remanufactured engine WARRANTY - good, mediocre, or bad?

[Weight]

Lighten up JD. you coming across poorly.

 

[JD GUMBEE]

^
Thanks for the feedback. (Seriously)
A lighter touch may have been in order...but keep in mind the OP tends to forget past exchanges...is highly stressed and really needs to move forward. My candor is all based on this...and I have provided the very last of it.
I mean no harm.

 

[Kaylee]

^^
^
Thanks to both of you!
Weight for his firm and polite "feedback". You'd make a great Moderator.
JD for his very classy apology, plus his deep passion for helping people!

JD and other Vehicle Mechanical Geeks: what do you think of the 2003 ford e-350 van posted by Gr8ful:
https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=35258&pid=436027#pid436027
also, what do you think of Master Mechanic's thing about the a/c compressor? My brain core dumped on his followup.

Brian, thanks for taking the time to get that quote!
Yikes, that's a lot!
Ok, it's official.
I am now seriously considering another vehicle.

bigskybob: yes please. Model & info would be much appreciated.

I think the fundamental issue with my current van is that it probably had long periods (multi-years) when it sat and was not used. I bought it from someone who was not a mechanic, and who (like me) relied on the expertise of others, and had bought it without a good grasp of its history.
If somebody has a reliable vehicle with a well known history, I'm very interested.

Thanks again to JD for all his private & public lessons about what really makes GSA auction vehicles good buys. I've understood them, and now have a much better grasp of what to look for.

On the cybersecurity front, I do not want anybody else to take unusual (to you) risks, I'm merely aware more than 99% do take routine risks. It's merely annoying (to me) when a legit commercial outfit uses unnecessarily risky technology. It's blood boiling offensive when any government agency does that.
I'll post more on cybersecurity, soon-ish, including a great resource, and walk you thru some simple ways to reduce your risk and tell if you're being BS'd.

 

[Txjaybird]

The first breakdown, they did a top overhaul (they failed to offer options or get my permission, just decided for me Grrr!Argh!).

:huh:  YOU PAID THEM????  THEY DID WORK ON YOUR VEHICLE WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION...AND YOU PAID THEM??
  PLEASE OH PLEASE TELL ME YOU AT LEAST NEGOTIATED A LOWER PRICE....THREE WORDS...  SMALL CLAIMS COURT!

WELL MAYBE YOU GOT KISSED IN THE DEAL 

JEWELL ANN

 

[Txjaybird]

and is not an approved shop.<<<<<<<<<APPROVED BY WHOM?  JUST CURIOUS

KAYLEE 
THIS HAS BEEN ONE HECK OF A "I'M GOING TO BUY A VAN AND THEN COME BACK EAST WITH IT" TRIP THAT YOU'VE HAD.
      I'D BE CUSSIN'......STOMPIN'....AND READY TO DO SOME HAIR PULLIN' LONG BEFORE NOW.
THAT WOULDN'T FIX ANYTHING HOWEVER I'D FEEL BETTER AFTERWARD....IF I HADN'T HURT MYSELF THAT IS 

WHAT YOU ARE GOING THRU NOW WITH YOUR VAN IS ONE OF THE REASONS I'VE DECIDED TO JUST STICK WITH MY 1998 SAFARI.  I'VE BEEN WORKING ON IT FOR 2YS.  SO FAR NO MAJOR REPAIR WORK HAS BEEN NEEDED.  THOSE LITTLE JOBS CAN GET AGGRAVATING WHEN THEY COME IN MULTIPLES OR TOO CLOSE TOGETHER.  PLUS IT'S BEEN IN MY FAMILY SINCE IT WAS BUILT.

I HOPE THINGS WORK OUT FOR YOU SOON SO YOU CAN GET ON DOWN THE ROAD.

JEWELL ANN

 

[Kaylee]

LOL!
Thanks for the in-sanity check - it's always good to hear from ya, JEWELL ANN.
If I'd had Queenie, she'd have chewed 'em out, right?!?

Yeah, that experience is a big part of why I'm in Brain Lock Mode now.
I've called pretty much every shop in the area, with no luck. There's still one outfit I'm waiting to hear from.

Next step is to try Green Bay, but I really need a mechanically literate advocate to help with that.

 

[Weight]

One thing to think about, for me anyway. My 87 has been fixed as an ongoing project. before long it will need an engine and transmission. I will wonder if getting another van will just be starting over with the major and minor repairs I know are done on mine. Also I have a good idea of what I need do for the next 3000 miles. Plus redoing all the interior work.

 

[Kaylee]

Oops - the above reply was to Jewell Ann's first post.

Jewell Ann's 2nd post:
Yup, I agree completely.
I'll be writing up a full post-mortem with detailed advice for newbies, once this has all been resolved and I've gotten back on my feet. Pay it forward.

I should have stayed with my old reliable vehicle (compact stationwagon), moved to the center of the country to boondock, and enrolled in JD's GSA school, and waited for a decent deal.

Jewell Ann, you know your Safari, and it is big enough to live in (lots more comfortably than my wagon).
That's an excellent decision, and it makes me feel better that my experience has already helped at least one person.

We are better when we support each other.
Which you've always done, for me and others!

 

[Kaylee]

Plus redoing all the interior work.

Weight, yes, excellent points, and I'm still open to repairing my Dodge.

I broke down in one of the worst possible spots, at the absolute worst time of year.
Moving the contents would be non-trivial, as would all the legal stuff (registration/etc).
On the other hand, since I don't know the history, it's hard to even guess how much future repairs will cost.

There's no easy answer.

Even worst, I don't have anywhere to live (as of Friday), and have no transportation.
If I could find something solid, quickly, I'd be open to it.

 

[user 2252]

Choose the option that provides the most peace of mind as you sit behind the wheel enjoying why you came out here in the first place.

 

[Kaylee]

Vonbrown, thanks!
The problem is I can't find any nice discrete complete solution.

The two main options each have lots of issues that all have to be nailed down before I can move forward. Every time something comes up, I spend time on it, can't get everything sorted out, and all that time ends up being wasted.

If somebody has a real van, with a well documented history, please do contact me.

If somebody can find me a repair shop in Green Bay (or anywhere), and can find a real estimate for transporting the van there, please do contact me.

I've only got one more day in the motel, then I'll have very limited computer & internet.

 

[Kaylee]

Found a "supper club" nearby that rents rooms, and will give me a ride tomorrow.
Still waiting on a quote from the final repair shop.

What would help a lot is if somebody mechanical would phone around to Green Bay shops.
When I Google:
Green Bay engine rebuilders
I get some intriguing hits.
I figure someone who knows the lingo and who could push the "disabled female veteran" button, would have more success than me. I'm terrible at advocating for myself.

Thanks in advance if somebody could tackle that.

 

[Kaylee]

Hold off on Green Bay...

after almost two weeks of telephone tag, I finally got a quote from The Last local shop!!!

Here's what they emailed me:

We found a used engine for 800 with a 30 day warranty, and a remanufactured engine for 2200 basically new. Its going to be about 600$ to install

Some opinions & sanity checks from the mechanical gurus would be awesome!
Frankly, at this point, I'd go with either just to get back on the Road.

I've emailed them for more info on the used engine, how long each would take, and how much variation there might be for the labor charge (i.e. if other stuff needs fixin').

Since they replied by email, I also did advocate for myself, with the disabled female vet "card". Their tone immediately went from business-terse to very kind. As others have noted, folks in the UP are awesome.

P.S. I'm thoroughly frustrated and worn down. It gets insanely noisy here, mostly on weekends, but can ramp up suddenly with no notice. Definitely not good for my TBI Brain.
Focused advice would really help!

 

[Firtree]

I’d want to know
- -If this were your favorite ! senior aunt, and she’s traveling around the country, on limited income which would you recommend she spend her money.

 

[Gary68]

if the used engine is somewhere around 100k miles tell them you want it but pull my rebuilt heads and if they are undamaged put them on it,a brand name cam kit,cam/lifters/timing gears and it should go 50-100k miles

get right back to them so you can get it scheduled and get the hell out of UP Mich

 

[B and C]

I don't think the added expense of tearing the engine apart to put some new parts in it is a good idea. Those 318's have a solid history of providing reliable service for upwards of 200K. This would turn an $800 engine into a $1200+ engine real quick. Even if the engine has 150K on it and doesn't show signs of abuse, sludge, caked in oil and has pretty even compression across all the cylinders, it should last a few years if not driven hard.

 

[bigskybob]

That's a lot of money to put into an old van.You can find a much better deal on a newer van almost anywhere.

 

[Kaylee]

Wow, thanks guys! My brain was able to process all of that.

No word back, so I'll phone them Friday morning.

I'm getting cautiously/excitedly optimistic.
Brian, yes, you've really nailed it that "Fawkes" suits me, and we've had some Adventures together. If it's possible, I'd prefer to stay with it, but if it isn't, I had finally accepted the option to buy something else.

For the record, even when I was ascending the Rockies, I wasn't driving it "hard". Was going about 35 to 45, to the annoyance of folks behind me (I did pull over regularly to let 'em pass).
The one and only time I "floored" it, was that time in Wyoming(?) when I couldn't start it.
I was mostly driving 50 to 55 on level or downward stretches, with the sole exception of the (roughly) 150~~ miles immediately west of Rapid City SD, when I drove 60 to 65 purely so I'd get there before the DMV closed, so I wouldn't have to overnight in Rapid City.
My handle in the Air Reserves was "Turtle", because several folks opinioned that that was how I flew.
Never flew anything fancy, just puddle jumpers doing Search and Rescue, and some nominal ground support. I used to rock at STOL.
I have never felt "the need for speed".

 

[Weight]

Rather than all us long distance experts, please ask the local mechanic what they recommend. I would be wary of a pre-1990 used engine, that is why you ask the local shop. Does the 30 day cover smoke, oil use, or just "it will start and run for 31 days"? Are you going to hang around for the 30 days, or be thousands of miles away? As for the costs, I doubt there is a good vehicle available for $3000. At that price you would be faced with unknown repairs. I agree with Brian. I would not use the heads from your engine.

 

[B and C]

At the most, if there is considerable play in the timing chain, that would be worth replacing. A LOT cheaper to do it while it is out of the van. The shop should be able to tell if there is a little or a lot of slop.