Mechanic quoted me $4000 for rebuild! - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

EDman0142 · 05-17-2010, 05:16 PM

Am i just crazy, or would a rebuild of a 5sfe really cost that much??? I've looked around at some other forums where a guy got his engine rebuilt for around $800... and he said that wasn't including labor. I was looking at some 5sfe rebuild kits, most of which weren't over $400.
Anyone know what exactly a rebuild consist of? are there different levels of rebuilding?

Is it even worth it? and I was also considering port and polish...still researching this topic as i do not fully understand it...

opinions and responses please!!!

Nervous · 05-17-2010, 05:20 PM

First of all: what exactly is the problem and why do you need a "rebuild"? What kind of jobs exactly mechanic quoted you?

Nervous · 05-17-2010, 05:21 PM

And anyway: swapping the engine will be much cheaper......

EDman0142 · 05-17-2010, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nervous

First of all: what exactly is the problem and why do you need a "rebuild"? What kind of jobs exactly mechanic quoted you?

well there's no real mechanical problems as of yet...it has 173,000 miles on it and it seems to be idling now. I just figured it might be good to replace some parts to keep it running a few more years. any solutions or ideas on what i should do instead?

EDman0142 · 05-17-2010, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nervous

And anyway: swapping the engine will be much cheaper......

and the mechanic said something about changing the block

***zythr*** · 05-17-2010, 05:26 PM

Yes. See how much you can get for it and buy something else. Quoted price is high, probably since this engine has balance shafts.

Zviator · 05-17-2010, 05:29 PM

Lol I can get a V6 swap for little over 4k. U should find another mechanic, or another car ...

Nervous · 05-17-2010, 05:30 PM

Not sure what "idling now" means (low? how low?)
You don't need rebuild, relax.
Maximum what you need is to replace timing belt, water pump, spark plugs, spark wires, valve cover gasket (if leaking), camshaft/crankshaft seals, oil pump seal, PCV valve, distributor cap, clean throttle body, replace all fluids (steering, brake, coolant, transmission). That will be about 800 if mechanic is honest (run away from the one quoted you 4000 for the engine w/o major problems).

(Well, I just thought a little and think 800 is still a lot; maybe 500 would be a good price for this kind of job. But I might be wrong, since I don't remember when the last time I needed a mechanic....).

EDman0142 · 05-17-2010, 05:34 PM

the car isn't going anywhere, broke and in college.....anyway i think im due for a tune up...and thanks for that list...and about the idling, im not sure i havent paid attention to the rpms, another guy working on it brought it to my attention, didnt seem to be a big deal though.... and i have confidence that it will last at least til 250,000 miles, just want to keep it running and get the most out of it

***zythr*** · 05-17-2010, 05:37 PM

It's your call. Good luck

***fenixus*** · 05-17-2010, 05:51 PM

no problems and $4k for a rebuild ? WTF ? you may always try getting opinion of a second mechanic. once one shop tried cheating me into $600 a/c compressor replacement (old one runs until today after 20k miles more)
check engine light on at least ? any driving problems ?

EDman0142 · 05-17-2010, 05:59 PM

No major problems in a while, but it does sometimes stall when i attemp to start it...my dad had that fixed about a year ago but its at it again, don't really know what thats about..

I just want to make sure my engine is up to par, getting ready to put some kyb struts and probably the eibach pro kit. I will also be getting a paint job soon, so i didn't want to neglect the engine after doing all of this

***fenixus*** · 05-17-2010, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EDman0142

No major problems in a while, but it does sometimes stall when i attemp to start it...my dad had that fixed about a year ago but its at it again, don't really know what thats about..

I just want to make sure my engine is up to par, getting ready to put some kyb struts and probably the eibach pro kit. I will also be getting a paint job soon, so i didn't want to neglect the engine after doing all of this

try this for startup trouble:
How to: Cleaning Throttle Body -4 Cylinder Engines- With Pictures

get a friend inclined mechanically to do a compression test on engine (it requires removing spark plugs). in most cases it tells you about condition of engine. if there is no noises coming from it, it looks somewhat clean and compression turns out ok then i think you are fine. any leaks ?

i heard terrible opinions on KYB struts. i would personally stay away from them. some good struts for gen3 were Bildstein or Blichstein or something similar (i think even autozone has them).
for gen4 camry i think other good choice would be Gabriel Ultra or Tokico (tokico are a great combo with eibach springs, go with that if you can).

EDman0142 · 05-17-2010, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenixus

try this for startup trouble:
How to: Cleaning Throttle Body -4 Cylinder Engines- With Pictures

get a friend inclined mechanically to do a compression test on engine (it requires removing spark plugs and aligning crankshaft with timing numbers). in most cases it tells you about condition of engine. if there is no noises coming from it, it looks somewhat clean and compression turns out ok then i think you are fine. any leaks ?

good idea, i have another mechanic that does everything cheap, so ill probably ask him when i get my struts put on, thanks

***fenixus*** · 05-17-2010, 06:11 PM

you welcome!

i was wrong about compression testi posted, it's actually much easier, all you need is to remove spark plugs and disable EFI fuse in main fusebox in engine bay (very easy if you ever replaced spark plugs and have gauge handy).
aligning crankshaft was a part of valve clearance check, sorry i mixed it up