Lately i've been hearing alot of bad press about getting a salvaged engine and swapping it for mine. Almost everyone i talk to says it'* no good but can't come up w/ a reason why. I found a few engines under 20 k miles for $850. The place also installs the engines for $650. It comes w/ a 100 day parts/labor warranty too. Is this really that bad? What could go wrong?

Well for starters you only get a 90 day warranty on a used (Abused) engine. The next thing is you don't know how the last person treated that engine! Did they take care of it or just drive the crap out of it? The next thing to consider is that a used engine is just THAT >>> USED! It does have some worn parts in it too. Now granted it may not have the same worn parts as yours, but it still may require some TLC in the very near future too. Basically you have to add up all the costs & compare: Price of new & used. Price to fix up used to make worthwhile. Warranty length.

Wonder if you could do a compression test on the motor before you buy it? Probably couldn't hear it run tho before they installed it with all the computer controlls and such... The more history on the engine you could find out the better. Maybe you'd pick one up that was driven by an old lady who ran a red light and got Tboned...

Smell inside the oil filler if it smells like toast dont get it , if it smells like oil then get that one. If it smells like toast it probobly has worn rings and carbon buildup on the pistons. take that into consideration I did it and get a cherry engine

"Smell inside the oil filler if it smells like toast dont get it"...


White or wheat??

huh. toast eh? that'* pretty interesting i'll try it out. I asked a mechanic about this place and he said he got a few engines from there w/ no problems so that'* good. I will definatly ask about the history of the vehicle that it was in and try to base my decision around that, provided that they aren't lieing. I'm kinda taking a risk if i follow through but if i do my homework hopefully i'll be alright.
thanks guys

I got my engine used with 5k on it. It works great.

Just make sure you read and understand the 30 day warranty thing, what does it cover exactly? Some places just say that they warranty that it won't smoke, and nothing else.
You'll know in a couple days after the install if the engine is any good.

Russianpolardude, you didn't answer me if it smells like white or wheat.

yep i'll have to read the fine print

When I looked for engine, most would not put the mileage in writing. So I figured they were lying. Ended up with one with 20,000 mi. (in writing). I have since put 60,000 on it with NO problems. Be carefull of the rebuild shops. Quality control isn't good at some of them.