Hi all, I hope this is the correct place to post this.
Last week my 05 Ralliart with 87k developed a bad rod knock and is undriveable. I need some advice as to what I should do from here. Should I get a new motor put in? Was quoted for 3k for a used motor. Should I trade the car in? Several dealers said they would give me 2500 for it. Should I part it out? I really have no clue what I could expect to get for a part out. Anyone have an idea?
Here's a little about the car.
Rod knock obviously.
Cracked windshield
There are some scuffs on some of the body panels but other then That the exterior is in pretty good shape except for a small rust spot on the hood.
Tien s tech lowering springs installed 500 miles ago
Pretty much everything else that I can think of is perfect.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks.

 

Bummer about the rod knock. It's either a rebuild, replacement engine or trade in depending on several variables.

Can you afford another car?
Can you afford to shell out another 3k?
Is the car paid off?
Is the current car worth another 3k?
Can you fix it yourself?
If it's your daily driver and need a dependable car?


Raikiri had this issue, here's his thread Engine Knock, this will give you an idea of what he went through and\or is still dealing with.


With all that said, it's still up to you to determine what your objectives are and from there you can start to narrow down your options.

good luck

 

3k for a motor is really expensive, unless it's under 30k , tranny is included and washed waxed installed... Velo makes some great points as well. Personally I'd keep it abd rebuild but that's my opinion.

 

Thanks for the replies. To answer some of the questions velo raised.. I've been looking around and I can afford a car in the 7k area if they take my trade. I owe $700 still on the car which would have to be paid before I traded it in. Personally I didn't think it was worth it to spend 3k to get a used motor put in.. I was hoping to get some outside opinions. I looked on car-part.com and it looks like I could get a motor for around 1k but I'm not sure that I'm comfortable doing the swap myself. I've done minor maintenance and repairs myself but nothing as big as swapping a motor. How much work would it be if I did it myself? Do you think an inexperienced person could do it?
And yes It is my daily driver and it does need to be dependable.

 

The quote for 3k was installed. Is this still a bad price?

 

Although I have not swapped out a R\A engine, I've done others and plenty of early model cars, which were harder IMHO.

Really an engine swap on a late model is pretty easy if you take your time. All wiring is done by a wire harness. I believe on the R\A it's 2 engine mounts and 2 roll stop mounts. The rest is wiring plugs and I think you have to drop the transmission (don't know for sure). If you get a subscription to AllDATAdiy.com they have a complete step-by-step on engine removal and installation. Doesn't look that complicated at all.

If you only owe $700 on the car, heck, fix the engine by either a rebuild or a swap out. You could contact Sideck about the engine he has https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sa...ine-parts.html, I also remember someone posting a thread about an ad for another R\A which included a full engine.

 

this had happened to a friend of mine with an 04 RA. He simply found an 04 outlander that got totaled from behind, bought the engine(41k) from it, had it delivered to a local shop and they swapped the engine for $740. he got the engine for $800 from the wrecking company, so total was about $1600 that he spent. hes had no problems ever since then and that was back in january of 2010. maybe you can find an engine locally?

 

ouch sorry to hear man. honestly i dont think you need an entirely new engine. just figure out whats broken and fix that.

you're definitely going to need:
rod bearings
main bearings
a new connecting rod (depends on which and how many are doing the knocking)
probably a new crankshaft if there alot of scoring on the crank
oil pump

get some new main bolts while you're at it.

as long as your valves arent bent i think you should be good on the top half of the engine. also if your timing belt stuff is still good for another 20k or so you probably wont need to replace them but if you're due for that might as well do that too you know?

those however are just to get the engine back to how you had it before. for me? i just decided to upgrade the crap out of my engine while it was out lol

 

3000 is ALOT of money for a 4g69. Can get a real nice evo motor for that price. Laugh at whoever gave you that quote.... UNLESS its a motor swap, including labor. Than thats not too bad....

If you can do the labor yourself. i'll sell you a rod, and you can just replace it. cheap fix. or for 300 dollars you an get a set of eagle rods, so you are replaceing all 4, and you know them badboys are in there for life...

if you cant do the work yourself, do not pay 3000 for a motor. its a ripoff... 3000 can probably get you a 2002 lancer es that runs good enough.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions. How difficult is it to replace all those internals? Raikiri you said you upgraded parts.. I'm assuming from rrm? What do you think I could expect to spend on oem parts vs upgraded parts?

 

Honestly I don't know if I could do a rebuild or swap myself.. Plus I need a car to get to work and school 5 days a week. Who knows how long it would take me. I think I'm going to have to sell or trade it

 

if you get all the parts, it should only take like a day to do if you have a mechanic that knows what he's doing and what needs to be replaced

price you're probably looking at i'd say... 1.5k? but thats just a guess... i spent close to 3k on my rebuild cause of all the random crap i bought lol but aftermarket is usually cheaper than oem and i bought alot of oem parts

 

I swapped my evo motor in a day. If you have the proper tools and equipment just research it enough and give it a go. Just be organized and if you want label everything you took off so you know how it goes back. The wires are basically laid out so they reach where they are supposed to be plugged in. Do it yourself and save a ton of money. Good luck

 

Ok, so here's an update. I'm going to attempt to do a swap. I found a used engine with 33k for $1250. It should ship to my house this weekend. My question now is: is there any maintenance I should do while the engine is out? Also, is it worth it to change the timing belt/water pump on a motor with 33k or should I wait until it needs it?