Engine Replacement Help

[DaThug]

It's been a hell of a 2022 so far, car issues nonstop.... Jeep in for coolant leak, still having issues... But what I'm hoping is someone here might now someone that does engine replacements.

I have a 2011 Rav4 that hit a pot hole and blew a tire and no spare. I had it towed to tire place who replaced the tire and drove it out to the parking lot. We picked it up, drove it across the lot where it just died. I tried to jump it, nothing. I then had it towed to my mechanic who got a chance to look at it today... No oil, dry as can be and the engine seized and is gone. What's interesting is I had a oil change first of December at the dealership and there were no oil light warnings there was an issue.

I bought the car last April, now im looking to see what the cost is for an engine replacement or do I just sell it to a junkyard.... Trying to get an idea of cost and hopefully someone that someone I know recommends....

Thanks,

[BlackNBlue-ISH]

Aw man that sucks. Can’t say what it’ll cost, don’t know how hard it is, but as a guy who failed an engine swap on his own, just price it out through a shop. It could be cheaper to have a rebuilt engine put in that comes with a warranty for both parts and labor. If a shop won’t warranty it, they don’t stand by their source or their work. Get some quotes, then check the value of the car and estimate how long it’ll last, then ask if it’s cheaper to scrap and replace the car. Might be able to sell the car as is.

[Car Jack]

It looks like a used engine is somewhere around a couple grand, depending on mileage. I guess it depends how willing you are to try it. You can buy a cherry picker pretty cheap and it'll sell on craigslist for not much less than you paid for it. It's really the only special tool you need to do it. Even junkyard engines come with a warranty, although if you have to use it, you're pulling that engine back out. It comes down to sweat equity vs cost if you want to do it yourself or not.

I'd say to look around for what used ones go for now, which could be a lot. I guess it goes without saying that you need a garage to do this work yourself. Just doing a quick search, looks like these are retailing for around twenty grand.