Engine replacement in Kansas City, Kansas with Engine Doctor

Most engine trouble can be fixed. A leaking gasket, a bad timing chain, a worn camshaft. But some failures do so much damage inside the engine that fixing it piece by piece costs more than putting in a different engine. That is when replacement comes up.

These are the usual reasons. Josh checks to be sure before he tells you an engine is done.

• A spun bearing. The bearings on the crankshaft lose their oil, overheat and turn in their seats. It usually starts as a deep knock that gets louder with load.
• A thrown rod. A connecting rod breaks loose, and sometimes punches a hole right through the side of the block.
• A seized engine. It won't turn over at all, often after running out of oil or running very hot.
• A cracked block. Driving a long way overheated can do it, and so can a hard freeze with plain water in the system instead of coolant.
• Water pulled into the engine. Driving through a flooded street can do it, and it can bend the rods inside.

An engine is a big purchase, and whether to put one in an older car is your call. Josh gives you the facts and a clear quote so you can weigh it.

Think about the rest of the car. A solid body, a transmission that shifts well and a car you plan to keep for years lean toward a replacement engine. Rust, a slipping transmission and a long list of other repairs lean the other way. Josh will tell you what he sees on the rest of the car while he is looking.

There is more than one kind of replacement engine out there. Some are pulled from other cars, some have been rebuilt, and they differ in cost, in how much is known about them, and in what comes with them. Talk it over with Josh. He will explain the choices for your engine and put the one you pick in the quote.

Swapping an engine is the largest job on Josh's list. The old engine has to come out and the new one has to go in, along with all the hoses, wiring and parts that move over from one to the other. It takes the right equipment, room to work and a replacement engine that has to be found and brought in.

So it gets planned out ahead of time. Josh will go over where and how your job gets done, what happens once the engine is in hand, and what you need to have ready. You hear all of that before you say yes.

Not every knock is a dead engine. A loose heat shield can rattle, and a ticking noise can be a much smaller problem. Josh's engine diagnostic is the place to start if you aren't sure what you are hearing. And if the engine stopped after running hot, it is worth checking before you assume the worst.

But if the oil light came on and the engine started knocking hard, shut it off and leave it off, since every extra mile can turn a repair into a replacement. Then call Josh and tell him what happened right before it quit.