I have a 1996 Bonnieville ssei that needs a new motor :( I got a price for Jasper and that is out of the question.I was researching rebuilt engines and come across Standard Auto engines also Rhino engines.Does anyone know if either of these rebuilt engines are good???Also Advanced Auto has rebuilt engine for about $2,400.00.Probably cost me another$1,000 to put it in. I wanna keep my Bonnie,but I paid 9500.00 6 years ago for my car and have since replaced many things probably $4000.00 in total.I dont know if it is worth putting more money in,but if I LOVE MY CAR!!! I really wanna keep it,but not sure if I should sink another$4000.00 for a rebuilt engine.I have 100,000 miles on it.Mechanic says transmission is in good condition and all else seems well.PLEASE I NEED HELP IN DECIDING WHAT TO DO. THANKS IN ADVANCE LISA

Well, how are you sure the engine needs to be replaced? What exactly is wrong with it? Have you had a second opinion?

100k miles on a 3800 shouldn't be enough to kill it unless its been run very hard, overheated, or had the intake manifold gaskets fail due to dex-kill. Hmm... come to think of it, thats the most likely cause of failure in your case without any extra information.

...and I think the mods need to move this to the proper forum too but thats not an issue ATM.

Lisa,
www.car-part.com is your friend.
You don't need a new engine. In fact, I'd highly suggest a good 100k old unrebuilt 3800 with good gaskets over a rebuilt by an unknown company, and I still might even overlook Jasper and not based on price, but by the fact of how well these engines were made from the factory.

Also are you sure it'* the engine? It'* possible the harmonic balancer is bad or possibly you could be fooled by noisy supercharger coupler if you aren't too familiar with engine noises.Your mechanic should be able to change this for under $150, including parts from www.rollingperformance.com. or if you need a rebuilt supercharger contact me for the LOWEST price anywhere.

Agreed with above posts; we must first establish whether a whole new engine is truly needed.

[quote="Alibi"]Well, how are you sure the engine needs to be replaced? What exactly is wrong with it? Have you had a second opinion?

100k miles on a 3800 shouldn't be enough to kill it unless its been run very hard, overheated, or had the intake manifold gaskets fail due to dex-kill. Hmm... come to think of it, thats the most likely cause of failure in your case without any extra information.

Yes replaced intake manifold gasket last year.Also was told to change oil straight 30 weight every 800 miles till engine could hopefully get cleaned out from antifreeze.I did all that and check gages light continued to come on after car warmed up and still smelled antifreeze.I smelled my oil stick and it smelled heavy of gas.Took it back to mechanic and he tore it apart and gave me the bad news about needing a new engine.He explained to me(and I brought a friend who is very mechanical) who my mechanic knows him to be very knowledgeable with cars and explained everything.So I guess Dexcool killed manifold gasket and probably lead to my motor damage.He has car torn apart as we speak,and really need an to make decision soon about motor replacement or another car :(

OK, so let'* assume the worst and say you've been DEX-killed.

Whether you take Blue Eyes' advice and go used (say $1500 to $2000 tops) or you decide to go remanufactured (say $3000 to $4000 total), you've got to ask yourself two questions; "could I do better buying another car for that money?" and "does this car still meet my needs?"

Sounds like you like the car (meets your needs), and I'm thinking if it needed anything else major right now you would have mentioned it. Replacing the motor (make sure it'* warranted either way), you'll have something with known history that could easily last you another 50k to 100k miles or more.

So, will you do better than that for under $2k (or even $4k) in the used market?

(PS, where are you located geographically?)

[quote="agrazela"]OK, so let'* assume the worst and say you've been DEX-killed.

Whether you take Blue Eyes' advice and go used (say $1500 to $2000 tops) or you decide to go remanufactured (say $3000 to $4000 total), you've got to ask yourself two questions; "could I do better buying another car for that money?" and "does this car still meet my needs?"

Sounds like you like the car (meets your needs), and I'm thinking if it needed anything else major right now you would have mentioned it. Replacing the motor (make sure it'* warranted either way), you'll have something with known history that could easily last you another 50k to 100k miles or more.

So, will you do better than that for under $2k (or even $4k) in the used market?

(PS, where are you located geographicallyI am from Pittsburgh Pa I like the way you think.If I can replace my motor and keep my car,even for 50K I would be greatful.I know whats in MY CAR and really dont wanna gamble with another used vehicle.Are you on yahoo messanger? I am on now if you would care to chat about it

One thing would stop me from investing big bucks in a '96 - rust. If your car is pristine in and out, fine. But rust will destroy the value of your car more quickly than you care to think about. Consider rust-proofing the interior panels around the rear wheel openings and the rocker panels if you do decide to keep it.

(PITT)

Read this for when you get a new or used motor:

www.zillamotorsports.com/DEX

If I were you, I'd got with a junkyard motor then (assuming the car doesn't have major rust/rot). Try to find the lowest-mile motor as possible and have work done to it before its ever put in the car--- new upper and lower intake gaskets, spark plugs, plug wires, inspect harmonic balancer, etc. A good mechanic would know what to check. Its just easier to do this while the motor is out :P