Are vans with rebuilt engines good buys?

[SweetMarie1965]

Fellow travelers... I'm doing my van shopping research. Oh boy, there is a lot of junk out there! But I've seen some vans from the 90's that look very good, seem to be well kept and have rebuilt engines in them. Two I've seen have 60,000 miles on them. Is there anything I should know before I consider a vehicle with a rebuilt engine? Thanks!

 

[user 2252]

yes, who rebuilt it.

 

[SweetMarie1965]

Thanks Vonbrown... it's a question I never thought to ask. I should probably ask for the paperwork as well so I know when it was done. It seems the odometer numbers remain the same, so that's worried me a bit.

 

[Seraphim]

Those are the two big issues - whether it was professionally rebuilt, how much did they actually do in the rebuild (for example, did they have cylinder walls rebored to a smooth finish), and how many miles are actually on the rebuilt engine. Also, was the new engine professionally installed? If professional, there should be paperwork and possibly a small warranty (paperwork) which annotated the mileage on the odometer when the rebuilt engine was installed.

A good rebuild can last a long time. A poor one might not last very long.

 

[SweetMarie1965]

Those are the two big issues - whether it was professionally rebuilt, how much did they actually do in the rebuild (for example, did they have cylinder walls rebored to a smooth finish), and how many miles are actually on the rebuilt engine. Also, was the new engine professionally installed? If professional, there should be paperwork and possibly a small warranty (paperwork) which annotated the mileage on the odometer when the rebuilt engine was installed.

I knew there was a reason I had to ask for advice. More things I hadn't thought of. Thanks!

 

[ccbreder]

In a classified ad rebuilt engine is usually a bad sign.

 

[Seraphim]

In a classified ad rebuilt engine is usually a bad sign.

Possibly. But there are exceptions. Just got rid of my El Camino. My friend is a professional mechanic who owned his own shop for 33 years. We pulled out the out the 400 SB, over bored it, replaced the heads, domed pistons, slightly modified timing for nice 'lope', and added a 3" dual exhaust with functional side pipes.

Bad news, yes. bad sign, no *grin*

Engines eventually wear out.

---

But an older car also means other things are wearing out, too.

 

[Bdog1]

My van has a Jasper rebuilt in it. I called with the sticker info. to verify. It's not my favorite brand, it's been in the van several years, but I figured it's an overall plus!

Many who claim rebuilds mean a junkyard used swap.

 

[2TheStreet]

Imo, really old vehicles will nickel and dime you to death, even if it was well taken care of. Best to save up more $ for a newer cleaner rig. Personally, I stay away from vehicles more than 10 years old unless it's a japanese vehicle, but that's just my $.02.

 

[offroad]

And then I read about people buying old small bus rigs to live in and restoring them. And having a great long life with the Diesel engine. So your mileage may vary. Ymmv

 

[SweetMarie1965]

I bought a new Mercedes 240D diesel car in 1977. 40 mpg... crazy mileage. When I gave it to my ex-husband in 2003 it had 738,000 miles on it. The window seals were starting to show signs of needing to be replaced, but that was it. Otherwise, never a problem. Unbelievable but true; that car never gave me a problem. The only thing I had to do was fix the glow plug mechanism at about 350,000 and in the early 700,000's I replaced the muffler. I love diesels, I'd get another one if I could afford it. I never should have given that man my beloved Benz... kicking myself in the hiney... ha ha...

 

[SternWake]

Van Engines likely will outlast van transmissions. Seems the average transmission lasts somewhere in the 130K mile range, and many vans go up for sale once the owner realizes a rebuilt overdrive transmission costs about 2.5 grand.

I bought mine at 128k miles. the tranny went at 133. the engine cracked a head at 172k miles at which point I had it rebuilt, but I bet I could have put a new head on it and valve stem seals got another 50K from it.

I think the rebuilders did a fairly lousy job and cut every corner possible.

I have about 41k miles on the rebuild and burn no oil and can get 16+ mpg on the highway at sub 65mph speeds so I am not complaining too much, but I would have felt better if they did not cut so many corners, like using steel freeze plugs instead of brass to save 3$. I've already had to replace a few of them and it is not a fun task with the engine in place.

 

[SweetMarie1965]

Automatic transmissions worry me. I've only ever driven a standard transmission and I've been driving for 40 years. I think it's going to be difficult for me to find a standard transmission, but I much prefer one.

 

[highdesertranger]

as has been mentioned here, it depends on who did the rebuild. rebuilds run the gamut from great to trash. the motor I rebuilt for my truck is going on 15 years old but I used top of the line parts. here is a safe bet, ford and gm(don't know about dodge) have brand new replacement engines under under $2k with a 3 year 100,000 mile warranty. I just put a chevy 350 in, the price was $1775 for a brand new engine(note this is just the engine). from experience a rebuild will cost this much if decent parts are used. plus a lot more labor. so in recap if you need an engine and own a ford or chevy this is the way to go. highdesertranger

 

[idn88]

A running engine is a running engine - new, rebuilt, whatever. Yes, there are good rebuilds and bad rebuilds. As mentioned before if it was a professional rebuild, the shop should likely have installed either a complete short block or long block (the long block includes the heads rebuilt, a short block you re-use your old heads). If they can not provide paperwork, then it was most likely not "rebuilt" but repaired, as now days the labor cost of a shop doing the rebuild is much higher than actually getting a certified rebuild somewhere else and installing. A repair should not be confused with a rebuild.

A competent mechanic should be able to run a compression test, check the fluids, and such, and give you a reasonable idea of the engines current health, new, rebuilt, whatever.

Having said that, a rebuild, repair, or whatever adds no particular value to the resale value of a vehicle, although from the ads on craigslist I have seen a rebuild seemingly makes some people equate it with being gold plated.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Having said that, a rebuild, repair, or whatever adds no particular value to the resale value of a vehicle, although from the ads on craigslist I have seen a rebuild seemingly makes some people equate it with being gold plated.

I don't know. If there were two identical vans, both with 200,000 miles on them, and one still had the original engine and the other had a rebuilt motor with only 10,000 miles on it, I would certainly find the second one to be more desirable, and would be willing to spend more money for it.

Ford has a program of factory remanufactured engines and transmissions that are installed by Ford dealers, and warranted by Ford for three years. If such a factory warranty were transferable to the new owner, I would think that to be highly desirable and worth extra money.

Regards
John

 

[ccbreder]

The original engine failed due to high mileage use or abuse. What about the transmission? Just as much use and abuse. Or the differential or wheel bearings? All the rubber suspension bushings? The lubricate-able steering parts? Lots of stuff except the engine to be worn out.

 

[SweetMarie1965]

Lots to think about... I'm side-lined from my van shopping for a few days. Would you believe it? I broke my arm. My right arm. Darn it. Good time to use for research though. My friend Ken says he bought a vehicle with a rebuilt engine and it lasted a long time; but his thoughts are about the same as the replies here. The important thing is to find out if it is a good rebuild. I'm making notes of everything said here... thanks!

 

[westriver]

And then I read about people buying old small bus rigs to live in and restoring them. And having a great long life with the Diesel engine. So your mileage may vary. Ymmv

OTOH, the blogosphere is full of less wonderful experiences. The folks at Technomadia spent THIRTY THOUSAND bucks last year doing a total rebuild of a Detroit two stroke diesel that puked out on them. A year later they returned to the shop that did the work, for a check-up, and ran into another couple with a similar bus, dropping a similar pile of coin on a rebuild. There was another, short lived, blog by a couple that did a half assed refitting to an old commuter bus. They didn't get too far on the road before they blew the motor. They quickly learned that a reman. motor was going to cost several times what they paid for the bus. They sold it for scrap.

Diesels can be extraordinarily durable, but when they go......... it can get real ugly. Unless you have a very special rig that worth the expense, I would tend to guess that many folks opt out of dropping $15-30K on getting back on the road.

 

[SternWake]

Unfortunately there are very few ways to visually tell, externally, if it is a good rebuild or not.

The only one I can think of is if they used brass or steel freeze plugs.

Brass does not rust. If they decided to save 5$ here, then they likely cut every corner they could get away with.

Says the guy with a rebuilt engine that has mostly steel freeze plugs.

My rebuilders put new roller lifters on the old roller camshaft and in the parts list they claim to have installed a 'reconditioned camshaft' which mysteriously cost 15$ less than a New one from Sealed power which I installed 10K miles after rebuild.

I do not have much confidence in the quality of my rebuilt engine, but it still runs smooth and burns very little oil at 40k miles, and has twice the the minimum oil pressure on hot 30 weight oil, and gets as good as can be expected MPG from a lead brick pulling a parachute.

Even when my previous engine had a cracked head and low and equal compression on two adjoining cylinders, it ran smooth and sounded OK. It was the downturn in power and MPG I noticed.