260k KLDE worth it?

[mikeinaus]

ive been looking for a decent klde to do a swap on my car for a while now. ive been checking craigslist almost every day but i almost never see them come up. ive found a klde from a 94 probe gt with 240,000 or 260,000kms on it and was wondering what peoples thoughts were on it? the guy says it runs great, pulls hard, doesnt smoke, leak or burn coolant. the only problem with the motor is it has a slight oil leak that im guessing/hoping is from the oil pan gasket. i forgot to ask for some compression numbers from the motor but i will send him an email and see if he can grab them before he pulls it. he also said hed look more into the oil leak and get back to me.

now 260k is quite alot of kms and im sure something in the motor is starting to wear out. assuming it runs as good as he is saying and the compression numbers are decent what internal parts should/could be on there way out in the near future? what do you think a good price for the motor would be? hes asking $200 but i think id offer $100 or $150 and go from there.

if i do buy it, how hard would it be to do a partial rebuild? id want to replace all the gaskets, clean everything out as best i can, and replace any parts that are known for failing (springs, piston rings?). ive never worked inside a motor before, but i am fairly confident with tools and working on my car.would the only machining work i would need be the heads and block for a new head gasket? i have a chiltons repair manual and ive been reading over the engine rebuild section so i have a basic idea of whats required. keep in mind i wouldnt plan on doing the swap until may so i would have plenty of time to get it done without rushing anything.

would it be worth attempting this with my basic understanding of how motors work? i think it would be a good learning experience but i dont want to end up having to spend a tun of money on it. the only other options for finding a motor around here would be wreckers which want $400 + tax, unless something comes up at pick a part for $200.

say i buy the motor for $150, then a gasket set is $80 off ebay, $50-$100 for random parts, and $100ish for machine the heads/block(is this an accurate price?) id come out under $450 for a cleaned motor with fresh gaskets at 260k. would this type of rebuild, if done correctly make the motor stronger then one with 120-150ks? or would it be a better idea to try and find one with lower milage?

[mxmikey]

I came onto something pretty soon recently for a ZE. A friend of mine had a ZE that had not been running I picked it up for $300, the heads were inspected and good. My friend threw in a free gasket set all I am doing is throwing piston rings and bearings. Just doing that partial rebuild Napa Auto Parts measured the block for free, and its $160 for rings and bearings. (I'm not sure if the engine is in the car or not or if it has a transmission) if you can start it that would be great listen for knocks and what not. Even if its out turn the crank pulley make sure it turns (don't want a seized up engine). I honestly have no experience doing anything like that, but my father is a mechanic I took it. Unless you have someone who knows what their doing to show you I wouldn't risk it, or if you can hear it run.

[Pritchett]

260,000...

I wouldn't do it. Thats high mileage...valve stem seals, rings, rod and main bearings should be replaced. Then there's the chance that something goes wrong after you bag on it for a lil bit. No scrap yards have any?

[wytbishop]

Depends on your budget and resources. IF you have the ability and resources to do the rebuild yourself it can be done for $800-1000 I would think including the cost of the engine.

You will almost certainly need to go up one oversize and you'll probably have to clean up or oversize the bearing journals. If the block has no cracks and just needs to be bored 0.020" you're just paying for hot tank, magnaflux and honing. You should be able to get a quick quote from local shops on that. I'd guess, $250ish in Edmonton. Do youself a favor and get them to size the bearings for you. Even if you assemble the bottom end your self later...having them select the correct bearings for you will be a big help.

You will need pistons/rings, main and rod bearings, water pump, timing set, gaskets, fluids, belts, spark plugs, tube of silicone, tube of assembly lube. You might want a new oil pump...I would.

$150 for the engine, $250 (hopefully) for the machine work, $600 for everything else. Sounds about right.

Do you have the tools? Ring compressor, valve spring compressor, feeler gauges (for ring gaps), file to asjust the ring gaps.

Lots to think about when building an engine.

[Inodoro Pereyra]

260000 Km are about 160000 miles.
IF the engine has been taken care of properly, it should still have life in it. However, I wouldn't pay more than $100 for it.
But what you need to understand is that "hoping" is not the right way to buy an engine. Go there. Ask them to do a compression test in front of you. Pull the valve covers and oil pan, and inspect the engine's interior. Make sure the engine is clean inside. While the engine is open, make sure all the head bolts, cam bolts and main bolts are there (believe me, you need to check those ). Also, check all the sensors, and make sure they all have their wires and connectors in good shape, especially the knock sensor (that thing is expensive).
Finally, make sure the oil leak is from a gasket or seal, and not from a crack, and check that the engine doesn't have a ton of silicone sealant anywhere.

Once you're satisfied, 100 is a good price. KL engines with more than 100000 miles have been found to still have the honing marks in the cylinder walls. Either way, I'd say you're looking to put, minimum, about $1K on top of it, to have a good engine for the long run. About machine shop prices, in Miami I work with a machine shop that does heads for $40-$60 each (plus materials), but I've been told before that in other places it can be as high as $300 each, so you're gonna have to shop around...

[solo_ryder]

Id say no.

There are plenty other motors out there and yours is still running good. I would worry more about your tranny at this time or just saving cash in general

[mikeinaus]

haha ya... i figure there isnt much point in changing the tranny without doing the motor at the same time. not that i plan on doing a swap anytime soon just keepin my eyes open. my tranny hasnt grinded since i did my bushings so hopefully they were the problem. im gonna change to atf this weekend and ill see how it goes...

[RX8SE3P]

Well if you can get an engine with half the mileage for around $50-100 more then that would be better.

But if you want to rebuild it might not matter. Good to have a running engine to inspect though. Some people leave the engine in the car running to show people and remove it for the buyer once the deal is made.