Not counting the cost of the engine it'self, how much does it cost (labor/shop fees) to have an old engine pulled,cand a new one installed?

I've been looking for a cheap car, but almost all have engine issues (knocking, bad head gaskets, bad pumps, etc.), and I also see cheap engines occasionally, so I was wondering if it might be worth it to buy a car with a questionable (but still running) engine then just replace it when I get a chance.

It really depends on the make of car

Year make and model make a big difference in price to RnR an engine.

$200-20K+

Most I would say are in the $1K or less range for a junkyard engine, and another $500-2K to have it installed presuming you aren't doing the work yourself.

Labor cost?



Nothing, I do it myself

About $87.

Wide open Truck engine compartment on an 80's vehicle = much cheaper than crammed & jammed smallish sportscar made in the 90's or later also filled with PC/AIR/ETC...

dealerships likely charge more than smaller shops

Like the others said it matters on the car and engine.

I can replace A 1990 1.6L engine for around 1200.00 including the transmission.  The engine will probably have 50-60k on it though.

The challenge is to 1) find a good engine that hasn't been abused 2) find a good mechanic if you can't do it yourself.  A good mechanic as in, keeps track of everything and doesn't cut corners.

I think I paid like $3000 for my engine swap to get a factory rebuild 3.8L ford motor, including all the labor

it was a dumb idea

unless the car is some sort of classic keeper, I'd just find junk a car with a bad engine


I guess these guys who can find a good junkyard engine and install it themselves might want to do it

but I wouldn't do it again on a dare

Just did one in a mining truck. Engine alone was $400,000.00. Then  there was 200 hours of labor for the removal and install at $150 an hour.

So my answer is $430,000.00

Depends on make and model, my jeep wrangler is fairly cheap, due to the fact the it's wide open engine compartment and the fenders, grill and hood come off fairly easily. A new car made since the late 90s would be a complete PIA.

Your time is worth nothing?  


Hell, I've got all sorts of tedious and strenuous jobs that need done on my place, come on over if the labor is free!!

I have a dude out in the country that charges me 500 bucks for engine swap, 300 for transmission swap.
I dont need a new car.

I could swap the engine out in my '70 using a 5/8 and a 9/16 in an afternoon using a chain hoist. My coworker boxster looks like it would take a month and I'd still fuck it up.

Factory reman engine from nissan fora centra was 2300.00

On my 2000 Silverado it was $1600.00

When Im working on my own stuff it isnt.

Whos paying me?



 

OP never came back?  Is this a troll thread?

No, OP is tired, and about to go to bed.

W!T!F! ?! wow!


I watched a local Mexican guy swap a civic engine behind his apartment in about three hours.  it was *amazing*.  I bought a civic as a commuter car just cause I know him and he said he'd swap a motor for me for 200  bucks + the motor.  then some dude in a prius crashed into me last week.  pfft. now I need body work.

That must have been fun

426 or 2.0?

I just did an engine and injectors in a truck. It was a hair north of $10,000 otd and we did it in my shop.

Without any info on the car/truck....7 million interwebz would be what I charged.  


In other news....Trollololololololol

Some cars are a cake walk. I can have the engine out and another in a 80-96 F series in about 5 hours.

Your proposition is a losing one. If someone is selling a car which they disclose has a bad engine, it's already toast. Unless you have a spare of the engine sitting on a stand in your shop, you are better off financially with a functional vehicle.

Sounds about right.
Book time on my '06 is 11.6 hours (4X4)

Finally getting it done this weekend for $500.
(.gov cash job in the shop)

fucking ouch. Hope it was a peterbilt.  



 

Hate to say it but buy an older accord that is still functional.

It may leak some oil and need some minor repairs but it will be a functional vehicle and they're easy to work on and parts are cheap.

My 16yo daughter drives a 90 accord EX auto with 165K that is almost in perfect condition and it's been a great car.

Cheapest you'll get out will be about $400 for a junkyard engine and $800 to do the swap.

My wife's 2004 RAV4, on the other end of the spectrum, was $9,200 for a rebuilt engine and labor.

C-15 will run you upwards of $30k.

Are you talking 1999 Viper.... or a chevy pickup ?

That's the problem, I have no idea.  I'm just looking at the cheapest listings I can find, and it's all over the board, I've passed on some otherwise decent cars do to questionable engines.

The cash for clunkers debacle destroyed the lower end of the used car market I just can't understand how 20+ year old unremarkable cars with really high milage can be marked $2-3,000+.  But everything cheaper seems to have blown engines, or have enough issues that I would not trust them.  It's not bad if your a mechanic, and can do the work yourself, but if not your screwed unless you have more cash than the car is worth.

It's not the parts, there cheap (usually), it's the labor, a few years ago I had to have my front breaks done (02 cavalier), it needed new pads, one new rotor, and a caliper, all told about $70 at AutoZone (I know, because I bought the parts), the mechanic wanted $650 (they still wanted $450 minus the rotor, and caliper, I.E. just changing the brake pads would cost $450), thankfully I was able to get my step dad to do it (took about an hour), unfortunately braks, and tuneups are all he can do, and I know no mechanics.

Given that experience with the brakes I trust none of the local shops, so I can't risk any engine problems (or at least no breakdowns) for at least the next year, which makes my car hunt even harder, because everything in my range either has issues which require immediate repair, or sell before I can call on them.

I see lots of sub $1,000 cars on Craigslist with relatively minor issues like bad water pumps, but I just can't trust any of the local shops to fix it for less than the cost of the car.  Basically I need something that will run for a year while I save money to repair, or replace it, but I can't find anything that doesn't need repairs right out of the gate, which I can't afford since the local shops charge 10 times more for labor than the parts even cost, even for a simple brake job.

Cherokee engine from AutoZone $1300.
Crown Vic $2000+
5.0 from AZ for an F 150 $1500 or so.

Thats just a long block with warranty, no intake,accessories Etc.


Labor? Maybe $2000, $800 for a backyard guy. Really does depend on the make of car.

No bullshit: Look at Crown Vics and Grand Marquis. 20-23mpg, easy maintenance, exact same driveline as the police cars and taxies except higher gearing. My ex Police car is a bad motherfucker as far as reliability goes.


Look for an 04+ but 04 in particular. Best steering, throttle body and tune.

My son blew up the engine on his Jetta 1.8T.
I found a new, in the crate, engine on ebay, and we set about doing the job ourselves.

I had replaced engines back in the day when you just removed the cooling hoses, disconnected the battery, temp sensor wire etc,, unbolted it from the bell-housing and unscrewed the engine mounts. Things have changed a bit since then.

What a pain in the *!&^!%!!!!

The basic job is easy, its all the emission control crap that takes the time to sort out.
The hardest part was getting the camshaft drive belt on and correctly aligned.

We worked on it part-time, weekends and some evenings. Took about 2 months total.

I was really not looking forward to the time he stepped inside and turned the ignition switch.

Surprisingly, it fired right up, and didn't explode

30k miles later, its still doing fine.

--------

For anyone interested, the source of the original problem appears to have been a sticking valve, which stuck long enough to hit the piston, which broke the con-rod, which punched a couple of holes through the block.

Pfft, what do you know?

Ok, early 80's XJS v12....