Car people... Engine replacement questions...

[MarkS]

My dad gave me his 1998 Nissan Sentra. It has well over 100K miles on it and has a bad oil leak. Its paid for and I'd really like to avoid a car payment, so I was thinking about saving until January and having the engine and tranny replaced. This is WAY over my abilities, so having a pro do it is a must. I want to go this route to better ensure the quality of the engine. It may be premature now, but it wont be too long before this must be done, so I might as well do it now. The engine has not had regular maintenance done and is in bad shape.

I'm just not sure if I should go new or rebuilt. I'd like to get another 100K miles out of the car if at all possible. I'm pretty sure that parts and labor will vary by location, but what would be a good ballpark figure for new engine/tranny, rebuilt engine/tranny and labor? Also, is there anything I should be concerned about when going rebuilt?

I understand that I could buy a used car outright for what I'm about to spend, but then I'd be in the same boat as now. I'd rather keep what I have and fix it.

[Minuteman]

For what you'd pay for a new drivetrain and labor, it'll be cheaper to buy a beater. Why worry about the tranny if you have an oil leak. Has it been diagnosed?

[fat-tony]

check the front seal (crank seal, several similar names). My wife had a 97 and after reading on nissan forums you can expect that to leak. Hell, I even have one extra after we sold the car if you find that's the problem

[Satori]

Depends on where it's leaking too. A gasket is a lot cheaper than an engine.

[Satori]

But, FWIW, The one time I didn't do my own work, I bought an engine for an Izuzu at the junk yard for $400 and paid $750 for the swap.

[sherm71tank]

You should be able to get a "crate motor" installed for fairly cheap. If you have a place like we have up here "Gregs Japanese Auto" or the like I'd make some phone calls and get some quotes.

[MarkS]

Its definitely a seal. The leak is below the head gasket and above the oil pan gasket. Considering the history of the car, how it was driven and the maintenance that was (or rather was not) done, I feel that it would be better in the long run to replace at least the engine. The tranny is actually still pretty good (no metal in the fluid, fluid clear, etc., but it has been shifting (its an automatic) pretty badly lately.

I really am set on just replacing the engine and tranny. Please keep comments towards that end. As I posted above, buying another used car is not going to get me anywhere. This IS a used car. I am going to fix it up. With my job, I can save $3,000 in about 6 weeks. Money is not the issue. I just need opinions on the differences between new and rebuilt and the estimated costs I would be looking at.

[drauka99]

I would have it checked out and see where the leak is and have that fixed and in the mean time save save save for a new(er) car

[Satori]

There's nothing wrong with a rebuilt. In fact, with some of the older cars you can't get new anymore. That was the case with the transmission for my '90 Chevy truck. (I still choke on that one - $1400 for a rebuilt 5-speed manual from Autozone - just for the tranny)

[Minuteman]

Well, I'd suggest that if you are intent on your course, you might also consider just rebuilding the existing engine, since it's likely still got a good block and internals.

If you want better info, you'd need to post more info on the engine and tranny.

If it was me, I'd just throw a built small block Chevy in it and call it a day.

[MarkS]

Originally posted by Satori
There's nothing wrong with a rebuilt. In fact, with some of the older cars you can't get new anymore. That was the case with the transmission for my '90 Chevy truck. (I still choke on that one - $1400 for a rebuilt 5-speed manual from Autozone - just for the tranny)

Yeah, but Autozone will give you the shaft any chance they get.

[MarkS]

Originally posted by Minuteman
Well, I'd suggest that if you are intent on your course, you might also consider just rebuilding the existing engine, since it's likely still got a good block and internals.

If you want better info, you'd need to post more info on the engine and tranny.

I know nothing about the tranny outside of the fact that its an automatic and side mounted. The engine is a 1.6 liter, 4 cylinder, also side mounted.

[Satori]

Originally posted by MarkS
Yeah, but Autozone will give you the shaft any chance they get.

Autozone was the cheapest of any of the auto parts stores. One junk yard said they found one in Alaska with the parts-locator for $1200, as-is. It's just an expensive transmission.

[Minuteman]

Well, about 5 minutes on google tells me that a crate motor is about $1800-$2100 and $175 core charge.

Figure about 20 hours labor at $30 an hour (rough guesstimates).

Just google Nissan crate motor and you'll get tons of data. There's no telling what the shop rates are in your area.

Looks like used engines are more readily available, but there's no telling how long they'll hold up.

Here's a good starter... http://www.remanufactured.com/Nissan_Engines.htm

Can't help much on the tranny without any data.

[fat-tony]

http://www.nissanforums.com/ga16de-1...ront-seal.html

I had in my possession the same car. A tranny fluid flush and refill (wife's at 106k miles made it shift like new) and seal change will make the engine outlast the chassis. Be ready for strut mounts as well with that car.

Call it a comment if you will. I feel on this situation very informed....take it or leave it.

[jpfelix]

Originally posted by Satori
Autozone was the cheapest of any of the auto parts stores. One junk yard said they found one in Alaska with the parts-locator for $1200, as-is. It's just an expensive transmission.

definitely a high demand item.

[MarkS]

Originally posted by fat-tony
http://www.nissanforums.com/ga16de-1...ront-seal.html

I had in my possession the same car. A tranny fluid flush and refill (wife's at 106k miles made it shift like new) and seal change will make the engine outlast the chassis. Be ready for strut mounts as well with that car.

Call it a comment if you will. I feel on this situation very informed....take it or leave it.

Thanks for the info. That was really very informative. I'll consider that a very good alternative. I'm going to have to replace the shocks and struts VERY soon (within a month or so) anyway, so I'll look into the price of the mounts in the process.

[fat-tony]

In TX you may not be too bad off with the mounts. Up here in the rust belt it's pretty common though. Belts also get pretty gummed up from that oil getting thrown on that side. Other than that, pretty solid car.

[MarkS]

Originally posted by fat-tony
In TX you may not be too bad off with the mounts. Up here in the rust belt it's pretty common though.

I had a friend replace the cv joint several months ago and he damaged the left side ball joint getting it off. Not really his fault. It seems to be OK, it just clicks every once in a while. The problem is that neither he nor I know if it was the strut or the mount that was damaged. Since the struts are pretty much gone and must be replaced, it would probably be a good idea to just replace the mounts at the same time.

Originally posted by fat-tony
Belts also get pretty gummed up from that oil getting thrown on that side. Other than that, pretty solid car.

The worst thing with the oil leaking is the price of a quart every week. I'm just really surprised at how easy the fix is. This is something I could do in an afternoon. The car is VERY solid for its size and thats the main reason I want to keep it. Its a very good car.

[fat-tony]

When I did it, I cheated and did an electric impact. honestly in the thread listed, it's as easy as it sounds (if in fact that's the same area as your leak). Biggest thing with that fix is making sure the bolt is back on absolutely tight. I checked a few months later and it started coming loose from me not putting enough elbow grease into it.

[MarkS]

Thanks for the tip on the seal, fat-tony. In the past 6 hours I replaced the air filter (years old and looked it), spark plugs and wires (with those three items, the engine noise disappeared!), oil filter, oil (all TWO quarts!), belts and the crankshaft oil seal. I'm covered from head to toe in grease and my hair is full of engine de-greaser because I stupidly sprayed it on before finishing.

Earlier this week I changed the rear brakes, including the shoes, springs and drums. I still have the front brake pads to replace (rotors look good), but it will have to wait until daylight. After that, I have the front and rear struts to replace and then there is nothing but cosmetic items to fix.

This isn't fun, but it'll cost me a far less than getting a new or used car.

[drauka99]

hate to break it to ya MarkS it hasn' been 6 hours its been since October 3rd, I know I know .....time flies when your guts deep working on a car.

[MarkS]

Originally posted by drauka99
hate to break it to ya MarkS it hasn' been 6 hours its been since October 3rd, I know I know .....time flies when your guts deep working on a car.

Yeah, I know. I've been putting it off. I've got a small car, and even with jack stands, it doesn't lift far off of the ground. That may not be a problem for some, but I'm not a small person. I can fit my head, chest and one arm under the car. Its not fun and hurts like hell.

[918ReefCpl]

When I used to work retail in an autoparts chain, there was a way to get used Japanese engines direct from Japan. They have some weird law overthere that requires a changeout of the engine after xxx,xxx # of miles...most of those engines are in pretty good shape as there isnt too many miles of roadway to drive alot on...also if your do decide to re-seal the block..make sure you change every seal you can get to, especially the camshaft cover seals as i've seen a fair share of them leaking making it look like a rear main seal was leaking. good luck

[Buckeye ME]

I want to know where minuteman is getting $30/hr labor. That's a steal!