2006 M45 RWD Engine needed

[2006M45SCanada]

Driving on the highway, engine light comes on and immediately starts to flash. At the same time the engine began to sound like a stock car. began going up a slight incline in the highway, pressed the accelerator and the car sped up but with half the power it usually does, pulled over. I took my foot off the accelerator and the engine shut off on its own. All of this happened within 1 minute.

My M45 has 148,000 KMS, engine oil always changed between 5,000 - 7,000 kms. No knocking, no engine lights, no warning what so ever, The first sign of trouble was the end. The Dealer said the engine was ran low on oil, the timing chain skipped a few teeth and 3 out of 4 of my passenger side cylinders will no longer move or fire. New engine is what the dealer said I need... $15,600 is the cost installed. Needless to say I am shocked! Rebuilding is Not an option according to them.

I cant believe my engine went with such low KM's. If I did not maintain it, I would understand... but a maintained engine with no warning before it died has me shocked and left in dismay.

Bottom line: Can anyone advise on where I can get a reliable used engine for a reasonable price?

Thank you for your help.

[EniGmA1987]

You can have it rebuilt by a good mechanic or performance shop perfectly fine, and for a lot less than $15K. While you are at it, you may want to spend a little bit more for some internal mods done to boost performance and/or reliability (depending on which parts you want done) since you are already having the engine apart and things being replaced anyway. Maybe get some race bearings, H-beam rods, have the cylinders honed, do a valve job. I bet with the rebuild and extra work you can probably get the whole thing done and installed for $10K or less.

[jiggersplat]

You ought to be able to find a used motor for $2500 or less. I'd guess around another $2k for a shop to swap it in.

[DJPlayedYA]

First off, sorry to hear about your bad luck. That's extremely unfortunate. These V8 engines are known to burn or consume oil when they get higher mileage, so that might have been the culprit.

As far as your engine goes... I would definitely not rebuild it. It's too much work and costs too much money. You can find these engines easily in the $3,500-$4,500 range with similar mileage, or you can spend more for lower mileage. That's your safest bet.

Just thinking... This is a long shot, but have you tried to file a claim with your insurance company? They'll most likely deny it, but it might be worth your time.

[The00Dustin]

First off, sorry to hear about your bad luck. That's extremely unfortunate. These V8 engines are known to burn or consume oil when they get higher mileage, so that might have been the culprit.

These engines are known for consuming oil. Higher mileage has nothing to do with it. How one drives might have a bit to do with it, or it may be pure defect. Regardless, I'm not the only one with a 2006 M45 that has higher miles and doesn't consume more oil than it did with lower miles. I saw someone else post recently that theirs burns the same amount it did when they bought it, and mine does to. We're talking ~1 quart in 4000 miles and my engine has 165+K miles on it. Mine actually might be consuming less now than it did when I bought it at ~40K miles. Regardless, I feel for the OP. I've been fearing this engine's failure for nearly five years and ~125K miles because of all the horror stories in this forum.

[seldomseen]

A used engine plus install will easily set you back around $5,000 USD. It may be more challenging to source an engine in Canada too since the M45 probably isn't as common in Canada. You may be better off selling or trading your car in at a loss rather than going through the hassle of sourcing a M45 engine, installing it and hoping everything operates properly afterwards.

[2006M45SCanada]

Thank you everyone for your replies. I heard about an engine for sale that came with a 90 day warranty. I called for it but it sold in less than 2 hours. Seems I am not the only one in Canada waiting on an engine. The used engine had 140,000 KMS on it and would have cost $3800 shipped. I sourced a mechanic that will install an engine for me for $2100 which is very reasonable. So I am on the lookout for another used engine to pop up. not sure how much longer I can wait... seeing my ride on the driveway looking So Nice... yet useless is making me crazy.

Thanks again for the advice. if I find an engine soon Ill post the results. if not... i may be letting my baby go.

[Wangtang408]

Since you're going put in another engine in it , have you thought about dropping a different engine?
I don't know personally know too much about engines but I hear some G guys drop in Corvette engines.
Just a thought...

[DJPlayedYA]

Thank you everyone for your replies. I heard about an engine for sale that came with a 90 day warranty. I called for it but it sold in less than 2 hours. Seems I am not the only one in Canada waiting on an engine. The used engine had 140,000 KMS on it and would have cost $3800 shipped. I sourced a mechanic that will install an engine for me for $2100 which is very reasonable. So I am on the lookout for another used engine to pop up. not sure how much longer I can wait... seeing my ride on the driveway looking So Nice... yet useless is making me crazy.

Thanks again for the advice. if I find an engine soon Ill post the results. if not... i may be letting my baby go.

I just wanted to give some free insider info for your situation...

For our dealership, we normally only purchase used engines that come with a 6 month warranty. Sometimes, the junk yard will charge you an extra $100 or so, but it's well worth it, especially considering the cost of this M45 engine. But PLEASE research the business that you buy the engine from and make sure they fulfill their warranties properly. It might even be worth it to buy the engine through your mechanic so that in case the new engine blows, your mechanic can deal with the headache. I'd say we get bad engines 1 out of every 4 we order. You have to remember sometimes these engines have been sitting for a long time out in the elements getting weathered and whatnot.

Secondly, the book time for this engine swap is 17.7 hours. Most of the time, mechanics add in additional hours for additional work that is done, so to be safe let's call it 21 hours. At $2,100, you're paying the mechanic $100 an hour which is approaching dealership rates. However, if the mechanic is quoting $2,100 for EVERYTHING (fluids, installing new gaskets and whatnot) then I'd say it's a fair deal. But if he's adding time and parts (not including gaskets) on top of the $2,100, then I'd recommend shopping around a bit more.

I hope this helps.

[2006M45SCanada]

Thank you for all the feedback! My M has been sitting on my garage pad for the last year while I have been considering options. An engine has come available locally and I am leaning towards having it installed. Total cost $5000 Cdn. I am thinking I will have it bought and installed by the mechanic which will come with a warranty (thanks to the advice from you fine M owners) . After I have driven the car for a few months I think it will be time for the UpRev tune... I figure if it drives similar to before with similar power, than Ill know I am running the way I should. From there... an uprev will give me a little more oomph and a bigger smile when I push on the pedal. Sound about right to you guys?

[Amgberg]

Driving on the highway, engine light comes on and immediately starts to flash. At the same time the engine began to sound like a stock car. began going up a slight incline in the highway, pressed the accelerator and the car sped up but with half the power it usually does, pulled over. I took my foot off the accelerator and the engine shut off on its own. All of this happened within 1 minute.

My M45 has 148,000 KMS, engine oil always changed between 5,000 - 7,000 kms. No knocking, no engine lights, no warning what so ever, The first sign of trouble was the end. The Dealer said the engine was ran low on oil, the timing chain skipped a few teeth and 3 out of 4 of my passenger side cylinders will no longer move or fire. New engine is what the dealer said I need... $15,600 is the cost installed. Needless to say I am shocked! Rebuilding is Not an option according to them.

I cant believe my engine went with such low KM's. If I did not maintain it, I would understand... but a maintained engine with no warning before it died has me shocked and left in dismay.

Bottom line: Can anyone advise on where I can get a reliable used engine for a reasonable price?

Thank you for your help.

2jzgte out of the aristo automatic

[2006M45SCanada]

2jzgte out of the aristo... I am assuming a new transmission and computer would be needed? Sounds like an expensive journey..... mind you a fun journey as that engine can be turbo'd and modded to create a hp monster. intriguing.....

[Amgberg]

it comes with engine trans ecu all low miles. or a front flip comes with everything. in USA aristo whine can be found for 2-3k

[2006M45SCanada]

Thank you for the input Amgberg. I was successful in finding an M45 engine and purchased it today. I seriously considered the aristo route and if the shops where I am from could have given me confidence... I may have gone that route. Unfortunately the shops here specialize In G35's and the M45's have very little options. Hopefully in 2-3 weeks Ill be rolling again. Thank you to everyone that posted here... ill let you know how it all works out.

[Amgberg]

Thank you for the input Amgberg. I was successful in finding an M45 engine and purchased it today. I seriously considered the aristo route and if the shops where I am from could have given me confidence... I may have gone that route. Unfortunately the shops here specialize In G35's and the M45's have very little options. Hopefully in 2-3 weeks Ill be rolling again. Thank you to everyone that posted here... ill let you know how it all works out.

that's great good luck post pics