Had to choose between a full rebuild or a used engine for a 6.4 Powerstroke last month

Guy brought in a 2008 F-250 with a blown head gasket and some cylinder scoring. The choice was a $7,000 full rebuild with all new parts, or a $3,500 used engine from a salvage yard with a 90-day warranty. I pushed hard for the rebuild. Told him the used motor was a gamble, that you never know the true history. He went with the used one to save cash. Got it swapped in, ran okay for about two weeks. Then it started with the same low compression on cylinder 3. Now he's back, out the labor and the cost of the junk yard motor. Sticking a used engine in a truck that's already cooked one is just asking for it. What's the shortest life you've seen on a salvage motor?

4 comments

4 Comments

lilyp371mo ago

That "90-day warranty" on a salvage motor is just a countdown clock. Shortest life I ever saw was a used V6 in a minivan that made it about 40 miles from the shop before it started knocking like a woodpecker.

avery_jackson1d ago

Ugh, that's brutal. I was in the same spot with a customer's Duramax. I told him straight up, a used motor is buying someone else's problem. He didn't listen. We put in a low-mileage junk yard engine and it ate a turbo within a month. The metal went through the whole system. Ended up costing him double what a rebuild would have. Now I make them sign a paper saying I warned them.

marksanchez1mo ago

40 miles is rough, but I've seen them die on the test drive.

paigep851mo ago

Honestly a lot of shops actually do decent work on salvage motors. That 90 day warranty is more than you get from a private seller on marketplace. Sometimes you just get a bad engine, new or used, and it's not always the installer's fault. A test drive can't catch every single problem that might show up later.