my corolla should be due for a timing belt soon, and i was looking into replacing it.
however, the car leaks a little oil, and burns a bit on startup, likely valve guides and rings (possibly)
with over 210k on it, i thought it would be a good idea and get a low mile pullout and throw the timing belt on that instead, and transfer all of my tuneup goods to the new motor.
any opinions on this? i just feel like spending the extra $400 on a tested complete engine should be worth the effort.
Better solution would be invest your money into a new car. If the motor is worn out, the rest of the car is not far behind and at 210k it's had a good run. The oil leak is probably either a simple valve cover or oil pan gasket which can be done for under $100 in parts. The piston rings condition can be determined via a compression check. A little oil on startup isn't horrible, but if it's using an abnormal amount, or smoking a lot (thick black soot all through the muffler or oil droplets in the muffler) it likely needs major work.
i would consider getting something new, but the issue is, ive had the car for a year, and put new brakes all around, full tuneup, engine mounts, drop springs, wheels and tires, and more, ive invested too much into it so far, so i figure an engine for $400 would help me go for another couple of years to get my moneys worth out of it.
my corolla should be due for a timing belt soon, and i was looking into replacing it.
however, the car leaks a little oil, and burns a bit on startup, likely valve guides and rings (possibly)
with over 210k on it, i thought it would be a good idea and get a low mile pullout and throw the timing belt on that instead, and transfer all of my tuneup goods to the new motor.
any opinions on this? i just feel like spending the extra $400 on a tested complete engine should be worth the effort.
I was in that exact same situation last year. My timing belt needed changing, but the valve stem seals on the existing motor were starting to go bad as it would puff a tiny bit of smoke at start-up. I knew it would get worse over time, so I made the decision to buy a 60,000km (37,000 mile) replacement engine instead. I simply changed the timing belt on the new motor, as well as all of the other belts, and have been happy since. It not only saved me a lot of money in the future, but also gave me great peace of mind that the new motor was a heck of a lot fresher than the old one. I'd definitely recommending going for a low mileage replacement as opposed to spending money fixing your old engine
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I was in that exact same situation last year. My timing belt needed changing, but the valve stem seals on the existing motor were starting to go bad as it would puff a tiny bit of smoke at start-up. I knew it would get worse over time, so I made the decision to buy a 60,000km (37,000 mile) replacement engine instead. I simply changed the timing belt on the new motor, as well as all of the other belts, and have been happy since. It not only saved me a lot of money in the future, but also gave me great peace of mind that the new motor was a heck of a lot fresher than the old one. I'd definitely recommending going for a low mileage replacement as opposed to spending money fixing your old engine
thats exactly what i was looking into, a local shop carries engines with less than 60k miles only, so i would know im getting something that will last.
im going to be moving to az in a few months, and having the peace of mind that the car will last during my 2 years there would be great
and lol, 3sgte, i wish! i really want a 20v, but i dont have the cash for it now.
I'm in the same Situation. But my car is worse LOL im planning on swapping in 3 months. My car is smoking like crazy, and i passed smog like this! weird.... WHere is the shop that carries the motor's? im looking for one.
I'm in the same Situation. But my car is worse LOL im planning on swapping in 3 months. My car is smoking like crazy, and i passed smog like this! weird.... WHere is the shop that carries the motor's? im looking for one.
they post up on ebay... located in long beach iirc...
Better solution would be invest your money into a new car. If the motor is worn out, the rest of the car is not far behind and at 210k it's had a good run.
Alternatively, you can continue onward with a fully-paid-for car, replacing what wears out with service-grade parts from RockAuto for doggone cheap, and save enormously on a new car, or even a used car. These days you can probably trade a 7th-gen straight across for a Honda a couple years newer or an older BMW/Lincoln, and those ain't cheap to fix either...
I'm at 217K now and nothing's wrong with my pocket racer that the new 7AGE and a used alternator ($30 from the junkyard with 50K fewer miles and better bearings) won't fix. I could've put a rebuilt 7A in long ago for much less than what I've spent, I could've bought a decent used car for much less than what I've spent, but about the only way I'm gonna stop driving her is an utter catastrophic failure, of the semi-t-boning sort. Until then, eh. Whatever needs replaced, gets replaced, and there's not much that needs replaced other than normal wear items. Tires, fluids, motor mounts, CV joints, belts, plugs/cap/rotor etc. Biggest mechanical problem I've ever had from wear/age was a set of starter contacts going out and the car eating CV joints every 15K or so because of worn-out motor mounts.
To put things in perspective, though, my 7AFE has been smoking through a quart of oil every 300-600 miles for about 180,000 miles now with no real long-term worsening or improvement, so it seems to be a stable situation...
i was considering getting the head done, but thats too much money right now, i think the loss in performance is from the timing belt stretching, pulling timing.
so im going to throw a t-belt and valve cover gasket on, along with water pump and other seals. that should restore performance and economy quite a bit.
i just need this engine to last another 100k or so before a 20 valve can be summoned
Alternatively, you can continue onward with a fully-paid-for car, replacing what wears out with service-grade parts from RockAuto for doggone cheap, and save enormously on a new car, or even a used car. These days you can probably trade a 7th-gen straight across for a Honda a couple years newer or an older BMW/Lincoln, and those ain't cheap to fix either...
I'm at 217K now and nothing's wrong with my pocket racer that the new 7AGE and a used alternator ($30 from the junkyard with 50K fewer miles and better bearings) won't fix. I could've put a rebuilt 7A in long ago for much less than what I've spent, I could've bought a decent used car for much less than what I've spent, but about the only way I'm gonna stop driving her is an utter catastrophic failure, of the semi-t-boning sort. Until then, eh. Whatever needs replaced, gets replaced, and there's not much that needs replaced other than normal wear items. Tires, fluids, motor mounts, CV joints, belts, plugs/cap/rotor etc. Biggest mechanical problem I've ever had from wear/age was a set of starter contacts going out and the car eating CV joints every 15K or so because of worn-out motor mounts.
To put things in perspective, though, my 7AFE has been smoking through a quart of oil every 300-600 miles for about 180,000 miles now with no real long-term worsening or improvement, so it seems to be a stable situation...
I'm not saying he shouldn't drive it. Depending on what's leaking it can for a longer while. But what I was pointing out is if the engine is indeed poor shape, the transmission likely is as well, and it would do well to inspect the chassis. Hell, mine is starting to smoke pretty good and I'm thinking I can milk a lot of driving out of it, just not putting much into it (seats, swaps, etc) now anymore. As I said, if he feels the timing belt and gaskets are worth his time and effort, go for it but I wouldn't rebuild the engine or replace it unless you can an engine/transmission for dirt cheap.
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1993 Toyota Corolla
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