Spyder Rebuild or swap?

[Spungo]

Heres the story i bought a 98 GST Spyder 2 weeks ago. Found out the radiator is blown to bits, i added 4 qts of oil into engine and dip stick is dry, and my mechanic told me that one of my cylinders is dead. Should i rebuild the engine or do a full swap?
i already know about the cost efficiency of rebuilding, my plan for the car was already to swap the engine im just trying to see which would be best

 

[pauleyman]

There is no way to answer this. You will either rebuild what you have or get another and rebuild that. There are no more "crate motors" you can drop in. Also please dont post the same question in 2 different threads. You won't know what's possible or damaged without a full teardown. Unless something is obvious like lots of metal in oil etc you don't know how extensive the damage is from overheating and lack of oil. All you know right now is you have a dead cylinder. The bare minimum is head removal.

 

[jdxnc]

If you're going to be paying someone to do the work and there are no new engines available, a rebuild of your current engine makes the most sense. That will of course be subject to more investigation of what is really wrong with it.

 

[Spungo]

Also please dont post the same question in 2 different threads

Only did it cause the thread is 2 pages just thought id put it up to speed with everything

 

[curt-s]

Time to start tearing it down.

 

[Spungo]

There is no way to answer this. You will either rebuild what you have or get another and rebuild that. There are no more "crate motors" you can drop in. Also please dont post the same question in 2 different threads. You won't know what's possible or damaged without a full teardown. Unless something is obvious like lots of metal in oil etc you don't know how extensive the damage is from overheating and lack of oil. All you know right now is you have a dead cylinder. The bare minimum is head removal.

If you're going to be paying someone to do the work and there are no new engines available, a rebuild of your current engine makes the most sense. That will of course be subject to more investigation of what is really wrong with it.

Lets say i rebuild it couldnt more issues pop up later one that im gonna have to go back into the engine to fix that would cost me more money then to just full swap it?

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

There's a science behind repairing/rebuilding engines. Many issues can be eliminated by machining the crank, boring the cylinders, machining the cylinder head etc etc... But you will not know what needs to be done until it's taken apart so you (or a machinist) can measure & visualize what you're working with. If the block and crank aren't ruined, it may be worth a rebuild. Because you'd need approximately the same amount of parts and labor to bring a used engine to good health. This is something you wouldn't know without thoroughly inspecting what you currently have. Without the additional and necessary information, your question cannot be answered correctly.

You need to know each and every failure point, first. It's possible that getting another engine is the best option. It's also possible that your engine can be repaired via a rebuild. It just cannot be answered at the current state.

 

[jdxnc]

Lets say i rebuild it couldnt more issues pop up later one that im gonna have to go back into the engine to fix that would cost me more money then to just full swap it?

If you swap it, you're essentially buying a used engine with unknown issues, pulled for unknown reasons from someone you have no knowledge of their credibility. If a credible shop rebuilds your engine, you have a known level of confidence that the engine will be good for a long time to come.

 

[pauleyman]

Lets say i rebuild it couldnt more issues pop up later one that im gonna have to go back into the engine to fix that would cost me more money then to just full swap it?

You want to define "full swap it" ? I think the above explanations cover it. Unless you're thinking of something else.

Please post some more engine bay pics. The one pic you have shows non stock ic pipes. What the car actually has done to it needs to be established or you are destined to break stuff again. Might be a good idea to look at ecu, injectors, turbo etc. I'm unconvinced the car doesnt have more stuff done.

 

[Spungo]

UPDATE:
i have one cylinder on 20psi while my other 4 are at 90. he said it was my piston rings but he said if i was gonna fix it to do head gasket as well. should i go through with that option?

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

You cannot replace piston rings without removing the head. A bit more reading up on things is required after that last post and get a different mechanic, since he asking you that proves his lack of knowledge. Not trying to be brash, just pointing out the obvious. Even 90 psi is LOW which should be pointed out also.

 

[Spungo]

You cannot replace piston rings without removing the head. A bit more reading up on things is required after that last post and get a different mechanic, since he asking you that proves his lack of knowledge. Not trying to be brash, just pointing out the obvious. Even 90 psi is LOW which should be pointed out also.

yeah ik 90 is low af but i was already planning on having to change the head gasket in the beginning. i just didnt know the engine had these problems as well

 

[hellah fresh]

Swap.

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[biglady112]

You cannot replace piston rings without removing the head. A bit more reading up on things is required after that last post and get a different mechanic, since he asking you that proves his lack of knowledge. Not trying to be brash, just pointing out the obvious. Even 90 psi is LOW which should be pointed out also.

Not always. I have had perfectly healthy cars be there in Colorado. Elevation does play a factor. We are lucky to see 130psi on brand new engines here.

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

Elevation sure does play a factor but 90 psi is still low. If it's under 100, something else is going on. In my 45 years of building motors, it is not something I would agree is ok. Will it run, yes. Will it produce it's best results, no. The low compression probably isn't noticeable at that point, particularly on a boosted motor.