Where is best place to get engine?

vanpatten · #1 03-08-2011, 04:04 PM

We have a 98 ranger XLT 3.0L with 265,000 miles - no compression on #4 cyl.
So we made the decision to replace the engine and keep it. Where is the best place to get an engine from? I've heard horror stories about Auto Zone engines. there's a place in Seattle that rebuilds your existing engine with a 70k warranty. Rock Auto has been great for parts, but not sure about buying a whole engine. I'd prefer a rebuilt because everything on car-part.com is HIGH miles for about the same price of a rebuilt.

Any recommendations is greatly appreciated!

Fordzilla80 · #2 03-08-2011, 04:17 PM

Unfortunately you have to watch out for rebuilds, since often times some companies attempt to get away with just fixing what is damaged, and that's it. For your best interest, you want to make sure you get something that is gonna last.

SWC906 · #3 03-08-2011, 04:21 PM

Why not just have your motor rebuilt? It would cost you around the same as a new rebuilt motor but you can have everything replaced.

I know around here we have a local guy who does just motors he builds alot of the motors for the dirt track cars.

knightmare1015 · #4 03-09-2011, 01:18 AM

I'd have the motor rebuilt. By the time you look to see what you can find via the internet, newspapers, etc. you could have rebuilt the motor for very little cost. Just be careful when choosing a machine shop because they might not live up to their reputation. plus it gives you a chance to pick your poison reguarding your components.

www.moranav6racing.com

try these guys out. they carry alot of V6 engine components for both the 3.0 and 4.0.

Ranger Sport · #5 03-09-2011, 02:21 AM

If you have more than one vehicle, you could always check for a school in your area that teaches auto repair. Students will work on your truck, but there's a teacher that will supervise every step of the way.

The only thing you'd pay for are parts.

knightmare1015 · #6 03-09-2011, 02:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ranger Sport

If you have more than one vehicle, you could always check for a school in your area that teaches auto repair. Students will work on your truck, but there's a teacher that will supervise every step of the way.

The only thing you'd pay for are parts.

Just be careful not to leave any valuables because I went that route once and they stole everyone of my Cds. But it does save you alot of money on labor though.

Ranger Sport · #7 03-09-2011, 02:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by knightmare1015

Just be careful not to leave any valuables because I went that route once and they stole everyone of my Cds. But it does save you alot of money on labor though.

Ouch, yeah, i would definately empty the truck of any content!

Botta Ranger · #8 03-09-2011, 06:16 AM

It's easy to see an engine overhaul kit for $295.00 and figure the overhaul couldn't be over $500 (example only). But it will be. A LOT more. I don't know where it all goes but a simple 4 can eat up a grand easily.

Another reason is that local mechanics love to rebuild engines but likely never saw a 3.0 apart. A 350 Chevy - sure. 351 Ford - loads of 'em and 2.2 Chrysler - spend lots of time apart. But Ford 4's last virtually forever and they just don't have experience with them. If somebody needs one they're more likely to drop in a used or rebuilt. A good shop can measure, inspect, machine, replace parts and reassemble about anything there are parts and specs for. But lots of engines have little quirks that you just have to know about from experience. That's where rebuilders shine. If they've done 50 or a hundred of them and they have something weak in them that gives up that's not in a normal overhaul kit THEY FIND OUT ABOUT IT. It gets in their pocket and they don't do it again. Some motors they learn not even to touch.

My two cents worth. Good luck.

Another thought.
Maybe the problem is in the head or even a head gasket. I might think about a shade tree fix myself. Pull the head, check the cylinder wear. If standard rings and pistons would still fit, replace them and the bearings in place and have a machine shop re-do the head. Give you bragging rights to a good story even if it didn't work. A well lived life is full of adventures.

knightmare1015 · #9 03-10-2011, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Botta Ranger

It's easy to see an engine overhaul kit for $295.00 and figure the overhaul couldn't be over $500 (example only). But it will be. A LOT more. I don't know where it all goes but a simple 4 can eat up a grand easily.

Another reason is that local mechanics love to rebuild engines but likely never saw a 3.0 apart. A 350 Chevy - sure. 351 Ford - loads of 'em and 2.2 Chrysler - spend lots of time apart. But Ford 4's last virtually forever and they just don't have experience with them. If somebody needs one they're more likely to drop in a used or rebuilt. A good shop can measure, inspect, machine, replace parts and reassemble about anything there are parts and specs for. But lots of engines have little quirks that you just have to know about from experience. That's where rebuilders shine. If they've done 50 or a hundred of them and they have something weak in them that gives up that's not in a normal overhaul kit THEY FIND OUT ABOUT IT. It gets in their pocket and they don't do it again. Some motors they learn not even to touch.

My two cents worth. Good luck.

Another thought.
Maybe the problem is in the head or even a head gasket. I might think about a shade tree fix myself. Pull the head, check the cylinder wear. If standard rings and pistons would still fit, replace them and the bearings in place and have a machine shop re-do the head. Give you bragging rights to a good story even if it didn't work. A well lived life is full of adventures.

That's why you MUST be extremely picky about your machine shops. For example I had a customer who wanted a Ford 289 rebuilt which he installed in a 1923 t-bucket. I pulled the engine and set it up on engine stand. Then I went to my old machine shop and what I saw made me sick. The old man who ran it retired due to his health problems and let his son take over. After seeing him trow cylinder heads clean across the room because he screwd them up trying to port them that's when I went elsewhere. That shop has gone out of business because the guy running it was extremely hateful, and not very knowledgable. In other words what his dad did for over 40 years he thought he could do better which was clearly not the case. You don't get mad and throw a cylinder head across the room because you made a mistake, and you don't get rude or hateful with your customers. www.moranav6racing.com are V6 gurus. How many shops do you know that can build from scratch a supercharger and stroker kit for Ford V6 engines period. They do know all of the quirks about those engines. They even grind custom camshafts for them, including the 3.0 which is hard to get these days. Basicly a rebuild can save you alot of money. A new stock engine for my truck including labor to install it was almost $6,000 dollars. Yeah you can build an engine on the cheap, how good is that engine going be when you're done building it on the cheap is the real question. $1,000 dollars or more is about average. The ones I worked on at Nascar Tech would cost about $135,000 easy. So it's clear that I do know what quality rebuilds are from training and most importantly experience.

oldcarfart · #10 03-11-2011, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vanpatten

We have a 98 ranger XLT 3.0L with 265,000 miles - no compression on #4 cyl.
So we made the decision to replace the engine and keep it. Where is the best place to get an engine from? I've heard horror stories about Auto Zone engines. there's a place in Seattle that rebuilds your existing engine with a 70k warranty. Rock Auto has been great for parts, but not sure about buying a whole engine. I'd prefer a rebuilt because everything on car-part.com is HIGH miles for about the same price of a rebuilt.

Any recommendations is greatly appreciated!

used from yard with less than 150K miles, usually less than $250.00 w/ warranty.