To rebuild or not to rebuild - Opinions

Rebuild or JDM

  • Rebuild It!

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Get a JDM

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
S

Slink

New member
Hey just looking for some opinions... I'm planning a massive road trip in 2 years and am trying to figure out which would be "better;" to completely have my engine rebuilt or to just buy a JDM motor from somewhere

Keep in mind I'm a little girl so I won't be rebuilding it myself (although that would be cool if I knew how) so not sure how cost effective that is gonna be

On the other hand buying some motor from the internet seems kinda sketchy

Thoughts/Opinions?

Of course considering other more realistic options (Like buying a beater for the trip, or even worse renting a vehicle for the trip) ain't gonna happen. IT just aint!!!!

And I realize finding a shop willing to do this will be half the battle
This is the fun of owning this car though :D


Thanx guys

:D
 
D

darthripley

Moderator
i agree with db - what's wrong with the motor?

even if you get a jdm motor you're going to need to do the timing belt, water pump, hard to reach hoses from hell, plugs, cap, dizzy, fuel filter & fluid refills just to make sure its all good & ready to go.

just b/c its a lower mileage eninge doesn't mean it won't need some work as well imo.

i'm a girl & i work on all our cars with my husband.
it's not that hard as long as you have a decent set of hand tools & the trusty ole BGB :D
 
C

CDN-GT4

Member
If you have reason to believe that the motor is on the way out and downtime is not crucial to you I would rebuild it.
 
E

etantshi

Moderator
Have a compression and/or leakdown test performed on your motor to see if it is infact ailing. If it isn't, I'd just do some routine 100 000 mi maintenance.
 
L

lupin1x

New member
+1

routine maintenance will go much farther than swapping out the engine, even if everything done right the first time, which in all my instances, nothing EVER goes completely right the first try.

Unless your engine is completely toast, stick with what ya got, otherwise you'll spend a lot of time up against a wall :bangshead:
 
Sifu

Sifu

New member
Rebuild.
When I purchased my Alltrac I got it from a young guy who barely started turning wrenches (out of all the cars to start, why this one?). He purchased a JDM engine and put it in. That thing was a wreck. The car barely started and even then I spent over $800 just to get it to run (not drive, just run).

When the engine was torn down the JDM block had a bad head gasket leak, rust along the cylinder walls, faulty water pump, and a number of other problems. This same engine that was suppose to replace the rebuilt ironically needed a rebuilt.

All in all just a warning. JDM doesn't always = low mileage GREAT SUPER AWESOME Japanese product! It can be hit or miss and this was a miss.

I don't think I'll ever buy a JDM engine unless I can inspect it and give it a full leak down and compression test. What a huge hassle that was.
 
A

alltracman78

Active member
If you want to bring the car to Boston I'll rebuild it for you. :D

But yeah, what is the condition of the engine?
This isn't a domestic engine. These last [unless you blow them from too much boost ect].
For instance, my 92 has 169xxx miles and has 2% leakdown on 2 cyl, 6% on one [and a blown cyl from too much boost/not enough fuel :D].
The mechanicals of the engine are still PERFECT except for the blown cyl.
Now I did [and would recommend] replace all the seals, belts and hoses. But that's not a rebuild.

Don't just focus on the engine either. Look at the rest of the car as well.
How are your wheel bearings, shifter bushings/cables, suspension bushings, strut mounts, CV boots/joints, cooling system [radiator/heater core], pwr steering pump/lines, brakes, trans/diff oil, and whatever else I didn't think of?
 
T

tw2

New member
I would always recommend a rebuild for anything but an absolutely stuffed engine (ie rod through block etc) If you get a new engine you are never going to know its condition, how well it was maintained, it might even be worse off than the one you had. If you rebuild you always know what you are getting and anything not quite right can be corrected along the way.
 
S

Slink

New member
Well the car runs perfectly but I don't know if I would trust it to the other end of the country and back (It's about a 15,000 km round trip at least or 9300 miles!)

Excluding coolant, it leaks pretty much every kind of fluid that it has in it; Oil, transmission, power steering... Going to need new suspension but that's OK, brakes & tires are new, potentially a clutch in 2 years time but hard to say

How much longer can I expect to get out of the stock turbo? (Motor is completely stock) She's got about 225,000 KMs or 140,000 miles.

If it aint broken, fix it till it is !

But no, I just don't want to drive half way across the land and then some weird thing breaks down and who is gonna fix it... !! I want to hit the road with confidence! Thanks for your help people
:D :? 8) :doh: :lol: :smokes:
 
T

tw2

New member
If you don't mind spending the money then go for it. Its good to know everything is in good condition. Get a full gasket set from toyota and have the whole engine rebuilt. If you want to do some serious upgrades in the future you could consider forged pistons and rods but most other stuff can be done anytime. I wouldn't worry about power steering, mine leaks and only needs a topup every year or so.

The turbo should last a very long time if the oil is frequently changed, if it doesn't have any play or leak oil then it is fine. You could always order a ct27 from ats if you have money to burn and want a mild turbo upgrade.

If you want piece of mind you will never get it from another unknown engine.
 
S

Slink

New member
Well I don't have money to burn, but I am saving it for this purpose !!

What else would I save money for ?!!

I just want my car new again, you know !!

Thanks for all the input :D
 
D

db

Active member
Well, my original turbo has 209,000 miles on it. So, you might have some life left in yours.
 
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