What tips do you guys have for someone looking to buy a junkyard engine?

I need a complete swap with teams for a 71 C10 project.

Looking a for a LQ4 or LY6.

I know I need to make sure it has all the accessories, starter, Ecu and non cut harness.

Any other tips? What should compression be etc?

Thanks

 

If it was me I would make sure it turns over (not froze) then strip and rebuild.

 

The best advice I can give is to pull a valve cover off and make sure the engine wasn't oil abused. I've seen some engines come from a junkyard completely full of sludge, and I've seen others that were as clean as a whistle.

 

Not sure about other junkyards but I like to ask some of the employees if they have seen anything or know of any good cars there or coming in. I found a perfectly good running Tahoe for my buddy. Guy drove the Tahoe to the junkyard, said the transmissions was bad and he was tired of paying money for it. My local guy let me know where it was at and got a perfectly good running engine that was seen running and driving with no issues. Now you may not get that lucky but it doesn't hurt to ask.

 

There are two in the North East, Maine and NH both found on ebay.
They sell LS packages run tested with video, or go hear it run if your from the area.

They are both local to me and I opted for a private sale that netted me a JUNK engine!! So im out a full rebuild!

The guy in Maine (Just Chevy Trucks) also does the ecm/harness work, so you get a 4 wire turn key, engine ready to swap.

I have no affiliation with either place, just sharing my bad experience

 

make sure the engine spins over freely

see if there is still coolant in the system over water or nothing, less chance of rust

if you have an inspection camera pull the plugs and look to see if there is anything going on in the cylinder

 

Def make sure it spins over. I pull the oil pan off to get a good look at the rotating assembly and look for metal shavings. If I don't find any, I figure it's in decent shape. If I see a lot of sludge, I figure previous owner didn't do the maintenance.

 

Thanks for all of the tips. The local junk yard I went to seemed to fast paced to let me do a real inspection with taking parts off, the engine I was interested in was up high on a rack.
The uneasy feeling I received from them means I wont be buying from them.

Can I get some names of some people who are a good source on maybe ebay?

thanks

 

I'm a experienced used engine buyer, Its not easy. Best thing to do is find a yard that runs the engines and offers a warranty WITH A SOLID REPUTATION. I was buying engines from a yard with a ok reputation and was getting 50% junk.............. they were a real pain in the azz to deal with and always were full of ****.

I always pulled the intakes, valve covers and oil filters. Pulled the oil filters apart and drained the oil to check for trouble. The newer engines aren't as bad for water laying in the heads because of the intake designs. But condensation can still raise hell on the valves and cylinder walls.

If you have a bore camera the quickest thing you can do is pull the plugs, scope the cylinders and oil pan etc and turn the engine over by hand.

I checked around and found a yard that ran all its engines and offered a money back or exchange if you weren't happy with the engine. I never got a bad engine from these guyz.

 

Where are you located and whats the name of the yard?

Thanks

 

http://www.collistruckpartsonline.com/ I bought a bunch from there guyz and never had any problems. They run all the engines and are honest.

 

I like to see the vehicle the motor was in as well. Sometimes where they get hit and how bad can matter.

I once bought a motor and transmission (stick) to swap into an auto car. They used a torch to cut the motor and transmission mounts then lifted the car with a forklift and cut the hoses & wires so the motor fell to the ground. Then they pushed the car back and dropped it on the transmission bending the stick shift into a pretzel. Needless to say I kept my auto and only took the motor. Total idiots. I would have left the motor too but it was practically brand new.

 

Here is the one in Maine shipping was cheaper than expected
http://www.justchevytrucks.com/

http://stores.ebay.com/Just-Chevy-Tr...p2047675.l2563

The one New Hampshire
http://www.bowautoparts.com/

http://stores.ebay.com/bowautoparts?...p2047675.l2563