engine replacement advice

[Randall]

Hello everybody, if you've seen my recent post, you know that I had a piston/con rod go through my oil pan, so I am going to be replacing the engine. I have two options, a 134,000 3.0 that has sat for a year, but ran for the first time today easily and seems to have little noise. my concern over this motor is that the first time the secondaries open a gasket will blow from becoming brittle after sitting so long.

The other option is a 130,000 3.0 that most likely has a blown head gasket from a month ago. This motor was running well when it was yanked and has sat for a little over a month. My concerns over this motor is that it was run hot a few times up to a few months possibly due to a bad heater core. It supposedly never got so hot that it shut down, yet it had coolant leaking issues and did run hot many times, and I am curious if that would ruin bearings from the excess heat. I would re-use the heads from my motor, which are in awesome shape, on this one if chosen.

So what should I do? I like the idea of having fresh head gaskets, but I am totally unsure of what to check for to verify that the second motor is a good one. The first motor would basically just be a drop in deal, that is after I replace the rod bearings, but I am unsure of how reliable it would be. thanks for your thoughts!

 

[SHOtime2511]

you might wanna get the running one,and just go ahead and replace
all you gaskets and bearings while you have it out of the car......thats what i would do?

 

[SolidState]

neither sound like a good deal.

There must be a decent, lower mileage 3.2 around there..

 

[AREA 91]

Run the engine that wasn't overheated. Possible rod bearings for peace of mind.

 

[1993MTXSHO]

Id try to get it in writing that the 120k was done on both engines and if one wasnt done you know which is your choic. I also agree changing the gaskets and rod bearings is a good idea. Its a lotttt easier when its out of the car.

 

[Randall]

Thanks for the input everyone! I will without question replaced the rod bearings regardless of which motor I get ($100 for the one that sat, and almost free for the other) as I have spun a bearing and now will always be cautious after going through that disaster. The only reason I am considering the 3.0 that had cooling problems is that I would re-use my good heads from my 3.0 and thus new head gaskets would be in place, having an edge over the other motor with 134,000 mile old gaskets. This motor also was running "very strong" when it was pulled and it has been verified that no bearing noises were heard. In the end, you guys know more than I do about this as it is my first time replacing a SHO motor and I am still undecided on what to do.

The running motor started right up the first time I tried it after sitting for almost a year though, and seemed to have lots of noise the first 10 seconds despite my turning it over with the DIS unplugged for a bit to pump up the pressure. the noises went almost completely away though after 10 seconds, and after 10 minutes the engine still was barely warm. There was a slight chattering noise, but the clutch is completely non functional, so I guess it could be the pressure plate or TOB. Sorry for rambling on, I just want to make the better choice of the two and slap the engine in ASAP since it is my only means of getting around. Thanks for your advice!

 

[SHO Type U]

Find a 3.2L with the same or lower mileage.