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Posts Tagged ‘Installing a Used Engine’

Since I was a boy, it has always been well known that Japanese vehicles have always maintained their value. Well known for quality, Nissan is no exception to this rule. Late model Altimas, Maximas, Muranos, Titans, Frontiers, Pathfinders, and Rogues continue this trend. High levels of quality control will never be able to avoid the reality that all vehicles are mechanical objects designed, manufactured, and maintained by men. Engine failure on a Nissans is not common. If the engine in your Nissan does fail, installing a used engine can save you time and money. Here’s why.

When looking at this from the aspect of time, a used engines typically comes as a complete assembly and requires only minimal prep work compared to a “new” engine. If you were to purchase an engine directly from Nissan, depending on the nature of the failure they might try to sell you a short block (the bottom half of an engine) or a cylinder head (the topmost part of an engine) instead of a complete engine assembly. It is difficult to replace a cylinder head or a short block because the mechanic doing the work leaves a significant portion of the engine in the vehicle. Only the bad part of the engine is replaced; the new or remanufactured short block is raised up from the bottom and bolted up or the cylinder head is lowed in from the top. This is grueling, time consuming work compared with installing a used engine assembly.

If Nissan were to sell you a remanufactured long block, your mechanic would still have significant labor charges. A true long block is a bare short block and cylinder head. Installing a long block requires that your mechanic remove your old oil pan and install it on the long block. He will then have to do the same thing with your exhaust manifold, intake manifold, timing cover, valve covers, sensors, wiring harness, etc. The labor here can be intensive and the bill can grow large. With a used engine, your mechanic might have to swap some of these things, but he will not have to swap all of them, saving you time significant time (and money).

Cost cannot be disregarded either when comparing a new/remanufactured engine to a used engine. Used Nissan engines typically sell for less than half of what a new or remanufactured engine are sold for. The best part is that these used engines are OEM (original equipment manufacturer). If you purchase a used engine with truly low mileage, you’re not just saving money; you’re making an investment that will give you many years of return in the form of low cost driving. Since you’re driving a high quality Nissan, this is an investment will no doubt more than pay for itself over the next several years.

Take care though, because there are some things you need to know when buying a used Nissan engine.

First, realize that you only want to buy a low mileage used engine. If you buy a motor with high mileage, failure could be just around the corner since the unit has lots of wear. A low mile unit has little wear because of the low use it has received.

Secondly, understand that you cannot take anyone’s word on the number of miles on a used engine. Some companies will lie to you and tell you that an engine they have for sale has fewer miles on it than it actually has. Avoid this by always demanding a free CARFAX to verify the mileage on any used engine you purchase. This will show the number of miles that were on the vehicle your used engine is coming from at the time it was wrecked. For example, you cannot pull an engine with 50,000 miles from a vehicle that was wrecked with 130,000 miles on it.

Finally, demand a written warranty with good time and mileage duration. A quality used engine should come with a quality warranty. Consumers should demand a six month warranty at the bare minimum. Sadly, many companies only provide a 30 day warranty with their used engines. Many do this because they lie on the mileage of the engines they are selling and would have to many warranty claims with longer term warranties.

As long as you take these three things into consideration, installing a used engine in your Nissan can save you considerable time and money, making your driving experience less expensive for many years to come.