Need Help Finding Engine,Transmission

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Once you start modifying any of the components away from the factory design in your van you will discover that at least three other areas will be effected and it will cost more money and time to "fix".
The lower total mileage on your van is not a plus the age is the problem, one weeks time may barely be enuf time if you are just replacing the long block and transmission.
The type of "refresh" that you are trying to do only works if you the owner have the skills and equipment to be able to handle any of the warranty work once the help has left and believe me there will be plenty.

Very good advice ssonb. Hubby is the best at this kind of things been doing it all his life but he is also very limited physically.He works for a few hours then has to rest for a few hours or days if he does too much [ his disability is why I put up thread about making plans for getting old in rural area [ .
He can supervise and do most of lite work it just takes a little longer.

We still not sure what to do. Get in dept big time for new engine or try to fix it best we can IF WE CAN. :dunno:
 
Sounds like you need a whole drive train @Meerkat.

The last used engine I bought was from Automotix. They had good customer service and answered all my questions. They charged me $1000 for a used engine for my Honda Insight, which included delivery. I had it shipped to a shop. The shop installed it for $800. I've had this engine now for 16 months and it's still getting me where I want to go.

It was better than going to the dealer. The dealer quoted $6,000-$8,000.

https://automotix.net/

Thanks Tiff, but I don't feel lucky and we are talking about a LOT OF WORK if we get a bad engine. Putting in and taking out engines is one heck of a job. Most local repair shops here use Jasper but I'd have do lots of investigating before we do anything.
We have to have 2 ways to go living so far out.
 
Reason I ask yall is that I'm scared of our decision making since we bought that camper. :ghostly::eek:o_O:cry::devil:something possessed us on that lot.
Can't make another mistake like that for sure. Talked to son and son in laws and they are not sure either.

My thinking is it really depends what you want out of it and need it to do. I’ve driven a lot of junkers over the years and really never got stranded no matter how far I went. They looked ugly due to being in the rust belt but ran well and got we where I needed. Case in point was the thread I made on the 2008 I bought my kid. I had probably about 40 hours of work into between diagnostics, parts chasing, and the actual repairs but I had the skills to do it. Have a total around $1500 all together so if he gets a year or two it’s worth it while he saves up for something better. Finally getting the smoke and dog hair out of it.

If I recall in your case the van runs but a little rough. I assume a compression test has been done along with other basic tests? One thing I found on a 5.0 mustang I got cheap was a bad lobe on the camshaft. A few hundred in parts and my own labor made the car fun to drive and cheap. Only oddity with that car was the fuel pump routinely failing. After I had one warrantied the next failed. Come to find out after a couple days chasing the issue I found a major connector corroded behind the drivers side kick panel. You would bump it with your foot just right it would start but about 1in 10 times it would fail to start.

Transmissions, if you can find one used and do the labor it isn’t too bad. Not fun but possible. I’m cheap and hate car payments but want a safe and reliable vehicle. A typical car payment these days buys a lot of repair parts.
 
My thinking is it really depends what you want out of it and need it to do. I’ve driven a lot of junkers over the years and really never got stranded no matter how far I went. They looked ugly due to being in the rust belt but ran well and got we where I needed. Case in point was the thread I made on the 2008 I bought my kid. I had probably about 40 hours of work into between diagnostics, parts chasing, and the actual repairs but I had the skills to do it. Have a total around $1500 all together so if he gets a year or two it’s worth it while he saves up for something better. Finally getting the smoke and dog hair out of it.

If I recall in your case the van runs but a little rough. I assume a compression test has been done along with other basic tests? One thing I found on a 5.0 mustang I got cheap was a bad lobe on the camshaft. A few hundred in parts and my own labor made the car fun to drive and cheap. Only oddity with that car was the fuel pump routinely failing. After I had one warrantied the next failed. Come to find out after a couple days chasing the issue I found a major connector corroded behind the drivers side kick panel. You would bump it with your foot just right it would start but about 1in 10 times it would fail to start.

Transmissions, if you can find one used and do the labor it isn’t too bad. Not fun but possible. I’m cheap and hate car payments but want a safe and reliable vehicle. A typical car payment these days buys a lot of repair parts.

Guard he did a compression check but only one at a time and he said he needs to take them all out at once and then check.
One thing that hubby dislikes is the motor location, in the dog box. Hard to work on when back is full of hardware and pain is constant. So he gets it done but has to take lots of breaks or have help.
 
Guard he did a compression check but only one at a time and he said he needs to take them all out at once and then check.
One thing that hubby dislikes is the motor location, in the dog box. Hard to work on when back is full of hardware and pain is constant. So he gets it done but has to take lots of breaks or have help.

Yeah they can be hard enough to work on without a disability for sure so that likely doesn’t help. Maybe a local mechanic could assist off the clock. Sometimes they look for side jobs.
 
Yeah they can be hard enough to work on without a disability for sure so that likely doesn’t help. Maybe a local mechanic could assist off the clock. Sometimes they look for side jobs.

Good idea Guard. Since son and sil can't stay but 2 or 3 days.

he is going to try a couple more things soon as his elbow heals up, he may try to drain the fluid out of it but not sure that is a good idea. Not sure where he will find a needle large enough probably feed store?

 
Have you considered checking with local marinas for an engine? A lot of boat owners like newer engines so they don't get stranded at sea. Marine engines also don't have all the extra crap on them like vehicle engines.

No but I was wondering why marine engines kept coming up when I was looking for one. So they are interchangable?
 
...Looking into buying new motor and tranny....

Keep in mind that I am NOT a mechanic.

IMHO transplanting a expensive donated heart into a 80 plus body isn't practical. To me the same reasoning applies to dropping a new/rebuilt engine into a 23 year old truck frame.

On the other hand I have a mechanic friend that loves finding "deals". Doing all the mechanical repairs himself and then selling for a profit (most of the time).
 
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Keep in mind that I am NOT a mechanic.

IMHO transplanting a expensive donated heart into a 80 plus body isn't practical. To me the same reasoning applies to dropping a new/rebuilt engine into a 23 year old truck frame.

On the other had I have a mechanic friend that loves finding "deals". Doing all the mechanical repairs himself and then selling for a profit (most of the time).

:Thankyou: Lazy L. I do understand what your saying but we are old and don't need something else to work on and can't afford to buy new or even close to new.

The insurance gets more expensive with every year newer, especially at our age. Plus some new cars are lemons too. What I'm HOPING is we fix it right once and it will last of for a long time.
 
I am going to toss in my 2 cents. First before condemning the engine and tans, be darn sure it is something fatal. From what I am reading from YOUR posts, this is still guess work. No firm diagnostic cause has been isolated. Until the cause is known for sure, a course of action is just flipping the coin.
 
I am going to toss in my 2 cents. First before condemning the engine and tans, be darn sure it is something fatal. From what I am reading from YOUR posts, this is still guess work. No firm diagnostic cause has been isolated. Until the cause is known for sure, a course of action is just flipping the coin.

Thanks TMT and hubby agrees with this and so do I long as it is fixed. It just started acting up about a year ago. Then he changed fuel pump, tuned it up etc.. Fuel pump was messed up like code reader said it was.
Code reader says all is fine which of course it isn't. He also thinks the transmission may be slipping because of the missing.
It is a big job for sure and may be better to take it to Atlanta than fix it here.

Trans doesn't slip right off,it only slips once driving for about 20 to 30 minutes, then we pull it over turn off ignition for a second turn it back on and then it works again for about 20 to 40 minutes.
 
Thanks TMT and hubby agrees with this and so do I long as it is fixed. It just started acting up about a year ago. Then he changed fuel pump, tuned it up etc.. Fuel pump was messed up like code reader said it was.
Code reader says all is fine which of course it isn't. He also thinks the transmission may be slipping because of the missing.
It is a big job for sure and may be better to take it to Atlanta than fix it here.

Trans doesn't slip right off,it only slips once driving for about 20 to 30 minutes, then we pull it over turn off ignition for a second turn it back on and then it works again for about 20 to 40 minutes.

Based on your comments it doesn't sound like a mechanical failure but an electrical / computer issue. Turning the ignition off and on won't cure the mechanical issue. In some cases grounds are an issue, others low on fluid, or a mistake changing a filter.
 
Based on your comments it doesn't sound like a mechanical failure but an electrical / computer issue. Turning the ignition off and on won't cure the mechanical issue. In some cases grounds are an issue, others low on fluid, or a mistake changing a filter.

Well after heavy discussion changing motor and trany at this time in our life it not an good economic option. We are doing ok just don' want that kind of dept.
I think you may have something there Guard.
He is going all you mentioned and then some. His elbow is needing attending so that puts a halt to it for now. :Thankyou:
 
Where did you find it?
I found someplace in OR and had them buy an engine out of a junk yard, rebuild it, and ship it to me. I did a search on the internet for engine rebuilders. this was a few years ago and I don't remember the name of the place.

I shipped my transmission into a place in Anchorage. I don't remember their name either but I do know where they are located so if you want to ship your tranny to Alaska(not recommended) I can find it for you.
 
I found someplace in OR and had them buy an engine out of a junk yard, rebuild it, and ship it to me. I did a search on the internet for engine rebuilders. this was a few years ago and I don't remember the name of the place.

I shipped my transmission into a place in Anchorage. I don't remember their name either but I do know where they are located so if you want to ship your tranny to Alaska(not recommended) I can find it for you.

Thanks Car, but like most things in life, our plans are changing for now. Back to the drawing board and more going over the van to see if we can find the problem. :thumbs:
 
A few years back, I needed a new engine in my F350. The old one was pretty rough, rebuildable, but so extensively damaged (turbo went bad going down the interstate, dumped a bunch of oil down it the engine, started breaking pistons, etc., yeah, OUCH!) that I decided to go with a Jasper drop-in engine. Expensive, but it was a good decision for me. It's been a good engine and has about 75k or so miles on it. (The truck has about 350k miles.) It still runs like new and I've had diesel mechanics compliment me on how good that engine sounds.

It was not all that long after that that I decided I needed another transmission. (Syncros were shot.) I found a reputable shop that did transmission work and they set me up with a brand new transmission for only a few hundred more dollars than a rebuilt one. While it was there, I inquired about having them rebuild the rear end since that would complete the drive train. They said they'd be glad to except that the rear was already in like-new condition, didn't need anything.

If a vehicle is something you intend to drive, it can definitely be worth it to put in some new components. If you're just looking to sell it, the economics may not be so attractive. It sounds like you like the vehicle and plan to use it a good bit more.

Good luck!
 
A few years back, I needed a new engine in my F350. The old one was pretty rough, rebuildable, but so extensively damaged (turbo went bad going down the interstate, dumped a bunch of oil down it the engine, started breaking pistons, etc., yeah, OUCH!) that I decided to go with a Jasper drop-in engine. Expensive, but it was a good decision for me. It's been a good engine and has about 75k or so miles on it. (The truck has about 350k miles.) It still runs like new and I've had diesel mechanics compliment me on how good that engine sounds.

It was not all that long after that that I decided I needed another transmission. (Syncros were shot.) I found a reputable shop that did transmission work and they set me up with a brand new transmission for only a few hundred more dollars than a rebuilt one. While it was there, I inquired about having them rebuild the rear end since that would complete the drive train. They said they'd be glad to except that the rear was already in like-new condition, didn't need anything.

If a vehicle is something you intend to drive, it can definitely be worth it to put in some new components. If you're just looking to sell it, the economics may not be so attractive. It sounds like you like the vehicle and plan to use it a good bit more.

Good luck!

I like it because it has been a good one for past 15 years, very good on gas and rides great. Also I can carry all my camping, dogs, chickens whatever when we visit family. If hubby needs to lay down he can too.
The only thing I don't like is the dog box is makes it hard on hubby to tune up or work on.
Whatever we do it will be awhile unless he can find what it is for sure. Maybe a wire somewhere, loose connection, distributor cap, plug wire etc. Now and then we have got a bad NEW wire or plug, one time a fuel pump that really threw him thinking it couldn't be that it was brand new. Parts ain't what they use to be for sure.

Thank you POPPOP.
 
Sometime in the next 75,000 miles I plan to re-engine my Jeep. I like it better than current models. There are too many variables for anyone to make that decision for you or even give you recommendations but only tell you what worked or failed for them.
 
Sometime in the next 75,000 miles I plan to re-engine my Jeep. I like it better than current models. There are too many variables for anyone to make that decision for you or even give you recommendations but only tell you what worked or failed for them.

Yet sometimes we are so involved in the situation we make mistakes and so we do appreciate and need somebody to help us make important decisions. So I'm glad yall are here when we get into this situation.
Wish I'd ask more opinions or had yall with us on that financial disaster buying that camper. :ghostly:Remember we had to give that guy $2000 cash just to buy it, not speaking of the $5000 we put into it that 16 moths or so we had it.

I must admit there was nothing wrong with but we din't travel enough to keep it . This was almost just like it except ours had a greyhound on it. But thank goodness I'm back in the Pumpkin instead of the Coach. I was afraid it was going to tear up my van pulling it but van pulled it just fine
 
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I'm probably going to drive it to Atlanta next month and let sil's help him with the work. If it breaks down we'll just get a wrecker to pull it on in.Hope not. First need to see what is going on with the arm.
He plans to put larger AC cooler compressor on trans and larger trans fluid pan if there is one.
Go over all tune up parts and change all vacuum lines only a couple left. Check compression. Thats the plan anyway. It did ok on 30 mile trip today.
 
The 351W is a great street engine. The one you have, does it have a carburetor or fuel injection? I'm thinking it has fuel injection and electronic engine management. The system is very complex and there are many places for failures to occur but most are in the electronics and not the engine itself.
With the E4 OD you have a computer controlled transmission. The E4 is not something I would own. Common failures are the forward clutch, torque converter clutch and the 1-2 accumulator.
You can upgrade to the stronger 4R100 transmission with little difficulty - well that is coming from someone with a background in swapping parts. You could also go with a much older C4 which is stronger and last a long time but you lose the overdrive. You would have to lie the the computer and pretend you had a manual transmission.

In reality as long as you are not having problems with the transmission and you can correct the engine gremlins you have a good vehicle that should live past 200,000 miles with proper maintenance.
 
The 351W is a great street engine. The one you have, does it have a carburetor or fuel injection? I'm thinking it has fuel injection and electronic engine management. The system is very complex and there are many places for failures to occur but most are in the electronics and not the engine itself.
With the E4 OD you have a computer controlled transmission. The E4 is not something I would own. Common failures are the forward clutch, torque converter clutch and the 1-2 accumulator.
You can upgrade to the stronger 4R100 transmission with little difficulty - well that is coming from someone with a background in swapping parts. You could also go with a much older C4 which is stronger and last a long time but you lose the overdrive. You would have to lie the the computer and pretend you had a manual transmission.

In reality as long as you are not having problems with the transmission and you can correct the engine gremlins you have a good vehicle that should live past 200,000 miles with proper maintenance.

It is fuel injection, trans shifting good again. Engine running perfect now.
We think it is going to be ok. Today the kid down the road, well he is 26 helped him for a few minutes to take compression check. Took off all plugs and wires, all numbers checked at 140 except #7 which checked at 150. Changed plugs,wires, distributor, rotery button, all bad vacuum lines.
So hubby took it for a ride and very happy with test drive, no missing at all.


Thank you for your much appreciated help SheepD.:huggs::thumbs:
And others here too of course.:Thankyou:
 

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