Replace Engine?

[sfingerson]

Greetings!I have aquired through some "horse trading" a 1991 q45 176K miles.(ie one mans' garbage is another mans' ... well you know) Excellent exterior, good interior, all around appears to be in good mech condition...except doesn't run. After reading I had determined the chain guides were a likely culprit. After getting the car home I realized that the engine is likely shot, crashed valves, etc.So I have two options:Either part out/sell as is,or replace engine.As the rest of the car seems to be in very good shape, and I paid virtually nothing for the car, I am leaning toward replacing the engine. I can find engines for <700 on ebay and similar prices on http://www.car-part.com. I would like to find an engine for less than 1000 with around 100K miles. I can then redo the chain guides while the engine is on the ground and then drop in the motor on my happy way for some less than $2000 total investment.Question: JDM engines are advertised for as little as 20K miles. Is this for real? how can a 14yr old engine have 20K miles. Strikes me as incredible. Are there trusted sites and souces any of you would use for this kind of project.And last question, am I embarking on a foolish goose chase? (so says my wife) I have been a shade-tree mechanic/owner for BMW, Vovlo, etc, and have realized transportation rewards far beyond my means, being able to drive a much nicer car than I can really afford by doing my own repair and maintenance.Funny how any car over about 8 years can be effectively made worthless by any kind of substantial repair.

Any comments would be appreciated.Thanks,-Scott

[elwesso]

Hello Scott... congrats on your "purchase"....

I say..... absolutely, try and get another engine... Get one from a 90 or 91, those are the choice ones... Sodium filled exhaust valves..... Golden

It just depends where you stand.. You could make some good money off the car if it still have good engine peripherals, and everything else is in good order.... I reckon you could make close to 2 grand if you play things right.... Or you could spend 2 grand (I think thats what it would cost to swap the engine and replace everything necessary) and have a real nice car... Its hard to say what is the wisest decision, that is your call....

The reason JDM engines have such low miles is because in Japan they dont travel very far... also, they have major inspections at 100k kms (roughly 60k) so often it becomes easier for them to part the car out than it would be to bring it up to spec. They maintain theyre cars much better than americans do.... This is what makes JDM drivetrains choice... so sayin the 40-60k miles is generally going to be about what you find in every JDM engine...

we're here to help you out in any way we can!!

[maxnix]

Of course, any JDM engine will have to be rehabilitated (read the threads by Q45tech). Also, they are very rare now.

About $4,500 - $5K if pick of the litter JDM rehabilitated by T-3 is installed.

Don't be surprised if there is not a lot more needing attention, starting with the transmission. $6K-$8K cash would be a good start to getting it back to OEM new operating specifications. Well worth it.

[lino]

Of course, any JDM engine will have to be rehabilitated (read the threads by Q45tech). Also, they are very rare now.

About $4,500 - $5K if pick of the litter JDM rehabilitated by T-3 is installed.

Don't be surprised if there is not a lot more needing attention, starting with the transmission. $6K-$8K cash would be a good start to getting it back to OEM new operating specifications. Well worth it.

I see a lot of JDM engines being offered for under $1000. How rare are they really and what exactly do you mean by "rehabilitated "?

I did a search and wasn't able to find Q45tech's posts. I still haven't figured out how to use the SEARCH function. I always come back with no results, whether I search for recent or archived, member or no memeber etc...

[maxnix]

There's a search tutorial as a sticky in Infiniti General, I think.

Rehabilitation starts with the chain guides and valve covers, and continues from there. Basically every wear/age component that is accessible when the engine is out of the vehicle.

[elwesso]

There's a search tutorial as a sticky in Infiniti General, I think.

Rehabilitation starts with the chain guides and valve covers, and continues from there. Basically every wear/age component that is accessible when the engine is out of the vehicle.

Yep... The main things to do are the things that are hard to replace in the car but easy out of the car... Like the valve covers, spark plugs, front and rear main seals, and so forth.... From there you can dig into the plenum but IMHO not AS necessary since it doesnt really save a ton of labor (albeit some).. IE not nearly as much as the other things I listed...

Just remember more you spend now less you have to spend later (~100k)