What to do with 03 QX4 with dead engine? Value? Parts?

[OU Targa]

So, after mechanic replaced all my hoses, engine goes dead within 5-10 miles. (engine and truck and been driving and riding fairly good, just occasional loss of coolant that I kept an eye on and topped off, finally decided to attack the coolant loss problem but instead ended up with a dead QX4):

About 178,000 miles so it has had a long life
Condition of exterior and interior is average to decent (some scratches but no dents, all glass good)

Any guesses on what I could sell it for? (sell it to some to part out or would someone actually be interested in replacing the engine)
I'm not interested in putting any more repair money into it anymore...

[Buzzman]

How did it die?
What's wrong with the engine?

[OU Targa]

It started to make a whine and then knock noise, progessively louder, and eventually temp went high too, coolant dropped out completely, as I pulled over and turned off.

It seems like it threw a rod or bearing (not sure) or sounds like something is getting thrown around, and not driveable.

Mechanic doesn't seem to know what caused it or exactly what is wrong other than engine seems to be shot.

[atraudes]

Sorry to hear about that!

In order of most money in your pocket (also most to least effort & hassle):

1. Part it out and sell the parts here, on CL, and/or on eBay. The big downside is it will probably take a while to move all of the parts so you need some space for it to sit in the meantime. Another option is to strip it of parts and get rid of the shell promptly, but that increases the likelihood something will get broken in storage (or lost). Once you're done I'm sure there are plenty of places that'll take it for free or give you a bit of cash for it. In the end, you could end up with a couple grand in your pocket.
2. Sell it as-is on CL in case someone else wants a go at fixing it. I'm thinking it would go for 1 or maybe 2k, but have a look around and see.
3. Lastly, you can donate it and use the donation as a tax write-off. How much of a difference it makes depends on your tax situation. Pick-n-pull places will also pay you money to come and pull it off your driveway, before or after you strip it. I haven't the haziest how much they give, but you could probably get a ballpark over the phone.

If you have a less common color like burgundy, you could probably get more for body pieces than if you had silver or brown.

[OU Targa]

Thanks. All good ideas.

I'm pondering between donate, as-is on craigs-list or calling a salvage to see what they'd give.

Parting out seems like to much trouble for me, no where to store...

It's diamond graphite grey color FYI.

[Buzzman]

It seems like it threw a rod or bearing (not sure) or sounds like something is getting thrown around, and not driveable.

Sounds like the power valves/screws fell out.
Lots of info on that on here, including in a sticky at the top.

[OU Targa]

Buzzman - good thought, I just read through that post.

Can I easily view the power valve screws to see if one is missing? (If missing this would be a good indicator...)

My mechanic also replaced the idle control valve. And not sure what he took off to replace the hoses (maybe the top manifold??) but to ask the question: do either of these tasks sound like he would of had to do something near the power valve screws where they could of "fallen" inside the engine.


The other question: if I do identify valve screws as the problem, is the engine already screwed? Even if engine is done, at least it helps explain what mechanic did wrong and killed my truck.

[atraudes]

The valve screws killing engines aren't generally caused by anyone's wrongdoing, except maybe by Nissan for not getting it right the first time. They work themselves out over time and eventually get sucked in. The extra jostling from the mechanic may have been the final straw, and I can't imagine he had any reason to be fiddling with them anyway. It's a damn shame he didn't notice them, though

[weaverra]

So, after mechanic replaced all my hoses, engine goes dead within 5-10 miles. (engine and truck and been driving and riding fairly good, just occasional loss of coolant that I kept an eye on and topped off, finally decided to attack the coolant loss problem but instead ended up with a dead QX4):

About 178,000 miles so it has had a long life
Condition of exterior and interior is average to decent (some scratches but no dents, all glass good)

Any guesses on what I could sell it for? (sell it to some to part out or would someone actually be interested in replacing the engine)
I'm not interested in putting any more repair money into it anymore...

At the very least why not throw a used engine in it? Even if it cost a couple of grand it would still be worth the cost. You most certainly won't replace that vehicle for a couple of grand.