Newbie questions

iPandaBar · Feb 14, 2019

Hey y'all,
Just bought a 1993 2.3L 4x4. It runs but has some engine issues. My plan is to drive it until it dies and then rebuild the engine. I have never rebuilt an engine before so I would like to get a 2nd engine for the truck. My inner debate is this... Do I buy a rebuilt motor and throw it in the truck and then rebuild my motor? Or do I go buy a junkyard motor and rebuild that while I murder this engine? Money is a major concern for me FYI and I'm not sure which is the cheaper route. Or a third possibility is just rebuild this motor when it dies and don't get a 2nd motor. What is a realistic timeframe for rebuilding a 4 cylinder engine if you've never rebuilt an engine before?
Thanks for your input!

adsm08 · Feb 15, 2019

Most of the hard work of rebuild needs done by a machine shop. The average person doesn't have the tools or skills for honing and boring and such. The machine shops turn-around is going to be a major factor in your time frame.

Having a second engine will add between $100 and $300 to your cost, but will cut your time down a lot and let you take your time on the rebuild so you can do it right the first time, instead of getting frustrated or making mistakes because you are in a hurry.

I could probably pull the engine and strip it in a day, then once it was back from the machine shop have it put back together in another day. They aren't hard to do, I am just really good at losing things I have been holding in the last 5 minutes.

I would also consider trying to find a quality reman and pricing that option as well. One of the reasons that rebuilding engines isn't done much anymore is because part and machine costs for doing a single unit have gotten out of hand and it has become much more economical to do them in bulk, so field rebuilds have largely been priced out of the market.

tomw · Feb 15, 2019

What adsm08 posted was 100% right. OTOH, if you want to do something yourself, you can do a shadetree mechanic job that will cost a lot less, and give you a decent running engine that will last for a while. You can check with rockauto and other stores(I mention them because I remember they had a kit) for a re-ring kit that will have rod/main bearings, a complete gasket set, and a new piston rings. If you replace those parts, clean up the valves replacing any that are beyond repair, and put it back together, it will likely run decently. I have done and helped on that sort of project, and gotten results that were acceptable. It is not a rebuild or re-manufacture, but more of a refresh.
The bearings will take up a lot of excess clearance due to wear, likely increase oil pressure, and the rings will seal better than worn out or heat damaged rings. If you touch up the valves, they'll seal pretty well. New gaskets will hopefully prevent leaks.
You will likely have to pull the engine to remove the pan. In some areas you can get a used engine, with a 30-90 day guaranty for less than $500 that would allow you to take your time doing your own engine.
The question you should ask is do you want to put a couple thousand into a 199x truck? If you have no resale plans, and can say with certainty you want to keep it for 4-5 years, it makes sense to put money into it. If you plan on trading for something, it does not. If the body is rusty, the suspension worn out, etc, it doesn't make sense to put a pile of money into it.
tom

Uncle Gump · Feb 15, 2019

If you want to rebuild one for the experience and knowledge you will certainly gain... I say go for it. But hang on... it will be a ride... and it will cost you. Tools and machine work will be the lions share of the costs... the actual rebuild parts are pretty reasonable.

I agree with adsm... it will probably be cheaper to just buy a reman long block... done... and most likely have some sort of warranty.

adsm08 · Feb 15, 2019

tomw said:
You can check with rockauto and other stores(I mention them because I remember they had a kit) for a re-ring kit that will have rod/main bearings, a complete gasket set, and a new piston rings. If you replace those parts, clean up the valves replacing any that are beyond repair, and put it back together, it will likely run decently.

You do need to watch this in one area. If you don't re-hash, or at least scuff up, the cylinder walls new rings won't seal properly and you will likely end up with less compression than you had before.

Ideally you would put a berry bush through it, but those are expensive. In a pinch, you can use high-grit sand paper and do it by hand (I've done it) but you need to clean the cylinders up a lot better than if you'd used the right tool.

iPandaBar · Feb 15, 2019

I appreciate the quick feedback! I think now I'm leaning towards buying a remanufactured engine and taking my sweet time to rebuild the original. Can I then just keep rebuilding and swapping them out as the years go by? My intention is to keep this truck forever and learn from it. Possibly give it to my son when he hits 16 (currently 5!).
So this raises another question for me!
What is a quality remanufactured engine? I'm seeing long blocks on the major chain sites running around $1500 plus a core. Is this a good price? I see a lot of sites that sell engines but I don't know who is reputable. Any hints?

tomw · Feb 17, 2019

adsm, want some controversy to muddle your mind?

http://www.turbododge.com/forums/f11/f69/245224-cylinder-glaze-myth.html

Interesting discussion from the past about 'cylinder glaze breaking' and just throwing in a set of rings...

tom

What do I know? ... nada, apparently.

alwaysFlOoReD · Feb 17, 2019

tomw said:
adsm, want some controversy to muddle your mind?

http://www.turbododge.com/forums/f11/f69/245224-cylinder-glaze-myth.html

Interesting discussion from the past about 'cylinder glaze breaking' and just throwing in a set of rings...

tom

What do I know? ... nada, apparently.

Thanks for the link. I looked at the first few paragraphs. This should be a good Sunday reading.

Newbie questions

iPandaBar

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adsm08

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tomw

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Uncle Gump

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adsm08

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iPandaBar

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tomw

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alwaysFlOoReD

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