Engine Rebuilding or Replacement
When engine troubles get serious, your car is down for the count. You have only two options – you can choose to have your engine rebuilt, or you can replace it completely. Which is right for your needs? Both options offer you the ability to get back on the road, but they’re not the same. Let’s take a closer look.
Rebuilding – Rebuilding an engine is exactly what it sounds like. In this instance, your old engine is pulled out of the car, and the damaged parts are replaced. Any components that are still in operating condition are not usually replaced, but are reused once more.
Replacement – Engine replacement can involve replacing your engine with one of two different options. You can choose a used engine, or a crate engine.
Used engines are exactly what you think they are. They’re taken from donor vehicles (often wrecked, but with little to no front-end damage). They’re in operational condition, but that’s usually all you know for sure.
A crate engine is basically a remanufactured engine. This is different from a rebuilt engine in that the engine is torn down completely. All components are replaced, and the housing is machined back into OEM tolerance. It’s as close to a “new” engine as you can get on the market. Even engines marked as new are really remanufactured/crate engines.
Engine Repair, Replacement or Rebuild
The experts at A1 Automotive knows it’s a tough choice when having to choose between engine replacement, engine rebuilding or engine repair. The first thought that comes to your mind is, “how much does it cost to replace my engine?”, “how long will replacing my engine take?” and “Is rebuilding your engine more cost effective than replacing your engine?”. These a great question one of our certified auto engine repair and replacement technicians at A1 can answer that and more. You will sleep easier knowing that the crew at A1 Automotive is taking care of your car or truck
Engine Rebuilding vs. Engine Replacement
It’s quite likely that engine rebuilding can save you money compared to engine replacement depending on the engine problem you are faced with and the cost of the parts needed for the repair.
Automotive Diagnosis
Automotive diagnostics is our specialty and we know from experience that most engine rebuilds can be avoided with correct diagnostics and repair from a honest and qualified technicians at A1. Acurate automotive diagnostics is important to ensuring only needed repairs are done, saving you time and money. Unlike most engine mechanics, our mission is to fix the problem the first time in the most cost effective ways as possible to keep happy customers coming back to us time and time again. It’s not by mistake that we turn customers into friends. Our customers truly love and trust us and it shows through our customer reviews
Engine Replacement
If you engine is not worth rebuilding, replacing the engine may be the best option for you. Replacing the engine will add more years to the life of your vehicle and turn a once problematic automobile into a reliable one. Also, replacing the engine saves you money on smaller repairs that would of been needed along the way such as belts, filters, hoses and coolant. Our #1 priority is to give you the best options available for getting your vehicle back on the road in reliable condition
Engine Maintenance
Preventative maintenance for you vehicle helps you avoid costly future repairs and helps your automobile have a longer lifespan. Also, performing regular engine maintenance can help increase fuel efficiency and maintain peak performance. Get your regular engine maintenance done by A1.
Steps for Remanufacturing & Testing Auto Engines
Replacing an automobile engine is a big job that will take a big bite out of your wallet, but what if there were a way to replace the engine in your vehicle and save hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars? Using remanufactured engines can save auto owners significant sums on engine replacement while still ensuring that a reliable engine is installed in the vehicle.
Normal wear and tear can degrade even the best-cared-for engines over time. When serious engine problems occur, many owners simply choose to purchase a new vehicle. Yet, for owners who simply can’t part with their favorite auto or restoration enthusiasts who have bought an old or junked vehicle they wish to refurbish, an engine replacement is often necessary.
While replacing an engine is one of the more costly automotive repair jobs, it’s still cheaper than buying a new automobile. Most engine replacement jobs will cost between $2,700 and $5,000, while even the least expensive new automobile will cost around $13,000 or more. Using remanufactured engines can further reduce the cost of replacing an engine.
Disassembly and inspection – The remanufacturing process begins when mechanics completely disassemble the used engine being remanufactured. Mechanics take apart the engine using techniques found to reduce damage to components of the engine. Once the engine is taken apart, each component is thoroughly inspected to ensure that it still meets or exceeds original specifications. The testing process is thorough and incorporates the latest technology to allow mechanics to make the best choices concerning parts. Parts that don’t meet standards are marked for replacement and discarded.
Recovering parts – Parts that meet or exceed original specs that have been harvested from the old engine are thoroughly cleaned and reconditioned for reuse. Cleaning the parts ensures their optimal function and also gives mechanics a second look to ensure that they are in good shape.
What is an Engine Rebuild?
It’s one of the toughest, dirtiest, and most intimidating jobs in car engine repair – lifting an 800-pound chunk of metal out of a hood, figuring out what is wrong with it, and making it work right again. And, if you own a car, you likely may have to have it done.
There are multiple reasons why you might find your engine needs rebuilding, and whatever they may be it is important to have the problem addressed immediately. Otherwise, a small, fixable problem like an oil leak or overheating can become permanent, irreversible damage
For that reason, it’s good to familiarize yourself with the engine rebuild process. Whether you plan to bring your car to an experienced mechanic or you plan to tackle the task yourself, it’s helpful to know a few of the things that can go wrong with a standard engine, and what can be done to get everything back in working shape
Why does my engine need to be rebuilt?
There are several reasons your engine might require repair. The most common signs that a rebuild may be in order are loud knocking or grinding noises emanating from under the hood. If it sounds like something is banging your engine with a wrench while you drive, it is very likely a loose rod or a piston is the culprit.
Difficulty starting could mean the cranking is extended which, when coupled with a lack of engine power or rough idling, could be a sign of lack of compression, probably the result of a crack or leak in the combustion chamber. A mechanic can run a compression test to diagnose lack of compression prior to rebuilding the engine, and so it is good practice testing before beginning work.
HOW TO CHOOSE AN ENGINE REBUILD KIT
An engine rebuild is a large and expensive job, and choosing the right kit can seem a daunting task. There are a lot of kits for sale, and they may all seem similar but vary greatly in price. Knowing the difference between the various engine rebuild kits will help you shop with confidence, knowing you’re getting the right parts for the job at hand.
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN IN-FRAME, OUT-OF-FRAME, AND RE-RING ENGINE REBUILD KITS
A lot of customers that call in and want to rebuild their engine simply say they need a rebuild kit. Usually, we guess that they want a standard inframe rebuild kit, as that is the most common kit sold. However, there are several levels of rebuild kits to use, based on the state of the parts in the engine and the engine’s OEM. Another important thing to note that can confuse a lot of people, is that ”overhaul kit” is often used synonymously with “rebuild kit,” but it can also specifically mean “out-of-frame kit.” To avoid confusion with the term “overhaul,” we use “rebuild” instead. Also, please keep in mind that this article contains only the general components for these engine kits. For content lists specific to the kit you need, be sure to check the product’s page on our website, or call in to ask one of our parts techs.
RE-RING ENGINE REBUILD KITS
The re-ring kit is the smallest rebuild kit. It is one of the least time consuming ways to rebuild your engine, but it assumes that your pistons are reusable. Evaluate the condition of your other engine components before choosing to order a re-ring kit
RE-RING KIT CONTENTS
Re-ring kits generally contain cylinder liners (if used in the application), piston rings, connecting rod bearings, main bearings, thrust washers (if used in the application), a cylinder head gasket set, and an oil pan gasket set. The big thing to pay attention to is that re-ring rebuild kits do not include pistons. Sometimes, you may see kits labeled as “pistonless” or “without pistons”—those are re-ring kits. The term re-ring comes from the fact that, even though the pistons in an engine are being reused, the rings should be replaced while you’re pulling them from the cylinder. Therefore, you need to re-ring the old piston. You can see a couple examples of re-ring kits here and here to compare how exact contents differ between engines
CHOOSING A RE-RING KIT
A re-ring kit is for people that need to refresh their engine with a rebuild, but still have pistons that are in good condition. All of the more wearable components get replaced, such as rings, bearings, and gaskets. If the pistons are still good, they do not necessarily need to be replaced. This can save a lot of money, in both parts and labor. Labor expense is saved because this type of rebuild can be done while keeping the engine in the chassis