What to Check for When Buying a Rebuilt Engine

Buying a rebuilt engine will naturally cause you some concern. We all want to know that what we are paying for is going to serve our needs and not cost us extra money, trouble or time. Where you buy your rebuilt engine will have a big impact on the quality of engine you receive. There are many companies out there who recondition engines and rebuild them to the original manufacturer’s specifications, so have a good look around before you decide and make sure you know exactly what you are buying.

Wearable Components

All wearable components should be checked. When an engine is rebuilt, it should have all the wearable components replaced. This includes piston rings, gaskets, valve train parts, bearings pistons, timing belts, cam shaft, oil pump and more. All replacements components should be made to the exact specifications of the previous parts that were in the engine.

Machined Parts

Some parts of an engine need to be re-machined when it is rebuilt. Some of these parts are the crankshaft, valve seats and connecting rods. These all need precision engineering and should be completed to the highest possible quality. If the rebuilt engine you are looking at has parts which appear rather obviously to be secondhand replacements, you may need to think twice about whether you buy it. Some used parts can be used in the rebuilding of an engine, but their differing ages and backgrounds might reduce the capacity in which the engine will last. If, for example, the valves are replacement valves from a similar engine and not completely replaced with new, they can affect the life of the engine.

OEM Requirements

Specifications and requirements have changed, so if you are looking for a rebuilt engine, you can pretty much guarantee that it should be upgraded to current manufacturer specifications. If the engine you are replacing is a older engine, there is every chance that the newer version of the engine and all its parts will be of a higher and more recent standard. The parts you could be getting in your rebuilt engine could be far more superior to the parts that were previously there.

Prices

There is a huge difference between the cost of a brand new car engine and a rebuilt engine. Prices can be less than half, and this will have a big impact on your pocket, if saving money is your aim. Rebuilt engines contain the same level of technology as their new counterparts. When you are considering a rebuilt engine, you should expect to receive the exact same level of quality for a much smaller cost.

Compatibility

Watch out for compatibility. When you buy a rebuilt engine, it must meet the same specifications that your old engine had. When you are fitting the engine, all components need to be compatible with each other and all the other components that make up the engine. One wrong part can disrupt the entire engine system and cause breakdowns and failures.