2001 4.7L Rebuild it or Buy Remanufacture?

dhaun · #1 01-30-2007, 12:00 AM

I just bought a 2001 Durango SLE 4x4 with the 4.7L at auction, so I really don't know the history of the vehicle. On the way home the engine light came on and it was running rough. My shop had a look at it and they said #8 cylinder was dead, no compression. They said it appreared no fluids were leaking in or out from the rad? But they said it looks like a brand new head on that side already. It is now with another shop that will break it down tomorrow.

It has 161,000 kms, so the question is should I rebuilt it (depending what is wrong), or put a remanufactured in. Any thoughts on a rebuild, with respect to reliability with that many KMs. The vehicle is in excellant shape and I would like to run it for many years.

Thanks

n8ech · #2 01-30-2007, 02:00 AM

Boy, I sure hate to hear of an 01 with that kind of trouble, but as you said you don't know how it has been cared for.
My thoughts are since it appears that the head has been replaced, maybe that was not done correctly. No compression on an OHC engine seems less likely because there are no push rods to bend. I suppose there could be valvetrain issues as the timing chain would no doubt have to be removed or moved aside to remove the head.

In any case, I would think a low mileage engine from a boneyard is the way to go. I hesitate to think what DC would want for a new one, or a rebuilder would want for a long block.

I have seen 4.7 engines sell on ebay for less than 1k.

Good luck Don

hydrashocker · #3 01-30-2007, 01:02 PM

Rebuild your block. You had a good running motor. Why would you even consider changing it out to a motor you don't know what happend to it. Rebuild your motor.

deerang · #4 01-30-2007, 02:24 PM

Hydra, he just picked up the D and it's having problems. He doesn't know what happened to this one and why it has a dead cylinder at 160,000, or how long the cylinder has been dead for. I'm not saying he should pick upa low mileage engine, just saying that he has lil info about the engine he has

jonnymagnum · #5 01-30-2007, 02:51 PM

I would rip your old engine apart. then you will know how well it was taken care of and if its worth rebuilding or not.

and if you do buy a low km motor I would tear that apart too. cause you never know how long they've been sitting or how good they've been maintaned.

virused · #6 01-30-2007, 04:07 PM

I would say rebuild. You might run into similar problems with a motor you purchase from a junkyard. If you breakdown the current motor you have, you will know exactly where your current problems are and will be able to identify possible future problems while you are in there. Once you have located the problems, price out the parts/labor for fixing the current problem versus purchasing a remaned motor.

dhaun · #7 01-31-2007, 02:32 AM

Thanks for all the responses and comments. Just thought I would post an update.

It seems that this vehicle was sent to the auction to get rid of it because of a serious engine problem. The shop pulled the heads on one side (which by the way the headwas brand new), and there were no rocker arms on #8 cylinder, as well, one of the valves were bent. It seems obvious that they put in back together only to run it at the auction. It actually ran smooth at the action and 1 of three hours it took to get it home. This was a public auction buy as is, no recourse. (I signed on the dotted line....)

The shop has 2 hours into it, and to really access the damage they estimate another four hours. So I said stop, and I have ordered a re-manufactured engine with all new parts etc.... Its my understanding that this engine should be as good as new, and it will have 1 yr 60,000 km warranty.

The issue is the rest of the vehicle is in great shape, and I just don't want to fix an engine I will never have confidence in, and it will still have 161,000 km on it. I really like the Durango and I plan on running it for more than a few years!

Dave

deerang · #8 01-31-2007, 02:09 PM

Wow! What a scam. If the rest of the D is in good shape, and the cost of the new engine isnt gonna break the bank, I guess you got a '01 D for a decent price. If the engine was in such a bad of shape as it was, it may have been due to neglect by the previous owner, I suggest you get the shop to take a look at your tranny while they've got great access to it. Who knows last time the fluid has been changed in there.

virused · #9 01-31-2007, 02:19 PM

Look at the bright side. You will have a Durango with a brand new (well for the most part) motor. This will ensure that it will be around for quite sometime. The downside to putting in a new motor is now you will have to get the motor blue tagged. Furthermore, your motor numbers will not be matching the numbers on the Durango. This will only be a problem if you go to sell it.

n8ech · #10 01-31-2007, 03:10 PM

Hi Dave:
Sorry to hear that your purchase has taken a frustrating turn.
From all I have seen and read, these 4.7 motors are tough and reliable when taken care of and serviced correctly.
Remember that this engine has been around since 2000 ( for the Durango anyway).
I just aquired an NV244 transfer case for my D to convert it AWD. The donor Durango had 34k on it, and they still had the 4.7 motor priced at 1.8K with a 180 day warranty.

Good luck with your project, and hopfully this will be the only bump in the road for you.

Don