Need to purchase a 4 door vehicle with 4 wheel drive, since we just had twins and live in the mountains. I currently own a Explorer Sport, and Ranger. My friend wants to sell me his 94 Explorer for $1500. It has about 230,000 miles on it, and the transmission was rebuilt when the vehicle had 80,000 on it. This has been a very reliable vehicle for him so far.
Question, how much does it cost to have the engine totally rebuilt if needed? Also, if the engine does need to be rebuilt, what are the best mods to put in it, such as headers, etc? I would like to use this vehicle to tow my 3500 lb travel trailer.
Thanks in advance

 

JB, there are many variables in the description "total rebuild". A total can be done using all new parts, reboring the block, resurfacing heads etc, or it can be done by reconditioning the old parts for reinstallation or just putting them back in if they are within certain tolerances. These variables make a big difference in the price and the amount of service you can expect to get from the "rebuilt" engine.

You can get a good feel for the cost by going to several of the online shops offering rebuilt engines for sale. If they add a core charge to the list price you can take the list price and figure that is what it would cost to have your engine rebuilt. The shops will generally provide a list of what they do and state whether parts are replaced new or just reconditioned. Check the warranties too. A long warranty from a reputable shop says a lot about the quality of the rebuild.
I've been rebuilding my own engine, doing all the dissassembly and assembly myself and taking the parts to a local machine shop for the valve job, head resurfacing, block boring, etc. and buying my new parts from them or from Napa or Ford. I could have bought a rebuilt unit and saved several hundred dollars, and had the engine back in a lot faster but I wouldn't have known for certain what work was done to the engine. When the work is done and it's back together I'll still be trusting that those shops did a good job and I won't have any warranty.

My recommendation would be to have a quality rebuilt engine setting on a crate in your possession before the work started. then you would know how much the rebuild was going to cost.

 

"Where elso could I have spent this much time and had this much fun for several hundred dollars?"
<---- exit laughing

 

I don't mean to offend your buddy but I bought a 94 EXP with a decent body for $700.00 Canadian (motor shot) and will slip in a 91 EXP motor from the truck that I currently own.

During my search I came across several Explorers in really bad shape body-wise but with decent running motors ie. less than 150,000 miles in the $400.00 - $600.00 range (Canadian dollars).

My advice would be to look for a beat up EXP (91-94), pull the motor, give it a basic overhaul slip it in the other and you can still pull hundreds of spare parts off the "beater" before you junk it.

I even matched the interior colours on my two so I could pull trim parts etc.

Just my 2 cents.

Gil

 

yeah, $1500 for one with a bad motor is high, that and that's a lot of miles since the tranny rebuild. I'd probably pass on this one unless he came down in price. The 4.0 is a pricy motor to build unfortounately.

 

Total value of the vehicle and how long you intend to drive it are considerations too. A couple years is one thing, 5+ is another. Is it worth putting 2-3G's into a vehicle with a Red Book of $2500.00?

Buy a beater, pull the motor and tranny, give said motor/tranny a good cleaning/maintenance (down to the long block) and slide it into the other. At most pull the heads and have them overhauled.

I want 3-5 from my "new" 94 (minimum) so I will be doing the same as I'm suggesting to you as well as front end, body, paint and interior.

I'll keep you posted!!