What to check for when buying a pulled engine
12-14-2009, 05:33 PM
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What to check for when buying a pulled engine I'm about to go look at a couple 5.3L engines and I was wondering what all would you look for to tell if the engine isnt bunk. I know what I'm keeping an eye out for as far as completeness and year options. It seems like everyone knows how many miles are on an engine, but there is really no proof. Should I pull a couple spark plugs, maybe a valve cover ect?
I'm working on building up a 6.0 LQ4 right now, but for the time being I figured I could stick a stock 5.3 in my car to get it going and do all the hard bits of the installation like the harness, mounts, pan, transmission ect done so when I'm done with the 6.0 it will be a drop in and tune ordeal.
I'm working on building up a 6.0 LQ4 right now, but for the time being I figured I could stick a stock 5.3 in my car to get it going and do all the hard bits of the installation like the harness, mounts, pan, transmission ect done so when I'm done with the 6.0 it will be a drop in and tune ordeal.
12-14-2009, 06:48 PM
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All in all it is a toss up. You can check for cross hatching on the cylinder walls, how dirty the runners on the heads are, how dark the oil stains are under the valve covers on the heads, etc. But in the end, you wont know until it runs.
We just put a 5.3 in my brother's LS1 camaro, fire it up and there is no oil pressure. We didnt know because it was a pulled motor. Luckily we were only out $40 on it and we are gonna part it out. new oil pressure sender was completely dry, and then I put my finger in the whole while we spun the motor over and there was no oil being pumped. Sucks. At least we have a 450hp LQ4 sitting in the crossmember now
We just put a 5.3 in my brother's LS1 camaro, fire it up and there is no oil pressure. We didnt know because it was a pulled motor. Luckily we were only out $40 on it and we are gonna part it out. new oil pressure sender was completely dry, and then I put my finger in the whole while we spun the motor over and there was no oil being pumped. Sucks. At least we have a 450hp LQ4 sitting in the crossmember now
12-15-2009, 10:16 PM
#4
All reputable yards have a warranty of some sort and a LOT of info about the vehicle it came from. They also test and run the engines before they are pulled so they have a good idea if it is going to live long term or not. If the engine doesn't pass their inspection it doesn't get pulled and sold. That doesn't mean some don't slip through but I don't know anyone directly who has gotten a bad one from a yard that warranties them. These same yards always have multiple options of what I am looking for and let me inspect the engine before I buy. This, price and the convenience are why I shop locally. I don't know what or how many yards are available to you but here there are several with lots of engines and transmissions to choose from. 
