Should You Rebuild or Replace? -ETCG1 

Before leaving the military, I sent money back to the US for a friend, to buy his car..91 Probe LX. Told me it needed a "couple things". When i got stateside, and got car, it was in boxes. The entire motor ripped apart, every interior panel removed... My dad said replace the motor, but I wanted to rebuild it and learn motors..... I spent well over 3,000 USD to rebuild the motor. All new everything, 2 new heads, pushrods, lifters, radiator, hoses, fuel injectors, fuel pump... etc etc..... After spending 6 months, and all that money... The motor was DONE! I started the car up for the first time and i felt so accomplished!!! THEN.....The coolant started shooting out of the bypass..... Come to find out, the "Couple things it needed" Included a new block.... I found out the hard way, the block had hairline cracks.. It would run fine untill it warmed up, and combustion gasses would leak into coolant system... I scrapped that car for $200 with all the new part My friends and wife say I "wasted" the money, but I see it as $3000 spent on learning how to rebuild a car.... I still do my own repairs, and am very very cautious when it comes to vehicles now.

The engine I got was not from GM but it was $1800 and came with a 3 year warranty. A salvage unit was $1500. Kind of a no brainer in my opinion.

I was in that situation 2 years ago, and let me tell you i didn’t know what to do, junk the car, rebuild the engine or replace and i ended up replacing the engine with a re manufactured engine and i can’t be any happier than what i am, the car runs like new

Replacement is usually more cost-effective in my experience. The only times I rebuild are if the part is hard to source, very expensive or I just want the experience of rebuilding it. If time is not an issue, I usually attempt rebuilding to gain experience.

In my case, it was a newer car at the time, and where I am from, I couldn't just find a new engine to throw in. This is actually what got me into becoming a mechanic. I knew nothing about cars, and I learned everything I needed to know about rebuilding engines from watching videos. Long story short, sometimes you don't have the option based on location and ease of access to replacement engines, so all you are left with is grabbing your wrenches and learning how to rebuild. :)

i recently had my 07 ford F150 drop a valve and take out the piston on me along with the head.. what i did was buy a used engine local with 89k miles, then pulled the old heads off the used engine and placed rebuilt ones on the block along with new gaskets... put less than 1k into the replacement to get the truck back running, runs perfect...

I've worked 6 years at a independent subaru shop, i recommend replace. to the best of my knowledge subaru does not offer new long or short blocks for most of they cars, (non-turbo is what we mostly work on) they have a 3rd party rebuilder then relabeled in a subaru plastic crate. as of the last few years the quality control has been very bad. currently I'd recommend a used motor with less miles. I've rebuilt an old 2.2l subaru engine, not very fun.

I might only rebuild an engine if it were a project vehicle. Otherwise, I'd just replace.

The inline six is one of the most bulletproof designs, I say go for it.Not sure what your skillset or toolset entails, but keep in mind there will be machining / labor that you will have to have done by somebody else.

I got a replacement engine (from a breakers yard) delivered to my door for £175 for my VW polo. Was extremely easy to put in since you only need to connect cooling pipes and 1 electrical connector. They always come with at least 3 months warranty, so it's pretty much guaranteed to work. This worked out fantastic for me and saved me at least £300 having someone rip it apart and replace a bad valve. Since it was only a 1.0l petrol, I didn't need an engine lift as I could lift it myself!

Thank you for explaining short vs long block

8 years late, but... this is kinda the direction I was thinking of going in the first place.

I got into working on my own vehicles because of the crappy work of some mechanics. So naturally I wouldn't and haven't trusted anyone else to repair my engine. As far as replacement, it's been my experience that my engine costs ~$1800 used, where they just go over compression/leak down test and offer a 30 day warranty; forget a salvage yard except to maybe cannibalize parts (I've done this). My first engine rebuild, I didn't have any of the specialized tools needed for a rebuild, no picker, engine stand, micrometer, feeler gauges etcetera. After purchasing all of the tools/parts I needed, it was cheaper by a few hundred dollars to rebuild my engine. Worth it? The tools I acquired doing that has paid off on other rebuilds which saved me a lot of money. I think ultimately it's cheaper to rebuild yourself. You know the quality of work or lack thereof, that went into the rebuild. The only con is time. If you are willing to do it right and can spare the time without the vehicle it's the best choice. From a businessman's perspective, I think your points make the most sense. Your cost is lower for customers, you don't have to warranty the engine yourself. Profit margins are better etcetera.

I just finished a performance rebuild on a 1997 Toyota Celica 5sfe that I added a turbocharger to. After going back and looking what is spent and the time invested, it would have been better to buy a JDM or prebuilt motor. When you take machine shop costs, component replacement costs, and time, it is way more involved than just replacing the motor. I feel this is true for a performance build as well as a standard rebuild. Also remember, in both a replacement and rebuild, you have to pull the motor so that is a fixed cost/time. The troubleshooting once the engine is back together is a pain too. I got into this mode of second guessing my work and pulling parts back off the motor to find out they were fine and that it was not the cause of my issue. There were a few times I misread the torque specs or went aftermarket when I should have went OEM, but with a replacement you do not have to deal with that. If I were to ever pull a motor from a car in the future the most I would do as far as rebuilding is replacing gaskets and seals on a used motor. I am not here to completely discourage rebuilding. If you plan to do a rebuild as a learning experience or a hobby, go for it. If you are rebuilding to get your car on the road with the least cost, don't rebuild, buy a replacement.

It has some broken hard parts so yes, I will end up replacing it. I have shot video of the rebuild however.

I am a DIYer and I have rebuild a few engines in the past, but I will say that by the time you get all the tools you need, and pay for all the machine work, parts, and do everything right, these days you will normally have more in it than it would cost to by one that is already done. I have seen two engines that were re-manufactured from a popular store that starts with an A and has the word Zone in it that were screwed up right out of the crate with obvious things that were not right, in both cases they made it right and got another one for us. I would say if you do it yourself you may have a little more in it, but you know it is done right. I have used a fair share of junk yard engines too, but often they have about as many miles and wear on them as the one I am replacing and they don't often last that long.

Incompetant engine rebuilding shops add an entirely different set of problems to this already hard to answer question.

I was facing the question before and I wish I just got a 2nd hand engine and just saved the time and money.

REPLACE... IF MAJOR ENGINE FAILURE... BEST ROUTE TO GO... LESS HEADACHES DOWN THE ROAD 90% OF THE TIME...

Very informative. My mech gave me options to rebuild or replace. I didn’t know which way to go. Thanks for making it clear what to do Replace my Engine👍🏽 it’s worth it to pay more $

Im new to this site and enjoy your imformtion, I have rebuilt dozens of engines ranging from alfa,s fiats, mg,s etc. My experince has shown me if the cross hatch is still visable,up and down the bore, just remove the carbon ridge, thats, between the top ring and deck, when the rod bearing clearence gets out of spec the top rings break, there is nothing wrong with plasti-guage, I do a polish job on the journals, then check all the journals with the string stuff, I had a lima engine in a mustang 11 and I had the head milled to the max 8-1 to 11-1 compression, crane racing cam solid lifters, hooker header and a four barrel 390 holley on a offenhauser manifold, went from stock 85 hp to 150. Any how heres a good one a buddy of mine has a 240 drift car with a 2 liter twin cam 16v and a after market turbo, the guy that put it together insists that the thermostat be removed, so what happens is the temp guage goes all over the place and, when the engine idles it coools down so much it goes into the choke cycle, I told the kid, thats a damn good way to blow the head gasket, from thermal stress, I say always run a thermostat with fuel injection, regardless of what kind of engine you have. Also I notice your not a fan of PB blaster, like on the rotor screws on the Honda, heck I heat em up spray the blaster and hit it the impact tool, never had a problem, sometimes I leave em out, it depends on how they fit to the hub and over the lug studs, but yeah back in the day I rebuilt air cooled VW,s and used the dishwasher to clean parts, explain that to the wife. Oh yeah heres my beef most shops wont adjust the valves as part of a tune -up, back in the day when I was working on twin cam engine s that had bucket shim,s alfa, fiat and TR-7,s I always measured the clearences when the motor was hot, thats what counts, on some heads, aluminum or cast iron , there is always a difference between setting the valves on a shim deal, when you have the head off on the work bench, then when you torque the head back down to spec the clearence changes slighty, if you have rockers like a honda its no big deal but the shim thing can drive you nuts

In any practical situation, I agree. If your car is broken and you need to get back on the road ASAP, then go with replace. But everyone should still get the change to rebuild an engine once in their lives.

I agree that replacing the engine and letting the warranty handle any issues. I have only done a couple of major engine repairs and in both experiences I can see that it can get really involved and expensive to do a rebuild "correctly" and in full. Go with the replacement with a warranty. Only by a junkyard motor if a warranty in writing is included and/or you can hear the engine run. Remember that junk yard engines can have the same issues your engine has developed.

I prefer rebuilding because if you so desire you can reuse what you know is still good and only replace what is necessary. I know its half assed but as long as you take care or it a used part will just keep on going.

I typically go with replacement engines and transmissions, but depends on the budget. I must say, the rebuilt shops are starting to get up to par. With a 1 to 2 year warranty in many cases. Many also take the old motor in core exchange (better for my small home shop and the environment). Many of your points are valid (machines, special tools, tolerances and parts etc). The time it takes to pull a motor, do all the rebuild work and put it back is not cost effective for small shops. But if it is classic like my wife's 57 T-bird and owner wants to keep it original, it becomes very expensive. Thanks

I could not disagree more. When you rebuild a motor you have the oppurtunity to fix the problems that caused the engine to fail in the first place. You also can put much better quality parts in your engine then the factory uses, balence it better, set clearences better, etc.. If you buy an engine from a dealer these upgrades may or may not have been addressed. You dont need many special tools for most engines. A few torque wrenches and plasti gauge will do most everything. Your machine shop can return an engine ready to assemble, all you need is a torque wrench and ring compressor. A proper rebuild always bores the block and uses new pistons... The reason I ALWAYS build my own engines....There is no better feeling then holding your foot on the rev limiter and knowing you built a motor that won't blow up.

I would never buy a used engine, because no one knows the true condition of the engine. Basically, you're gambling when you install a used engine. A replacement engine is convenient, but you never know the quality of the engine - ie type of replacement parts used, how much care was involved when rebuilding the engine, was the bearing and rings clearances measured properly, etc? When you rebuild the engine yourself, you know exactly what goes into the rebuild. I'll go with rebuilding.

Plasti-gauge is fine for mains but NOT for rods. You can't stop the rod from twisting slightly when you torque it due to bearing clearance. This smears the plastic and tricks you into thinking the clearance is too tight. So, you substitute a looser bearing to get what you think is the right clearance. Do that 8 times and you wind up with low oil pressure.

Depends on the engine. Rebuilding is fun, and with the right know how you can rebuild the majority of the engine on your own, and use a machine shop to do some of the more intensive work. When I rebuild, I usually pull the engine, and start to dis-assemble the bottom end. The heads stay assembled and are set off to the side. I order up a master rebuild kit. Once the kit comes in, I'll bring all of the soft plugs, any head parts (valves, guides, springs, etc…) the cam bearings, bare block, heads, crankshaft, and sometimes ever the connecting rods into a machine shop. They clean everything up, replace the soft plugs, bearings, bore and hone the block, rebuild the heads, etc… I pick everything up and it's pretty much a big jigsaw puzzle from there, re assembly! I've made my fair share of mistakes, and I have learned from them, but for the most part I like to rebuild. I wont rebuild newer engines, and I prefer to rebuild V8's only (I have no idea why, an internal combustion engine is an internal combustion engine for the most part, I just feel comfortable inside a V8.) There are a lot of things that I have absolutely no experience with though. Transmissions? I've never rebuilt them. Never honed out my own cyllinders, (not bore, I don't have the equipment for that, but honing shouldn't be that hard, I've just never tried) Never done any head work. Valves, springs, guides, seats, I have always just had the machine shop do everything. I guess I would say to an extent, you'll never know what you can do until you try, but don't bite off more than you can chew.

my experience is no experience ever in rebuilding and engine. My experience is that I had an old engine installed in a b 2000 mazda truck, an lasted only six months and it cost at that time in 2001 1000 dollars all of it or maybe 2000 dollars. Either way was a catastrophic experience. Mechanics in general would be a be a bad experience. Your information is solid with the right measurements. thank you.

I only do auto's for myself these days, now I do equipment professionally, my shop has all the equipment I need to rebuild the engines I deal with. Mostly V twin OHV, takes me back to my motorcycle and scooter tech days. I really like it more than auto's.

I think it depends on the situation. The brand, engine, year of make and compared cost would decide for me to replace it or rebuild it. Not every engine is available as a remanufactured engine, not every engine can be bored to a bigger cylinder. Decide which is cheaper, what you have time for, and what you can actually do with your skill/toolset. I'm looking forward to seeing that engine replace video!

I concur. Remanufactured, new, or rebuilt by a shop are all good ways to go for relatively little money and are all warrantied. A used engine is a good option if you've seen it run and inspected it. But generally I would opt for rebuilding the engine you know rather than trusting someone else's... unless cost is a factor. Engines are cheap at pick'n pull. You can sometimes buy 2 for the price of a single camshaft.

Eric, I totally agree with you about replacing. For the average Joe who just wants their car back on the road, its the cheapest, easiest and safest solution. But for the guy who has time on their hands, rebuilding is an awesome experience. This past summer, I had an opportunity to rebuild a Honda B16. It failed due to broken ringlands. Had the block bored over .5, crack polished, new pistons, new rings, bearings, gaskets, water pump and oil pump.

Replacing is the way to go for 90% of the people and techs. However, I've personally had bad experience with reman motors - VQ35 nissan - the first replacement had the timing way off. After fighting with the company, they send a second engine which had a very low oil pressure. My advice is - buy a reman unit but make sure it is from a reputable company with solid warranty.

There are so many factors that go into the decision, you could easily spend half an hour discussing them. Typically rebuilding costs $1500+ in machine work and parts, reman'ed engines are typically $2-3k, and replacement engines are usually sub-1000, depending what the car is. Varies a LOT car-to-car. But usually a junkyard engine with a 90 day warranty for $600 into a car with 150,000 is the best solution.

Former fleet manager and current car collector here. Every "professional" engine rebuild I've ever had has been defective in some manner, due to careless assembly and/or poor quality parts. Every engine rebuild I've done myself has been good. I appreciate Eric's points, and they are valid in the perfect world. But we don't live in one and "professional" engine builders are anything but that. In my opinion, any extra time and trouble I save by buying a professionalism rebuild is wasted when I must pull the engine a second time due to rebuilders' defects.

i would like to get into rebuilding engines. junior year of high school we rebuilt this engine in a jeep and it sounded beautiful. i knew i had to get that feeling

His topic sentence says it all - If it's too old to buy a replacement, rebuild it. If you can buy a replacement, buy the replacement. I've got an '04 avalanche, broke a ring...the parts alone to rebuild the thing would be $900 (gaskets, pistons, bearings, perf cam (cuz you're already in there), lifters, oil pump (cuz you're already in there), hopefully the connecting rods, push rods, and rockers can tolerate another couple hundred thousand miles)...the machine shop, at best, would be $150 to clean, check, and hone. More like $250 though, 'cuz that broken ring probably scored the bore. Then there's the time I'd spend disassembling and reassembling the thing. A used, 100k mile, 5 year garauntee replacement is $1,250. It's worth it unless you think your time is worth nothing or you simply enjoy doing that type of work. Rebuilding is, a lot of the time, impossible - You're probably going to be remanufacturing....You'll have a more powerful, more fuel efficient engine, but it's almost always going to cost more than a factory engine. Lol

I recently had to make the decision to rebuild my engine or purchase a new one. Since my GMC 2-Door (1996) Yukon GT had a limited production (1993-1997), I wanted to keep all the numbers matching. I also sent the engine out to a machine shop to have the rebuild done. I needed new heads because it appears Vortec heads crack rather easily anytime the vehicle overheats. So, with a rebuilt transmission, new OEM front end, and the rebuilt engine, I keep the vehicle true to its original specification. One of these GMC Yukon GT 2-door 4WD just sold on eBay for 18k with 68k miles on it. They are in high demand and only getting rarer. Now, if it was just some utility truck with no extrinsic value, a new engine is sound advice.

I specialize in Honda engines in particular b series. If an engine has catastrophic damage like spun bearings, severely degraded oil, cracks or major warpage beyond tolerances, I always replace but save everything left thats still good. But I use good quality cores I pull myself from pick n pull, I know how to check them for condition before I decide to buy. Ive even bought a b18b out of the trunk of a Toyota Camry in the middle of winter off a Vietnamese guy. But I always do a basic tear down at home to check bearings, cylinders, and head/deck warpage, and for general cracks, perform machine work as necessary before reassembly with new parts. Most the time I can reuse the original pistons and just hone with new rings, and replace the bearings with a standard set of Kings or ACL race series. But since Honda does its own blueprint system, I will be converting to oem bearings on the next build. They allow for the closest possible match because the system allows you to move up and down in small size increments. It also allows you to brag that you did a true oem rebuild on the bottom end. Of course, always use your ridge reamer to remove the wear lip in the upper cylinder, and brand new oil pump, piston rings, seals, gaskets, and timing kits with a water pump on the build. Also an accurate torque wrench, lots of lube, and keeping everything sterile as possible is just as important during assembly.

You don't have to pick one over the other consistently in my opinion. The main difference to me is how long the customer let the concern go before having it diagnosed. For instance, the timing chain/belt was loose, they let it go, now it jumped a tooth and didn't interfere. Rebuild the engine; give it new gaskets, timing, check the head for leaks and run. Another customer will walk in that let it jump a tooth and kept going, now there is a valve threw a piston and a connecting rod bent. Replace it. If a reman is withing $750 or a used engine is over $2000 I strongly recommend the reman. Part of being a good tech is being able to tell the difference between what needs fixed and what needs replaced. You cant just go into every engine job and replace the assembly. I've torn the bottom off of cars with 150k+ miles that were just a little low on pressure, put connecting rod bearings in it and run for years. No I didn't fix every concern-able part in the motor however there was no reason to because for less then $200 we got another couple good running miles from it.

I have to answer this question because I've done both for my 5.7L Chevy Small Block in my 1992 Silverado! It cost me over $9,000.00 to get the engine completely rebuilt. I was given very specific instructions on how to drive it to brake it in, followed those instructions and ended up 3 months later blowing the cam and the rest of the top half of the engine to pieces. So I found a guy that wanted to sale me a engine from a 1990 Chevy Blazer (fullSize) Silverado Edition for $150.00. The only things it needed was coolant, water pump serpentine belt and a charged up battery. So then I got to thinking, how much would he want for the whole Truck. $200.00 is all he wanted for the whole Truck. so I bought it, got it to pass the Pa. safety and immissions standards; had it on the road for 2.5 days, and on the third day got into an accident totalling out the truck. So I took the engine out of the Blazer and put it into my Silverado. It would've been better if I had converted my Silverado into the 4×4 using the Blazer 4×4 components but I scrapped it (what a bone head move in know). so I went threw all of that trouble just to say in the end I HAD FUN & staid dirty.

If you go for 1 intervention in your life, the best thing to do is to go for a crate engine or transmission or rear axle as you'll never acquire the exprerence needed and the risk is high that you'll mess up your rebuild however, if you intend to repeat the experience, I'll go for the rebuilding as the experience gained will serve you all your life. when I begun, I was as about anybody that is working on cars but today, the only operation I don't perform is cranckshaft reconditionning as I can't justify the equipment to do that job and the reason I developped this because i was highly unsatisfied with the work done by the local engine machine shops

The way I see it is that if you don't need the car or truck up and running asap then yeah rebuilding it yourself can be an option. Now if you need that vehicle back asap to daily drive it or whatever then rebuilding it is not the best way to. If your in that situation it's always best to consult someone who knows what they're doing.

+ETCG1, Rebuild or replace would depend on what you're working on. For example, most domestic engines are built around "planned obsolescence", meaning they were only manufactured to last so many miles. However, most of the older 1980's classic vehicles, be it domestic or foreign, were designed to see hundreds of thousands of miles. The down side to swapping an engine from a salvage yard is, unless you can find the exact engine type that you're trying to replace, your vehicles computers are going to be really confused. Not to mention, if you try to get dealer parts for that vehicle, your vehicle's VIN & chassis number, correspond to a certain engine type. In short, if you replace your engine with a salvage engine, even the exact the model, all you're doing is swapping one set of problems for another set of problems. Yeah, you might find an engine with less miles on the odometer. However, the engine problems are based upon how well the previous owner maintained their engine.

I am not currently a professional engine builder , but I have been in the past . I most recently worked for a high performance engine builder . I started with a larger shop with some name recognition but was hired away from that place by a man who wanted to build the best reman replacement motors available. As it turns out our motors were just to pricey . nobody was buying our motors when others could be bought for less than what we were putting in ours . I have some of those bargain price reman with 4 stock bores 1 .030 over and 1 .040 over . If I was giving advice I would tell you to go ahead and buy a reman myself I'll build mine .

As mentioned it depends and quick research shows which is most cost effective. But generally replacement is most cost effective. Generally cheaper and obviously better warranty. Now days you can even buy from mild to wild with Dyno sheets (engine broken in) taking most of the work out. The big three have turn key engine sets that includes everything including transmission, carb, fuel injection, wiring harness, ecu etc.. even oil and filter. Look at a stock sbc brand new crate motor for $1700. You can barely rebuild a short block for that price, add in just the head work/check and no way.

I personally think that rebuilding engines, transmissions, etc, should be done by people who either do rebuilds for a living like Eric mentioned in the video or build cars as a hobby. And if you are doing a rebuild of an engine or a transmission (or both), make sure that the vehicle you drive back and forth to work everyday is in good shape cuz if that vehicle breaks down then you're S.O.L. unless you just happen to have a third vehicle that still runs. I personally think doing a rebuild of any kind would be a fun project, but it still poses risks like Eric mentioned. So I'd say that if you're hell bent on having your engine or transmission or what have you rebuilt and you're not a professional mechanic with all the right tools, then find a shop that'll do it for you. If you're hell bent on doing it yourself, Boxwrench makes instructional DVDs on how to rebuild engines and transmissions for those who don't know how to do a proper rebuild but would like to learn.

I opine that neither is a good option for the vast majority of cars that may require a repair or replacement of a major assembly and here's why: cost relative to the vehicle. Only in vehicles whose age is perhaps less than four years and/or higher end vehicles is the cost of either replacing or repair of a major assembly worth it. The cost of a rebuild or replacement can approach and often easily exceed the market value of most vehicles on the road that are unfortunate enough to need the work. It's a fact that cars these days are simply disposable appliances owing largely to the huge cost of parts and labor and this is unlikely to change anytime soon. They simply are not worth fixing anything but the most minor of problems anymore.

Thank you for this video. This helped me a lot. You explained everything so well that even someone like me can understand. 👍👍

Time to buy and own a new one, 2021 we are living in now, and take as much many long time to rebuilding an engine, it's eventually also always going to be worth it!

I like the idea of properly rebuilding an engine if it's good enough to still be a usable block, replacing a few parts isn't really rebuilding, it's just re-assembling it, rebuilding at the end of the day is closer to blueprinting when it comes to the end result, whereas what most people see as rebuilding still has a lot of original parts and wouldn't include, say, a balanced crank and may still have pistons of varying size and quality

As far as engines, I would rebuild only if I was going FI or SC with my Z (if I wanted to strengthen the weakest internal components). Even so, I would send the block/ heads to the shop for machining as I do not have said equipment/ knowledge to do so myself. As far as transmissions go, I would only do clutch/ Rear main seal/ Throwout bearing/ fork replacements. Zs are known for chattering transmissions so THAT I will leave to the guys that rebuild em for a living. Great video as always!!

In my opinion: consider every used complete engine in need of a total rebuild at least. Sometimes they are not even rebuild-able. With this in mind, I don’t really consider buying a junkyard engine at all. That being said, it is normally cheaper in my experience to remove your engine, take it to a machine shop to get it cleaned and the the surfaces straightened, and honed if needed. Two of the engines I’ve built I have not taken to get machined but only after careful measuring. For these engines I also honed the cylinders with a drill operated hone. It’s not easy but absolutely doable once you get the hang of it. Also when measuring you have to triple check everything: cylinders, pistons, ring gaps, bearing clearances, camshaft clearances, crankshaft clearances, lifters, rocker gaps, etc. It IS a long and tedious process but once you do your homework and take the time to prep everything, you get to put it all together which in my opinion is half the fun. You will also no doubt need to buy tools you don’t have, but once you buy them you have them. Don’t be discouraged by the difficulties. You’ll get better as you do more, just like everything else in life. You’ll also appreciate the car that much more when you’re driving it around. This is my opinion.

I rebuilt the C4 in my 84 Mustang and it was fine. But that was at tech school and I had a clean room and all the special tools and instructor's knowledge at my disposal. It was still working pretty well a few years later when I sold the car. If I had to do it in my driveway, it would have been a disaster and getting a rebuilt one would have been the way to go.

10 yrs later and I have this same issue and needed to replace the engine. I wanted to replace but only on engine reman offered a non dod ls engine. I didn’t want the dod lifter issue to deal with again. So I replaced with a used engine that already had the delete done. All the remand had terrible failure rates and warranty issues as well.

I started attempting my own work when I was 15. I've learned quite a bit and I am able to fix most things on a car. Engine rebuild would not be one of those things. Replacement possibly but rebuild is out of the question.

I have a 74 ltd wagon with a 400 v8. I will send it to a shop for a complete rebuild. Hard to find a replacement for this, and these engines had factory problems with low oil pressure that this shop knows how to address so i have no further problems. So my view is if your eng/part is readily availabled replace, if it is not or the eng/part has known factory defects than a rebuild is the way to go. Just my thoughts.

Just like body work, there are a thousand ways to mess up the job when rebuilding an engine. So many factors and so much at stake and only one single mistake will be noticeable, ugly and damaging. Experience is key and you are going to make a lot of mistakes before you get good at it. Your own car is not always the best median for mistakes in my opinion.

The way I see it if the motor is in production still and easy to find a new motor replace if it’s something older where they are no longer being made and crate/drop in rebuilds are harder to find or expensive then rebuilding is the way to go

Eric, You hit the mark about rebuild vs replacement. Another thing I find is that is sometimes it is . hard to find a good machine shop to do the work correctly. Casing point , I had machine shop work done on an engine from a 1991 Chevy Corsica and when it came time to check oil clearances for the connecting rod, there were 2 out specs. Never did rebuilds after that, just replacements.

Depends on the car. If you don't plan to keep it or don't care too much, just put new rings and bearings in to bandaid it for a few years. If it's a newer car, just get a replacement engine. If's its an old car you want to fix right and you can't get a replacement, a full rebuild is really your only option (I don't know anywhere where you can get a remanufactured flathead ford)

100% DIYer but if you don't have the tool it can get costly in a hurry. I've had it go both ways and will still do it on my own for the learning experience is worth it to me.

"rebuilt" my 2006 hemi it dropped valve seat on my #1 cylinder i pulled the head it was beat up from crunching up the seat. I got a remanned head from ebay with warrenty as well as a piston and ring set, ordered gasket kits and a few special tools 18mm socket, torque wrench, ring compressor, cylinder hone. I did tear down and rebuild by my self outside my dorm room on jack stands....worse part was the front diff and drive shaft the engine work wasnt bad I did rig up a engine lift to get clearance to pull the oil pan to replace the piston. I got a good cross hatch got my pison in (shouldnt have got a cheap ring compressor) and new gaskets oil pan, head gasket, valve cover, spark plugs gaskets, intake manifold gaskets also changed all 16 plugs all in all spent about 1000 for parts tools and fresh fluids n filters also spent a little bit on cleaners, rags, a Royal purple additive, as well as seafoam for engine and crank case, and some for transmission. put about 100 miles on the vehicle and its running execellent, it was in pretty decent shape before if it wasnt for a manufacture defect of dis similar metals from the aluminum head and steel valve seat The engine would have been fine. I have a low compression cylinder on the other side so ill monitor that and perhapse pull that head get it machined before it gets any worse but Im expecting to continue driving for a while minimal build up and "Gunk" in the engine piston walls still have cross hatch and with fresh accessories I plan to swap the timing set and oil pump to keep the Hemi breathing for another 100k or till i get something else. PS i was quotes 4800 for a low mile engine swap parts + labor so for 1000 i think im winning. Im just a student without a work shop or many nice tools which a established gentleman may have access to but I got her done with 0 assistance.

If you can source a newer engine with lower miles for a better price, go that route. However, there is that sense of pride to be had in rebuilding the original engine in a classic car.

I have replaced a 4 cylinder engine in 3 different cars with used engine from a salvage yard. Pick N Pull offers a 13 month warranty on engines for about $30. Total cost for a complete engine was $230, before turning in the core. (Core is $50). If the engine is available, and isn’t locked up or look like it has every gasket leaking oil then I’d swap for a used one every time.

Few years back my mom's Camry seized up and our mech told us that it needed a rebuild or a reconditioned engine. Same story, he told us $1500 for a recon engine or $1800 for a rebuild. We went with a recon and he ended up sourcing the more powerful DOHC instead of the same one it had. The car ended up going for another 5 years and was still in good working order when we got rid of it.

Fees to bore, hone, vat, engine blocks and the costs of parts and not to mention the amount of time to rebuild a engine. Hands down. Replace!!👍👐

The key factor here which was not discussed is measurements. You have to measure cylinder bore as well as check the condition of the heads first. You might be throwing away a good engine. Rebuilding is about the same price as a rebuilt engine so I agree it’s best to get the warranty however in my case I have to know for sure what’s going into my engine. They have bearings that are crap and might last 100,000 miles then they have bearings that will last a half million miles. You never know what you have in a rebuilt engine unless you tear down a few parts to inspect what your getting. Rebuilding is also something any mechanic can learn and just have to take one step at a time and do it right. Measure everything. I did mine due to pride. I had to say that I built it and no one else. A lot of these show cars now have engines built by someone else and in the beginning 80 years ago it was all about building the best engine you could and showing it off

I have rebuilt a few engines, using the FSM/Workshop manual's, whilst getting the machining done offsite. Usually my machining is going to cost me roughly $1100-1300, Piston ring grinding and hanging roughly $200 and my rebuild kits are roughly between $1400 and $1700 depending on the engine. I get the machine shop to do all the required machining and whatnot while I complete the final build. That way it gives ME the piece of mind I need for a long life engine.

I absolutely agree that replacing is always better than rebuilding (for late model vehicle). Just one tip when purchasing a salvaged engine: All junkyards will guarantee the engine they sell you. If it's bad, they have no problem sending you another. But, you will be stuck doing the job twice! Get your salvaged engine from a REPUTABLE junkyard Also, NEVER return the core until all work is completed and tested. You might need something from your old engine to finish the job. Good luck!

A quick replacement can save time , sometimes even money. but dont think rebuilding is going to be much easier....like Eric said, you gotta be precise on the torques specs and measurements...from there everything else is a breeze if u do it correctly., if all goes well u have a good engine to last u for a pretty long time... u never know going either way. MY OPINION ON THIS QUESTION IS, I WOULD RATHER BUILD IF I HAVE THE TIME AND KNOW HOWS..., AND I WILL GO WITH A QUICK REPLACEMENT FOR TIME I SO MUCH NEED. Alot of us will choose a simple fix over a build. - but if u build it right u have yourself a brand new engine....which ever u choice is up to u at your preference, and the situation you are in.

As to whether to rebuild or getting a rebuilt, its all about the competency and trust you have with the machine shop and the mechanic who is doing the removal/installation. I don't generally trust used engines out of a junk yard...too much risk in getting a bad/abused engine. My 350 out of a 78 Camaro was rebuilt at 170,000 miles after it spun a bearing. Upon dissasmbly, found that the OEM cam was soft with rounded lobes. Had done oil & filter changes every 3ooo miles. After the rebuild which, included a new cam, honed cylinders, new pistons, turned crank, new rings, I put another 200,000 before I sold it to a friend and it was still running like a charm. Then again, that 350 was easy to remove out of a Camaro. Its hard to beat today laser accurate engine manufacturing process.

I used to work rebuilding engines and another part to keep in mind is that they are generally all dyno'd. So the odds that you will wind up with a bad one is few and far between. My experience in doing this lets me handle all my own rebuilds. But if I'm working on a customers car its always nice to have a replacement that can be swapped in that way you dont have to worry about getting a call from the machine shop telling you the heads or cylinders are too far out of spec.

Yes I've seen them. You made at least several attempts at it, and you did a good job too! I think a new transmission is the best thing for that van at this time.

I am not rebuilding an engine or trans on flat rate! it is getting a reman or used period! One thing DIYers need to think about on later model engines, is alot of those need sp ecial tools to set up the cams etc, that can get real expensive if you cheap out and try to do it without the right tools, or the experence to do the work either. Other issues finding a quality machinist! they are getting very hard to find.

I am obsessed abt metal shiny parts Eric i love the challenge f complicated stuff but as a second thought f forgetting a spring or a tiny piece of metal wen rebuilding an engine i belive replacing is the best choice and efficient.

at one time we were over hauling subaru cylinder heads, we use 100% OE parts, all new valves, and seals. rebuild time for one head payed 1.0hrs, fastest time I ever did one was 0.25hrs. the car with bent valves was fixed the same day. with two updated head gaskets installed. :) 14.0hr job

I'm just a intermediate car guy. I agree with Eric. I don't see reward in rebuilding an engine myself. Too many variables. I'd rather leave to professionals in a machine shop.

I had a mechanic friend rebuilt my engine because of an oil consumption problem. My friend only replaced the o rings, thinking that those were the issues. I paid him a few thousands for the job and ended up with the same problem. Because he is a friend of mine, I got screwed on that one. I later traded the car in for a new one.

It depends on what falls into your idea of a "rebuild." To me, a "rebuild" would be rebored cylinders ( then possibly sleeved), new pistons, rods, and rings, new crank and bearings, new camshaft(s), lifters and pushrods (if applicable), new valve springs, valve guides, new valves, and a new timing chain. If you do much less, you still have possible points of failure.

As a diesel technician for Detroit Diesel we overhaul engines all the time. But then again we have cylinder liners that are removable. A basic overhaul includes replacing cylinder liners pistons rings (already pre-measured). 80 Percent of the time the block gets cut to correct liner heights. Main bearings rod bearings cam bearings cylinder head (it is not often we re-use a cylinder head). There are steps up from that injectors rockers turbo ect. We are very familiar with the product we build 60 series motors all the time. But as far as rebuilding a automotive engine goes. I wouldn't recommend it to the weekend warrior, there is so much to know, valve recession allowable cylinder head warpage, allowable cylinder bore and taper... How many diyers do you know that have a cylinder bore gauge? I mean if you get it torn down and realize that the holes need machined then what? Pull the motor anyway to send it to a machine shop for a couple weeks? The guys at the dealer normally don't get that deep into automotive engines. Mainly because it is not cost effective. It's not something I would want to do for someone else because I would not be familiar with the product. Nor do I encourage someone to do it that is accustomed to engine building that probably does not have resources to determine what allowable wear is.

Rebuilding tends to be cost prohibitive in modern vehicles. They are simply not designed for it. Some things however, ancient things, were designed to be taken apart and rebuilt. Will you ever find me with a toyota DOHC in pieces in my garage? Only as a last resort. And i will never, even with good help, go deeper than the head. Even a 30 year old toyota is a scary complicated beast under the valve covers. Will you find me with the old 1990 mark 4 454 in pieces? Maybe. Pushrod V 8s are simple and comfortable. At least comparatively. Have I already gotten a quote from Vilas Machine Works on a bore-out and crank job? Yes I have. My chosen mechanic for that vehicle is a hot rod guy that doesn't touch fords that aren't flat heads or anything else made past 1995. Since that particular block remained more or less unchanged (internally at least) for 40 years I feel that it is in good hands. Beyond that, ive taken the heads off myself twice. And they are iron, and its a bitch of a job, but that block was made to be rebuilt. And the old 3 cyl yanmar john deere? If it ever, one day far in the future, shows signs of wear, ill take it apart too. I believe its a pushrod but im not sure because the thing is a masterwork of reliability and its never had the valve cover removed. But i do know that it is an older tractor and that generally means that it should be servicable. I guess what I'm saying is pick your battles. Some things were designed for service, some for replacement. Don't buck the horse on that one. If its designed for replacement replace the damn thing. If its designed for service do whatever you want. But bear in mind that modern vehicles are NOT designed for service. None of em.

I'm going for an engine rebuild. One, my model, the Mitsy 380 was the last Mitsy they built in Australia. By the time they started production on the 380 Mitsubishi had already fallen out of favor with the buying public and didn't sell in great numbers. Consequently, though the 380 was then and continues to be considered to be a great car, there are no off-the-shelf re-manufactured engines so to replace I'd be limited to a salvage yard engine. Two, I've been driving my Mitsy and lovingly looking after her for 11 years and for reasons to deep to mention here I have emotional attachment to my Mitsy and I want MY engine back in not someone else's. I agree with your logic Eric, in this case, though some people are telling me I'm crazy to spend so much money on her, she's my Mitsy. I believe you did an ETCG1 video asking if vehicles have a soul. I don't think anthropomorphizing my Mitsy or imbuing the car with a soul but maybe it could be my age. I don't like watching cars being destroyed in movies, crushed or shredded or rusting away slowly out in a field, to me it just seems sad. I don't know, maybe I've got my empathy control turned up too high. I have often been told to " Cut the give a fuck wire. " So, she's a rebuild. The biggest problem is going to be finding the right people to do it.

Ok, your right replace is better. But, it's so darn fun rebuilding an engine. Am I right, engine rebuilding can not only be interesting but enjoyable, especially when the rare times, everything comes out great. And I say rare times, because almost always after your done rebuilding an engine, there is a least a few problems, sometimes bad problems afterwards.

Don' try and be a super tech people if your cheap four cylinder engines dies don't rebuild it just buy a new one.. i see this all the time..

I would like to add that a engine replacement is ok when the cost of replacement is less than the cost of labor, and rebuilt "kits" together. but if the skillset and knowledge is available when the cost of a replacement engine is out of budget, and the customer doesnt wants to upgrade internals than en rebuild is better.

I don't have a lot of experience, and that's exactly why I'm undergoing a rebuild on an engine. If I wanted a quick and easy job, I would just throw an engine in, but I want to get down to the nitty gritty! lol. If it fails, I get to tear it down again and learn some more about it. So with my goal to learn more, rebuilding was the better choice. (Or at least we'll see, I'll maybe learn that replacing is better - who knows?)

I paid $1,500ish to have my motor rebuilt years ago for my 22r. It was a lot of money but the shop didn't frequently perform rebuilds on Toyota engines. I was young and naive. I should have done more research. The engine ended up blowing a head gasket just 1-2 years later. I agree that installing a used motor can have some benefits.

Rebuilding is a some sort of art for diy guys like me: we should carefully prepare for the process, buy tools, gather the knowledge. Go for it, if you have access to another vehicle and a lots of spare time. Today mechanics are cutting the corners - swap is simple and allows you to change a non-runner into runner within 6-8 hours. Results are sometimes more interesting - just imagine how proud you could be of yourself, when your toughtfully rebuild engine works and lasts for a long period.

With an old classic like a Corvette it's important to keep numbers matching but after rebuilding a few I would be a little leery of doing it if you want assurance it will last. It's so hard to maintain tolerances throughout the engine as compared with a crate engine or a factory built with computer precision. Even a junk yard non rebuilt engine would probably be more reliable if it was well kept up and had somewhat low mileage on it. Just speaking from my experience anyway.

professionally rebuild engines are fairly expensive, here in down under. It's most cost effective to find a used replacement with warranty from a wrecker. About ten years ago, I was driving a Ford Falcon which the engine bottom end was not good and spewing oil out of the air cleaner. Replacement engine(which is the basically the engine block with pistons, crank shaft, etc, all rebuilt, but nothing more. And the price for that rebuilt engine was $3500, which wasn't worth the trouble. I got a used replacement for just under $1000 including the labour, which kept me going for another couple of years before I got rid of the car. Rebuilding is good on cars older than ten years, but only when I can do it myself. Otherwise, it can be expensive and 'rewardless'.

I've done both, rebuilt and replaced with second hand engines, IMO it depends on what is wrong with the engine.. If it too major like a broken timing belt bent valves and tagged the pistons I'd replace it. If a rod knock id stop driving it as soon as herd and tear down, inspect and if its not to bad rebuild bottom end and call it day.

I know the time and tools it get to rebuild an engine and transmission but i would only do it as the last option if for example i wanted to make the old car work just for fun.

Hey Eric, This is my subjective opinion. I haven't done a bottom end rebuild yet. That 'cos I haven't had to, yet. If or when I get to that(it will be definitely when), and if I have a second alternative way of getting around( I have a bike), I would seriously consider taking my time and rebuilding it. Sure, I need an engine crane, which can either be borrowed, rented or even purchased(around $150). Sure, I may consider a getting a used good replacement if the price is right. But, I have to say, if the time and circumstances(and tools and space) allows it, it's a fun exercise to do, even by myself, without asking any of my mate's assistance. There're many way to get around expensive measuring tools for a DIY. For example, I used a simple $6 digital hanging scale to measure the differential pinion bearing preload, instead of buying an expensive dial type torque gauge(which is between $100 and $500). For a DIY, expensive tools that you may never use again, are a waste of money(that you may don't have) BTW, I'm from down under and I drive a heavy Nissan 4WD. So, the work on particular type of cars are heavier & more labour intensive than average sedan. I'm not a pro mechanice, but and IT guy. All the work that I've done so far, have learnt from youtube videos,...... primarily your videos. I saved thousands of dollars and collected a quite a collection of tools. So, I say, rebuild it when the circumstances allows it, and replace when it doesn't. It all comes down to arithmetic in the end of the day.

Totally agree, but really it all comes down to the builder. The truth however is that most factory original motors that are still running have stood up to the test of time, and abuse that we put them through. A rebuilt / crate motor has not, and requires special TLC during the breakin period.

I rebuilt the engine for my 97 camry (2.2 5sfe) and it was cheaper for me to rebuild it myself than replace, but the work required to rebuild it from the ground up was way more than i would ever do for a customer. I will stake my life on my work, but i will be damned before i let a few hundred bucks ride on my skills!

Over the summer I bought a 93 civic specifically so that I could rebuild the engine. It was burning oil badly and needed new axles, muffler etc. is good experience, but it needed a lot of work and for a first timer was very complicated! I had the head machined and slapped a new set of rings on after honing the cylinders out and it doesn't burn oil anymore. It does leak a bit out of the distributor or head gasket, but I can't figure out which... anyhow, thanks for the information

Hindsight is 20/20... thanks for the wisdom Eric