:
The Price Is: $2535.00
Core Deposit For This Unit Is: $300.00
Skid Deposit For This Unit Is: $15.00
Sold On An Exchange Basis w/Jasper Receiving Old Unit As A Core.

Product summary: Roller Cams, Oval Shaped Combustion Chamber
Block casting location: RIGHT SIDE, ALONG PAN RAIL
Crank casting location: BETWEEN #3 ROD & #4 ROD JOURNALS
Head casting location: EXH SIDE--AT #2 CYL

 

[Joes4x4Ranger]

I've done a bunch more research. To me it looks like Marshall offers the best value. I called and talked to at least a dozen places. All claim to be "THE BEST" , Jasper was on my short list of the top 3. What sold me on Marshall was,

#1) The Warranty, a NO FAULT 3yr 100K, if I neglect it, run it out of oil, fry it with no coolant, rev it till it pukes, I still get a 1 time free replacement. The "Extra" warranty coverage is included in the $2200 price quote.

#2) Marshall "Guaranteed" all new parts and will send me a Bill of Materials before I pay. Jasper uses "Re-conditioned/Re-ground" cams. I want new cam in my engine, Jasper said it is a low/No wear item because of the roller lifters. I think this is ****, Marshall will put a BRAND NEW Sealed Power "Factory Profile" cam in my engine.

#3) Price , I still think I'm getting a better engine For $500 less. Jasper is $300 higher for their Engine + $200 more on shipping.

The cam thing is what really bugged me. MOST remans are using re-ground cams. I cannot understand how you can make something bigger by cutting it, 99% of the time, if a cam is out of spec. Its because the lobe is worn. WORN TOO SMALL, NOT ENOUGH LIFT. I do not see how the F&^% grinding it is going to make it bigger. Lets face it, if I cut a 2X4 stud an 1/8th inch too short, no matter how many more times I cut the Fu(*&^ IT WILL STILL BE TO SHORT.

The machinist claims they grind the back down to increase the overall lift. Well back to the 2X4. If its too short, and I flip it over and shave a little off the other side IT IS STILL TOO SHORT, go figure. Another thing is "Parkerizing" a reground cam WTF? That REALLY sounds fishy, I had my shotgun professionally Parkerized 2 years ago and that finish is wearing off around the magazine. Not what I want in my engine.

GIVE ME SOME FEEDBACK, I have not handed anyone a penny yet. The truck is currently "Fixed" with some mechanic in a can. So I have a little more time to decide.

 

[boggs1227]

hey...if marshall is selling less than jasper then go for it .if what they say is true about ALL new parts then thats a no brainer.when it comes to new parts thats the only way to go.last november when i was trying to get my explorer running ...i had to replace pretty much all the fuel management systems (injectors,egr ((all of it ! )) maf,tps,pump etc...) i had my neighbor come over a lot trying to help and give advice ...i got to the part of the ressurecting process where i had to replace the fuel pressure regulator ,he had told me about pull apart ( junk yard ) that i could buy the part for cheap ! sounds like a good idea huh ?? well.... in my mind i know that high wear items are only good when they are replaced as a new part
so after spending $500 in new parts i have a 14 year old truck that went from dead to a 23-24 mpg driveable vehicle.

bottom line is that if i did not replace all those high wear items with new parts i would most likelly be under he hood right now scratching my head on what messed up now and wishing that i put newparts in instead of remanufactured or used ones .

 

[slowhand9495]

Re:Engine

I'm a firm believer in OEM engines. The Ford reman. engine now has a warranty comparable to the Jasper Engine. Plus, if you have a problem with it, all you have to do is find that blue oval and the warranty is good at any ford dealer,not just the one you bought it from. I've done the Jasper engine before,and price wise it was cheaper. My problem was , it had problems from the beginning,never left the shop. Jasper said it was installer's issue ,the installer said it was Jasper's problem. Two months later I spent an additional 400 bucks to repair a new engine just because they or their so called certified installer wouldn't take responsibilty.

 

[safn1949]

I worked for GM dealers as a mechanic in the 90's and what was said about the Ford reman engine or new is a good point.It used to be they gave a better warranty if they installed it,I would assume that is still true. The problem is when the engine maker or the installer screw things up and won't fess up as was stated.I would sue the a@@ of them both until it was right,just me.


Oh and just a note,I paid $3200 for my 94 with 120,000 on it in very nice condition,that was last Nov.If the motor blows,I'm rolling it over a cliff and starting over for that price.

 

[Anime]

For a remanufactured engine, the Marshall deal sounds pretty good with ALL NEW parts if you're set on going that route. Anywhere around $2000 is a good deal for an engine, but you might want to double check on that $2200 price or find the fine print if Jasper and every other place is selling a rebuilt with used parts for more than Marshall sells one with brand new parts for. I agree on the cams, it is a wear item, and I'd want new ones in any motor I bought, though re-ground is pretty much the industry standard when it comes to rebuilt engines.

My best suggestion would be to find someone on the forum nearby who's parting out their 91-94 and swapping out, if you're firm on keeping the 4.0 OHV, and especially if you're going to do the pull and install yourself anyway. Plus that way you could use the $$$ you saved to rebuild your stock motor, taking your sweet time to do it, too.

With the mods you have planned though, you might be better off doing some kind of swap or upgrade, either SOHC, V8, something to take advantage of the situation. Dropping a stock motor into a daily driver makes sense, but with enough mods, you may regret not doing something different with the motor when you were swapping it out anyway. You could always just check your local classifieds to see what motors or wrecked rides to pull one from are available for an easy swap...

 

[Joes4x4Ranger]

I'm a firm believer in OEM engines. The Ford reman. engine now has a warranty comparable to the Jasper Engine.

Where do you find the FORD reman? Every freaking time I put the words FORD FACTORY ENGINE in a god damned POS search engine all I get are companies I all ready looked at.

 

[Champcar_Fan]

Try here: http://www.motorcraft.com/catalog.do?from=page

Choose 1991-->Ford Truck--->Explorer-->V-6 245-4.0L OHV-->Engines--> Engines & Kits

That will bring to part numbers you need.

www.fordpartsdiscounted.com has the engine part#LGB121RM for $2547 plus a $400 core.

There also looks like a $200 rebate on remanufactured engines.

http://www.motorcraft.com/powertrain.do

http://www.motorcraft.com/pdf/Q208_Powertrain_Rebate_MCCM.pdf

 

[Joes4x4Ranger]

I think I may have found the deal of the century. I was quoted $2283.12 + $400 core for the same part# listed above (LGB121RM). Free shipping and core retrieval. I'll order it this week, if there are no hidden expenses I'll post the site I found it at.