Thaddeus

What is the going rate for a rebuilt engine for, say, a 1990 C4?

I see those ads in Excellence and whatnot, just wondering if those remanufacturing places do good work.

thanks.

DaveK

It's an open ended question. Someone from the USA will need to comment on your prices - but in the UK, it seems a shop will quote about £3.5K - £4K, but by the time they've fixed all the other stuff they found you're more likely to pay £5.5K - £6K.

Thaddeus

I was thinking more in terms of those places that just rebuild engines and have them in stock... you call them up, give them your credit card number and address, and then ship them back your core. I was thinking the quality might be a little better since they rebuild engines all day, unlike a local shop that might do a rebuild 3 or 4 times a year tops.

YYC930

To split the case and put it all back together......anything less than 60 hours straight time labor is rushing it........

All bearings, a full gasket/seal kit, rings, etc, are usually $2K and a clutch, PP and flywheel "while you are at it" ads another $3K...........then you may need a valve job and guides at $2K, and maybe your rocker shafts are toast $1K......etc.....etc......if you are lucky the P+C's are OK........

Plan on $10K CAD at a minimum......$8-9K US..........the shop I use (run by two 25 year Porsche Master technicians........I doubt they have those at online engine reman centers) rebuilds 4-6 engines a year just for me, and maybe 4-6 others for clients.........been there, done that.

Your results may differ.........good luck !!

chancecasey

It's been said before but worth saying again - don't use motor meister here in the u.s.

That being said - it is a crapshoot. Find someone you trust who has used a rebuilder and vouches for them, and go for that rebuilder. Problem is that time is money and with anything less than an absolutely stellar shop they will cut corners.

Badly rebuilt motors can run great for 10-20K miles - probably not realistic but see if you can get a warranty (maybe even limited warranty) for 20K miles or more.

A well-done job in the U.S. is going to be somewhere in the $10K ballpark give or take, and depending on what kind of goodies they put in it.

Now that I'm writing this I realized I don't know if you are in the u.s. or not - if you are, give Henry at Supertech a call. Don't know if he has ready-to-go units (probably not) but he may be able to recommend someone who does. Personally, I trust Henry. It would be easier to find someone reputable to take yours and rebuild it vs. getting a ready-to-go in exchange for a core. Good luck!

chancecasey

And for that kind of money you could get a short-stroked small block chevy that will blow the doors of most Porsche turbos.

Tom W

"Rebuilt" can mean lots of different things. Was it a complete teardown and re-build or simply a top end rebuild? What was wrong that necessitated the rebuild and what parts were used in the job? Simply buying a "rebuilt" motor from an ad in a magazine without know more than the price is not what I would do.

Do you really need a new engine or are you planning to drop your (not running?) engine and replace it in the hopes that the new one is better?

I'd suggest you talk to a good shop about having yours "rebuilt" based on what's needed for it. You can also always have your favorite shop drop it and send it to a good rebuilder to have it redone.

Having been down this route after mine blew up, I can certainly tell you it will not be cheap. Don't do it unless it really needed. The $8-10k range is not unreasonable for a "complete" rebuild (not a simple top-end job).

jimq

little OT but it does have to do with engines!
Is there any where else beside under the air cond compressor to the right under side of the fan to find the engine number? I cant make out the numbers with the compressor in the way.