Cost to rebuild engine

[Gary G]

I have a 1983 E28+ with a 5411 Universal diesel that I'm considering having "rebuilt". What actually gets done when an engine gets rebuilt and what might I expect the price tag to be? How does the cost of a rebuild compare to the cost of just replacing the engine with a new one? The engine seems ok except for a slight but persistent overheating problem at higher rpm but I'm trying to head off other more serious problems with an aging engine. Thanks.

Gary G

 

[escapade]

to rebuild or not, that is the question

Some things to consider. First, is the engine burning oil or show signs of "blow by" or oil coming out of the crankcase breather tube? If not then the rings are probably OK. Does it start hard or show a loss of power? If not then the valves & injection system is probably OK. Are any of the connecting rods hanging out of the side of the block? If not then your "bottom end" is probably OK.
A rebuild can cost several thousand dollars if you can't do the work yourself. Same with a replacement engine. Could be as high as $10,000 with labor & such. Would really make you mad to find that replacing a hose would have fixed your problem and saved a LOT of money.
If the engine is basically running good I would eliminate some obvoius problems first, like a plugged inlet hose or thru-hull, water pump impeller, restricted outflow through the exhaust, bad sending unit or gauge, etc. My previous boat (1980 30+) had the 5416 Universal which showed to be running hotter than it really was on the gauge. As long as it was constant I found that it was no problem. After several trips to the North Channel & Mack Is. from Saginaw Bay with NO engine problems I quit worring about it.
A good mechanic can check the operating temps and probably trace your problem down for much less than your talking for a rebuild.
I hope this answers some of your questions.
Have fun & sail fast
Bud 1988 E34 "Escapade"

 

[Emerald]

Couldn't agree more with getting a proper mechanic to do some diagnostic work before you go paying someone to do a rebuild. There is a very good chance that your problem is due to an ancillary piece of equipment e.g. heat exchanger or exhaust issues rather than actual engine wear causing the problem. Wear will exhibit itself with smoking (usually blue), low oil pressure etc., and a good mechanic should be able to help determine this quickly, and hopefully save you lots of money. If you do go for a rebuild, you should look into a "crate" motor - a factory rebuilt exchange via a Universal dealer. I don't know if Universal offers this, but it would be worth looking into if a rebuild really is necessary. If they have a good program, you'll know the engine has been gone through thoroughly and brought to a high standard, and you should get a warranty. If you get a local mechanic to do it, ask up front in writing for exactly what he is going to do down to the part level e.g. new valve guides, reface existing valves or new replacement valves based on a wear tolerance and so on. If you want to get a basic idea of parts costs, search online for the following for your engine:

rod bearing set
main bearing set
4 intake valve guides
4 exhaust valve guides
cost of intake and exhaust valves (4 of each)
complete gasket kit
piston ring set
cost of a piston


The above short list gives you the basic parts list you should expect in any engine rebuild. You can often reuse all the pistons and all the valves, so these costs are to be checked for reference, and for WAG calculations, throw in one piston and one intake and 2 exhaust valves. This should give you a nice margin. You may also look for a piston and ring set. There are other parts that may or may not be needed depending on the particulars of the engine. On top of the actual parts, figure on an additional $300-$500 in machine work to be safe.

The above excercise will give you a starting point to get a feel for what rebuilding the engine might cost if you did the work yourself. It should also give you some bearing on quotes you recieve. In rough numbers, you can often "rebuild" a simple engine for $900-$1800 if you do all the removal/dissambly/reassembly work yourself.


-David
Independence 31
Emerald

 

[hodo]

rebuild

Don't forget the fuel injection pump, and injectors. How many hours are on the engine? Hodo

 

[Sean Engle]

Overheating...

I would shoot your cooling system first - and see if you can find the problem. I know my system was starting to run hot at higher rpms - and then the exchanger rotted out all the way - and I replaced it. It's been fine ever since (and she just completed a round trip up to AK and back...).

Do yourself a favor - take the $10,000 and put it into a savings account (or Roth IRA) - and look for the cooling problem. If you don't need to change then engine out (or have it rebuilt) then don't.

I'm sure your boat will find other things for you to spend your money on!

//sse

 

[jmoses]

Try the simple stuff first

I know this sounds a bit condescending, but have you checked the temp. gauge? The sender and/or gauge may be off.

You may want to verify the actual guage before going on an expidition on the engine. I kid you not, I've seen and heard folks that were ready to swap out engines due to: no fuel or plugged filters (never starts/runs over 1,000 rpms), sea cock innards rusted off (over heats in 2 minutes), plugged strainer (over heats in 15 minutes), etc.

Start simple and work backwards before thinking about a "rebuild".

Some things to consider/check:

A-1. Verify temp gauge and sender (!)
1. Clean bottom
2. Correct prop (with nothing wrapped around it).
3. Cooling system is clean (when's the last time you ran some muriatic acid through the raw water side and the last time you purged and changed the coolant?).
4. Clean AND correct fuel/air/oil filters (and clean fuel for that matter which isn't 2 years old).
5. Check the strainer for gunk (plastic bags are notorious problems)
6. Rebuilt/exchange the water pumps - the raw water pump has wear components that require replacement now and then (cam, impeller, cover plate, gasket, seals, etc.).
7. Open up the heat exchager and had a look at what's inside (rubber impellor parts and bits of plastic will plug it up).
8. Inspect the raw water/coolant/exhaust hoses for any collapsed or bent sections. Also. check for bulges in rubber hoses where thay clamp on to engine (especially engine coolant ones) as that may indicate a blocked or severely restricted coolant passage.
9. The shaft is not binding (cutlass bearing, alignment, shaft packing, etc.).
10. Exhaust system is in good health (aqua lift, hoses, ect.)
11. Thermostat is operating correctly.
12. no vacuum leaks in the cooling system hoses (especially raw water side - hose clamps are tight, etc.).
13. Basic tune up - adjust valves, injector cleaning, timing of injector pump, etc.
14. clutch is operating correctly and not binding - tansmission is operating correctly (correct oil, topped off/not to full, etc.)
15. Oil changed and of correct viscosity and API code.
16. Disconnect engine from sea cock and strainer and operate it from a bucket of water and see if that helps
17. Operating in very warm water (Bahamas, shallow florida waters, etc.).
18. Oh yeah..... ---->>fluids are at the correct level!
19. Air in the cooling system

That should give you some areas to persue before you start pulling your hair out and then the engine. Usually an engine will fail catastrophicly or give you clear signs of requyiring a rebuild such as consuming lots of oil, strange metallic/clunking noises, smoking severely (exhaust and breather), little to no power, etc.

Good luck and there are quite a few items you can check on the list yourself before calling a mechanic. As can be expected, I've seen folks paying someone else to tell them their strainer is plugged, they are out of fuel, a water hose is kinked or the coolant system needs topping off/changing....that's good money better spent elsewhere!

Cheers,

John M.