Should I buy a new or replace the engine?
My 2006 Toyota Rav4 is burning oil at an EXTREMELY high rate. Literally have to add one quart every 100 miles. It is currently at 127k miles. Should I sell my car to a junkyard and buy a new car? Or should I just replace the engine? I really don't know a whole lot about cars so any help from auto experts would be fantastic!
Should I replace my engine or buy a new car?
I have a 2004 V6 Pontiac Grand Am with a failed engine. It's a used car I got for $800 a year ago. The thermometer and heat gasket were replaced due to overheating. The engine turns over, but doesn't always start and has a skip in it. I had 2 mechanics look at it. They suggested I get a new engine. The body of the car is in a fairly good shape, but has minor damage to the hood. I'm kind of strapped for cash. No insults, please. Just looking for advice.
Should I replace my engine or get a new car?
It would be helpful if you would provide some information about your vehicle such as year make and model.
Is it hard to replace the engine of a car?
The degree of difficulty varies widely, In general much older cars were simpler and there was more room to work while modern cars are densely packaged. The service department for your model car will be able to quote the factory suggestion as to how many hours it should take- that is a start but remember they are referring to trained techs in a well equipped shop. Next look for a service manual for your car, see what tools you will need.Some cars must have the engine dropped out below (mid engined models for ex), most remove the engine from above, some remove the engine alone, many remove the engine joined to the transmission and they are separated out of the car. Some cars have a lot of removable body work, leaving the engine very accessible, many have the body mostly welded together so it becomes a tighter fit to get in and out. Most Mercedes have a special hood hinge enabling the hood to open extra far to remove the engine, but on most other cars the hood must be removed and readjusted when assembled. Many modern cars are assembled at the factory by installing the engine, transmission and a front end sub frame up from underneath. but repairs will be more tedious.One common difficulty is that the exhaust pipe must be unbolted from the engine-those bolts are very often badly rusted in large part from the heat. forcing them will break them creaking another issue to repair, a shop will have a torch to heat the parts red hot letting them unscrew without breakage.If you need to ask this, I suspect you need to do more research on your model car before deciding if you are able to tackle the project.
What is the average cost to replace your car engine?
I've replaced numerous engines in everything from an inexpensive Chevy Chevette to a Grand Prix V8 in a BMW X5 AWD and a V12 in a McLaren F1, and everything in between. Engine replacement costs can vary wildly depending on application, the donor engine and who does the work. For most Japanese cars, there are frequently used Japanese engines available with low mileage. These are imported from Japan and are recovered from their aggressive auto recycling program. If you have a late-model Japanese car, this is usually the most economic and reasonable way to go, and most can be done for around $2000 out the door.For European luxury cars, the prices usually exceed the cost of the vehicle, so scrapping the car is unfortunately the best option, from a financial point of view. For most American cars, it's best to locate a good, low-mileage engine at a wrecking yard and have an independent mechanic do the installation. If your local wrecker doesn't have your specific engine, they can search using a parts "hotline." There are also engine rebuilders out there in larger metropolitan areas who can rebuild your existing engine from start to finish. You just leave the car and pick it up a few days later. However check these vendors carefully with the BBB and Yelp! to make sure they have a good reputation. Also, the additional service level may cost you more than you'd expect. I also recommend taking pictures of your car before you leave it with them to make sure it's returned to you in undamaged condition.
Will replacing the engine make the car new again?
you gotta watch out for the rx7 motor, those things don't last very long, as to why you have to replace the one with only 100,000 miles on in. You're going to run into a lot of problems with a rotary engine. For one thing, its going to be super expensive to buy one, and also really pricey for someone to switch it out. You'll probably have to replace the transmission in it in about 80000 miles, unless you have a stick, then it should last longer. My suggestion would be to go get a new car. Once you start researching the price and getting estimates from mechanics you'll want to. Good luck, its a nice car, but a pain to maintain. What year is it anyway?
Could you replace a car engine yourself?
As Nathan said, if you are attentive to detail anyone with a moderate amount of mechanical ability and the desire to do it can replace an engine. (hell, you can even rebuild an engine save some special things that you would have to outsource)you’ll need something to lift it with because as Jaimie said, they are heavy. A reasonable shop crane from Harbor Freight is regularly on sale for $150, I used to have one and used it several times to lift engines out. Or you can usually rent one for about $50/day.then all you have to do is drain the fluids, disconnect everything, make sure you label everything especially wires and things and yank it out. I’ll bet you a dollar that someone has written somewhere in some forum the steps that you need to do for your specific model so the internet will be your friend here.And as long as you have some time and a place to work, it can be an interesting experience. And you have the added benefit of telling people you meet that you swapped the engine in your car!
When you replace a car engine do the miles go back to zeo or only when you change transmission?
No, the odometer would still read the full number of miles, even if the engine is newer. I recently replaced my Jetta engine that had bent up some valves with a comparable beetle engine, and although the engine had some 70k fewer miles on it, the odometer still reads 136k. It's actually illegal to mess with the numbers, since that's an indication of the mileage and wear and tear on the car, not just on the engine.
I you replace the engine do you reset the mileage?
The odometer cannot be reset, it is illegal to do so. Why? Because the BODY of the car still has 155,000 miles. You can't sell the car is if it were completely new - because it's not - only the engine is. Here's what you CAN do - keep the proper records/documentation as to the mileage when the engine was installed. You will need this evidence to be verified by somebody, such as the shop installing the engine. When you sell the car, provide the documentation that shows the true mileage on the engine vs. the mileage on the body.
Should I replace my blown engine to trade it in?
Last night the engine blew on my 2007 Chevy HHR. We were seriously looking at trading the car in within the next few weeks when this happened. The mechanic says he can get a used engine(118k miles) installed for about $3500. The trade-in value for the car was about $5000 (might get more since we were looking at trading for a new vehicle), but right now it's worth scrap price. The car is a nice car (no rust, auto-start, moonroof, premium wheels, etc), so I believe it's more valuable than scrapping it. My question is whether it's worth getting the engine replaced only to then trade it in on a new vehicle? Or is this too much hassle and would a dealership not want the vehicle (or give significantly less) seeing there's a replace engine in it? Wanted to get some experts' knowledge and opinions. Thank you kindly for your time.