Remanufactured Engine or Not? Need Reality Check!

[Joseph Fallon]

Hello all and Happy Halloween! My problem? Sorry for the long post, but-So they say- It's complicated!
My high mileage (215,000 miles) 2002 SLT Envoy severely overheated awhile back mid summer- hottest day of the year. I am on the fence regarding the path forward. As I plan to retire early next year my weekly commute of 340 mile per week will cease to exist. I will want to have reliable Envoy and the fact is I have replaced thousands of dollars worth of parts on this GMC. I am reluctant to part it out or call the scrapper. The GMC is very clean and prior to the cooling system failure everything was operating perfectly due to my time and treasure being spent on it.
I love this Envoy and really want to fix it correctly. With the high mileage it has I do not want to patch it up only to develop another major problem in a year or so. I am seriously considering a remanufactured long block engine. The engine cost will be around $3,350.00 or so with me doing the replacement. To me that is a lot of money. I do not care about resale value as I plan on keeping it. The last vehicle (excluding motorcycles, ATV's, and motor homes) I plan on buying. I also do not want to play Used Engine Roulette. I need the engine swap to be one and done! I know other parts may fail and am prepared to deal with issues going forward but not major engine failures. This Envoy is my primary transportation. So the question to you all is this:
Is it foolish to spend a big chunk of change on a reman engine?
I'm thinking Buy Once, Cry Once. I value the opinions on this forum as the wealth on knowledge and skill here at the Nation is amazing. Thank you in advance for comments, positive or negative.

 

[northcreek]

It isn't foolish if you accept the fact that once you purchase the engine you have "put a ring on it".
Now if the transmission or anything else goes you will be compelled to replace it due to your emotional and monetary investment with the engine.
Take this advice from someone who owns a 30 year old motorhome...

 

[Joseph Fallon]

B

It isn't foolish if you accept the fact that once you purchase the engine you have "put a ring on it".
Now if the transmission or anything else goes you will be compelled to replace it due to your emotional and monetary investment with the engine.
Take this advice from someone who owns a 30 year old motorhome...

Believe me, There are already three rings, engagement ring, wedding ring, and suffer ring! I am buried in it financially speaking. just last year new Cat Converter, New Cooper tires, new AC Compressor, new Bilsteins all around. That's just the short list. I planned to keep it, then.....
I murdered it.

 

[TollKeeper]

I would not do new, I also would not rebuild it. I'm all for repair, and keep going.

With that said, the 4.2 is a fairly abundant engine, and can be had brutally cheap. There's one for sale locally to us (I'm also in Colorado), you get the whole truck for 900. You can hear it run, and make a decision. It's got a bad tranny.

Get a used engine, pull the oil pan, swap the pick up, and go with it. Save 3000.

Don't buy anything you can't hear run, and do some preliminary checks on.

 

[TollKeeper]

Something like this could likely be cheap, and you could possibly make some of your money back selling the rims.

https://www.copart.com/lot/60767391

If this had the right parts, I would even buy it with you. But it doesn't have a G80.

Or this..

https://www.copart.com/lot/55766971

 

[Mooseman]

I agree with @TollKeeper . No matter how you look at it, it's a 20 year old truck. I'd have no reservations putting in a good used engine. The silver one looks good and you'd think with those wheels and the clean interior, it was well taken care of. If you can inspect it before bidding, only way you could check for oil varnish is under the filler cap and start it for running condition at idle. Also check the dipstick for a recent oil change. If it looks like a decent runner, I'd put in a bid.

With that truck, you get the engine, a spare trans along with a bunch of other spare parts. Trust me, It's a great feeling when something goes and you already have a spare. Sell or keep the wheels and sell the carcass for scrap.

I know where you're getting at with doing it right the first time. These engines have a good track record if they are well taken care of. That's the only risk, not knowing.

 

[Joseph Fallon]

Good advice. I'll scout Coparts and see what pops up in the near future. Used is my first choice but the examples I have been seeing this past year on Craigslist were not runnable or rolled over or from a high mileage truck. Also seen a few that looked to be pretty neglected from the owner. I am physically in pretty bad shape myself from arthritis in my back, legs, all over really from motorcycle racing and other things in the 70's and don't have the fitness needed to R+R engines. Not bitching, just explaining why I am leaning towards a rebuild. I suppose even a reman engine is a coin toss.

 

[TollKeeper]

Don't forget to broaden your search. I know for sure that 2002-04 models with the 4.2 are a direct interchange, I think there are other years, but requires slight modification to work. @Mooseman can explain more there. There is 1 small difference on the 03 and 04, being the oil level indicator, but I think that's it, and it's just a matter of taking the one from your old engine, and putting it on the new. But you have the Chevy trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Saab 9-7x, Oldsmobile Bravada, Isuzu Ascender, Buick Rainier.

 

[Mooseman]

02-05 are 100% direct swap in. 06-07 are 99% with a slight modification to the coolant temp sensor wires as it moved from above the thermostat to the right rear of the head. The coils changed but I'm pretty sure the connectors interchange so no modification needed there. 02 was the only year that had the oil level sensor in the pan so you'd need to swap it if from another year. In any case, it's a good idea to pull the pan to check things out.

08-09 will not work in an older truck so don't even look at those.

The two that @TollKeeper posted look like good candidates in Colorado. The silver one has the lowest mileage but either of these I would be comfortable throwing into my truck.

 

[TollKeeper]

@Mooseman - Damnit.. was off by one year.. I am slowly learning the LL8.. you know its only been 14? years! LOL

 

[NJTB]

Hello all and Happy Halloween! My problem? Sorry for the long post, but-So they say- It's complicated!
My high mileage (215,000 miles) 2002 SLT Envoy severely overheated awhile back mid summer- hottest day of the year. I am on the fence regarding the path forward. As I plan to retire early next year my weekly commute of 340 mile per week will cease to exist. I will want to have reliable Envoy and the fact is I have replaced thousands of dollars worth of parts on this GMC. I am reluctant to part it out or call the scrapper. The GMC is very clean and prior to the cooling system failure everything was operating perfectly due to my time and treasure being spent on it.
I love this Envoy and really want to fix it correctly. With the high mileage it has I do not want to patch it up only to develop another major problem in a year or so. I am seriously considering a remanufactured long block engine. The engine cost will be around $3,350.00 or so with me doing the replacement. To me that is a lot of money. I do not care about resale value as I plan on keeping it. The last vehicle (excluding motorcycles, ATV's, and motor homes) I plan on buying. I also do not want to play Used Engine Roulette. I need the engine swap to be one and done! I know other parts may fail and am prepared to deal with issues going forward but not major engine failures. This Envoy is my primary transportation. So the question to you all is this:
Is it foolish to spend a big chunk of change on a reman engine?
I'm thinking Buy Once, Cry Once. I value the opinions on this forum as the wealth on knowledge and skill here at the Nation is amazing. Thank you in advance for comments, positive or negative.

Personally, I'd replace it with a re manufactured engine. I was toying with the idea of replacing my TB with a Traverse, but the $40K price tag gave me pause, and the start/stop at traffic lights convinced me not to.
Drove my wifes 2018 Mazda CX5 to Boston this past weekend, and the safety stuff on it drove me nuts, lane assist mainly. She loves the thing, I don't. Plus I don't have a car payment.
Right now, for me, a replacement engine is a no brainer.

 

[rchalmers3]

Something like this could likely be cheap, and you could possibly make some of your money back selling the rims.

https://www.copart.com/lot/60767391

If this had the right parts, I would even buy it with you. But it doesn't have a G80.

Or this..

https://www.copart.com/lot/55766971

@ Joseph Fallon and all you fellas, lemme put in my 2 bits. I tried Copart.com for bidding for GMT360 vehicles, but found that if it started and ran, it will sell for more nearly twice what I can find locally on Facebook Market place. If you add the numerous Copart additional fees related to the auction win, it gets even worse.

Facebook Market place is my go to resource for Trailblazers with running engines for under a grand. Craigslist used to be my favorite, but has become a distant second to the burgeoning social media resource. Look for trucks being sold with the trans not working. There's plenty of those! I can buy them from a private party, and then haul them home on a rented U-Haul dolly for about a grand. Having the signed title in hand also makes the donor car residue easy to dispose of when the time comes. BTW, a GMT360 carcass fetches about $400 in scrap value in my area. The easy math means that used running engines can be had for about $600.

That $600 (net) is about twice what I would pay for an engine at the local Pull-A-Part. However I much prefer to have the donor vehicle on my property to extract the engine at my convenience vs slaving in the Pull-A-Part yard all the long day!

Having said all that, I would still recommend stripping a used engine back to a long block and perform a parts cleaning and transfer, with as many new parts needed to freshen it before fitting it to the host vehicle.

My last thought to the OP is that if you have a good relation with an automotive machine shop, your better option may be to have your engine rebuilt. Between yourself, a machine shop and RockAuto parts, you have the ability to put together an engine that will serve you for years to come.

Rick

 

[Joseph Fallon]

@ Joseph Fallon and all you fellas, lemme put in my 2 bits. I tried Copart.com for bidding for GMT360 vehicles, but found that if it started and ran, it will sell for more nearly twice what I can find locally on Facebook Market place. If you add the numerous Copart additional fees related to the auction win, it gets even worse.

Facebook Market place is my go to resource for Trailblazers with running engines for under a grand. Craigslist used to be my favorite, but has become a distant second to the burgeoning social media resource. Look for trucks being sold with the trans not working. There's plenty of those! I can buy them from a private party, and then haul them home on a rented U-Haul dolly for about a grand. Having the signed title in hand also makes the donor car residue easy to dispose of when the time comes. BTW, a GMT360 carcass fetches about $400 in scrap value in my area. The easy math means that used running engines can be had for about $600.

That $600 (net) is about twice what I would pay for an engine at the local Pull-A-Part. However I much prefer to have the donor vehicle on my property to extract the engine at my convenience vs slaving in the Pull-A-Part yard all the long day!

Having said all that, I would still recommend stripping a used engine back to a long block and perform a parts cleaning and transfer, with as many new parts needed to freshen it before fitting it to the host vehicle.

My last thought to the OP is that if you have a good relation with an automotive machine shop, your better option may be to have your engine rebuilt. Between yourself, a machine shop and RockAuto parts, you have the ability to put together an engine that will serve you for years to come.

Rick

Thanks for the advice Rick. Yeah, for sure the parts recycler teardown idea defiantly does not appeal.

 

[limequat]

How come nobody is saying LS swap? Lol.

 

[Joseph Fallon]

A

How come nobody is saying LS swap? Lol.

An LS swap would be slick but my real retirement project is a 1996 Ford Bronco. I also want whatever I do with the Envoy to be fairly quick as the 2010 Toyota I have as primary transport needs to get sold while prices are still high.

 

[TollKeeper]

LS Swap also means that 800 LL8 engine, turns into a 3000 engine.

 

[northcreek]

B

Believe me, There are already three rings, engagement ring, wedding ring, and suffer ring! I am buried in it financially speaking. just last year new Cat Converter, New Cooper tires, new AC Compressor, new Bilsteins all around. That's just the short list. I planned to keep it, then.....
I murdered it.

You've probably made a decision by now but, I ran across this video today and it seems to apply to your situation.

 

[Joseph Fallon]

Hey there northcreek and others here on the site. Actually, I have not made a decision yet. I just don't know know how to proceed. Used engine? Little trust. Rebuilt engine. Also little trust. Time and energy are precious at this point in my life and I am not 22 years old any more. I don't really have time to rebuild the engine myself, which I could. Retired general aviation mechanic and I've been through a car engines a few times. I will certainly check out the video you added. Thank you!
j

 

[JayArr]

I bought my Envoy with a bad engine, blown head gasket, overheating and loosing coolant. It would only run about ten minutes before it was out of coolant. It took hours to get it home from 30 miles away.

I went with a used engine from the local wrecker. It was low mileage from a rear end collision, nice and clean and still a runner when it arrived at the yard. I got a 90 day warranty. They delivered it to my door. I pulled the pan and the front timing chain cover and inspected it all before install. Still hauling ass after almost three years and I haul a 5000lb trailer around the mountains in the summer.

The trick is finding someone you trust, if you trust the rebuilder then go with that, if you trust the local wrecker then that's a good option too. If you don't trust either then you need to go private. I like the suggestion of buying a vehicle with a bad transmission. Since the 4L60Es lose the 3/4 clutch at around 200-250K it shouldn't be hard to find a good running Envoy with a tranny that doesn't go past 2nd. If it's close you can even nurse it home.

 

[limequat]

Wrecked cars are better than parked cars. Wrecked, they drove all the way to the accident.