I'm carrying this over from the New Member forum. I bought the '94 SE and the engine died on the way home. Here are the particulars.

1) Initially, a loss of power at highway speed. (5 miles down the road) Trying to shift to passing gear wouldn't yield any more speed.
2) Engine stalled on the off-ramp. (15 miles down the road) I first thought I ran the gas tank dry, but the problem persisted with a drop in oil pressure. Engine now would only stay running if I kept my foot on the throttle.
3) After a three-hour rest, back on the road again and this time, engine lost all power and overheated. (22 miles down the road) The final 22 miles home was on the back of a tow truck.

The mechanic says, "Needs a motor". Rod knock is very apparent. I did manage to drive home from the shop (1 mile, flat highway) with no difficulty, but with knocking and lack of proper power. In park, the engine won't even rev up smoothly.

Any idea of what went wrong, or what went wrong first? The mechanic didn't do any deep diagnosis, only what I mentioned. I haven't hooked up my compression tester yet, either. Any opinions on where to go from here?

Thanks!

sounds like you lost oil pressure. could be blockage, lack of oil (that would be a good one to get your money back), or a failed oil pump.

That'* a bad deal, man. Sorry to hear about your engine. Did you buy from a private party, or a dealership? There should be at least a 30 day guarantee if from dealer. What are the total miles on the car? There is a wealth of knowledge & experience here in these forums. You'll get first class help, guaranteed.

Well, this was an "AS-IS" $500 special. What made it attractive was it was a one-owner car (I bought it from the owner), well-maintained and in good condition. So, I guess I didn't lose much, and the seller feels real sorry about the failure and may yet feel led to do something for me besides feeling sorry.

But, I want to look forward, not back. What are the percentages on a transmission with 125K miles in this vehicle? The trans didn't act up (maybe didn't have time to!), the body'* straight with only one spot of rust, good tires, great seats (comfortable), pretty too. On the down side, a bad motor, shorted left-front ABS sensor and non-op A/C.

Engine swap? (As a project-too expensive for the shop to do it)
Engine Rebuild? (Dittos)
Engine Repair? (Dittos)
Buy another and use this one for parts?
Say goodbye and walk away?

Pick one or add your own, please.

Thanks!

Go with a rebuild if you can but if you can't just part it out on the for sale and trade section you would be able to walk away with atleast some dough

I feel bad for ya but would really like to see it help people with parts if you dont have the money for repairs! That really sucks man

I'm going to look around for another mechanic interested in doing an engine swap. The first guy I took it to said, "Used motor + install = $2400, no guarantees". I guess he doesn't want or need the job. I know it'* not a cake job, but is it really that tough? I did my own engine R&R on both a 1968 Ford XL (like a Galaxie), and a 1971 Datusun 521 pickup. Both I have done signlehandedly! But, I've never done a transverse-6.

I'll have to post a reply to the guy I saw who just did one.

Thanks,

Paul

i had to do one in my 94SSE and me and my 76 year old granddad did it in 2 days in his garage, without a proper engine hoist!!, it is just a matter of having the tools to do it, he basically made a hoist outta reinforced 2X'* and threw a chain hoist over it and out came the old engine and the new one was put in the same way, and i paid $350 at my junkyard for a good used engine that i was told had about 88,XXX miles on it, so, the hardest part is detaching the flywheel from the tranny, that was the difficult part, but if me and my granddad can do it, then anyone can, and the car is still running to this day, mom has it now!!