HELP NEEDED BAD ENGINE 2005 LiBERTY

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john43028

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Hello, We got the bad news today that we need a new engine in our 2005 jeep liberty . Does anyone know of someone in Ohio selling an engine, please post details. What should i expect to pay for a used engine? My mechanic sourced an engine with 74,000mi for $ 1,800 and a 79,000mi engine for $1,400. It is going to cost $600 labor to install the engine. This sounds very high to me fo
an engine.

Tom Mudd, you live close to us in Columbus, OH area do you know of any liberty engines for sale in your area. I can probably find a decent liberty for 3k .Thanks in advance for your advice! John 43028 Howard, Ohio.Phone 740-326-1090
 

tommudd

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Hey John, sorry about your bad luck.
I'll look around down here.

I moved out of the rat race and to the country .
Out where ya can stand naked for an hour outside and the only thing you see or hear are the buzzards circling :happy175:
 

tommudd

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Too much info... :happy175:

I also thought that sounded like a reasonable price. Alternatively, give Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market a look.

Out mowing the yard last evening and get out near the road (mow over 4 acres) and well ( its a town ship dirt road ) and some woman squatted down taking a nature break.........She looked, I looked, turned mower around , looked back and she kept doing her thing LOL
 

GitEmSteveDave

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Out mowing the yard last evening and get out near the road (mow over 4 acres) and well ( its a town ship dirt road ) and some woman squatted down taking a nature break.........She looked, I looked, turned mower around , looked back and she kept doing her thing LOL

I walked out in my barn the other night and forgot to make noise, like moving the chain on the gate, before walking through. Saw one of the people renting a stall answering the call of nature. I just kept on walking.
 

john43028

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We had to put an engine in our 89 ford bronco and it cost $600 for the engine...not apples to apples so i just want to make sure $1,400 was fair. The miles 79 k miles on the replacement are lower than our 138k. The think i like about this site is that you guys tell it straight. Thanks for your input! John

I am going to look around a bit and see what is out there engine wise.We have other vehicles to drive meantime.
 

john43028

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WE are buying the replacement engine with 79k. It has a 1 year parts and labor warranty. I really appreciate the advice. You guys are awesome! John
 

JasonJ

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WE are buying the replacement engine with 79k. It has a 1 year parts and labor warranty. I really appreciate the advice. You guys are awesome! John

Either one will likely be a fine choice, I see you've picked one.

Those are plenty normal and fairly good prices for lower mileage used engines.. the 89 Bronco.. no comparison.. none at all. I put an engine in my 91 Escort for $250... doesn't mean if I need one for my 08 Acadia is should cost similar.

$2000 for a running replacement engine, get you back on the road and 1 yr warranty on the engine, sounds good to me.
 

Myke

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Yeah those prices sound very fair.
 

tomknight

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Old thread, but I can't find anyone to do this for less than 2k labor, plus engine. And most places will only do reman engines, making this a 5500 job.

What sort of place will do the labor that cheap?
 

wycowboy

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Hey John, sorry about your bad luck.
I'll look around down here.

I moved out of the rat race and to the country .
Out where ya can stand naked for an hour outside and the only thing you see or hear are the buzzards circling :happy175:


And laughing too in my case!

The price for the engine(s) sounds pretty fair and the quote for install sounds extremely fair to me.
 

Vgirl

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Old thread, but I can't find anyone to do this for less than 2k labor, plus engine. And most places will only do reman engines, making this a 5500 job.

What sort of place will do the labor that cheap?

Hey tomknight, I had a reman installed about a month ago. The Mopar labor guide puts it at a 17.7h job. There's an additional 1-2h for a manual trans tho, so if yours is automatic trans it'd be around 15-16h.

From what I understand labor rates vary depending on the region of the country. So maybe look for the shop with the lowest labor rate. You might need to travel outside your local area for that. Like, if you're in or near Atlanta the labor rates are likely higher than elsewhere in GA.

A reman usually has a better warranty period plus some companies improve the weaknesses in the OE Chrysler design ie, valve seats, etc. So it's money well spent in that regard. Depending on the failure with yours, it might be the way to go. If it's a rebuildable issue, like something in the top end, that might likely save you money BUT the question on engines with the ages/mileages of KJs like ours is: what will go next?

Like others have said, around $5500 def sounds fair for a reman + labor for R&R.

Good luck with yours!!
 

tomknight

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Thanks Vgirl.

I had a guy quote me $2,800 for a 78k mile engine replacement, but it's only a 90 day warranty. The remans seem to come with 3-5 years, so that's good.

I am starting to consider doing this myself. It's actually a 4th car, so there's no hurry, other than booting my wife's car from the garage during the work, which will make her grumpy.

I was told I may want to just donate it, and buy a new one, but I'd like to see this one rehabbed. If it gets a reman, I might even use it my (almost) daily driver.

Thanks again.
 

Vgirl

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You're welcome! Glad that my experience has been helpful! (Mine was/has been a saga..)

IMO $3500 for say, a Jasper reman with their warranty period + improvements on OE design, is wayyy better math than a $2800 engine with who-knows-how-cared for and driven 78k miles on it with a 90 day warranty. To me, $700 is worth the piece of mind for a better engine, better warranty, with 0 miles on.

If you do it yourself be sure to ask the reman co how that install affects the warranty. Might want to watch this partial rebuild of the 2003 KJ 3.7 V6 engine to have an idea of the process involved. I had email correspondence with the tech who did the work and video. Great guy and loves the KJs!! If I were nearer to NC I'd have asked him to do the job.

Garage bump > new car payment...maybe detail hers weekly in exchange and as a show of gratitude for keeping the KJ alive:)

Okay so. I battled this suggestion a LOT in my situation, mostly from males with gender inequality beliefs, which is a whole other level of ridiculous, but: Those who suggest donating it or getting rid of it to "get something new" are likely either people who drive cars (Jeeps and Jeep people are different!), and/or ones who may want to swoop in to scoop up your KJ to rehab it themselves!

KJs aren't MeToo vehicles like Hondas:emotions34: New cars mostly suck imo, there isn't anything I'd like as much or more than my Jeep. So why would I spend more money on a new or used vehicle I'd settle for, risking the unknown with a used, rather than put less money into what I know and love to drive? It's like acute pain of $ out vs drawn out chronic pain and possible disappointment of $ out.

You don't have to be a "consumer" with throw-away mentality, if it's not what you want to do. Way I looked at it is that when a part needs to be replaced, you replace the part. An engine is essentially a part. A big, expensive part comprised of lots of little parts, but still a part. It just made sense to me. But I had to fight for my position, because most people have different positions on it. Forgot to mention earlier that the initial quote given on mine increased by approx $1K per conversation...going upwards to $7k. That now fired mechanic said my KJ was "too old" for a reman, suggested I put in a "junkyard motor," or get a CRV:blah:

Bottom line: your Jeep, your money, your decision!

PS - if you decide you want to get rid of it tho, PM me:D
 

TomB985

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Good info Vgirl, just wanted to mention a couple things.

Hey tomknight, I had a reman installed about a month ago. The Mopar labor guide puts it at a 17.7h job. There's an additional 1-2h for a manual trans tho, so if yours is automatic trans it'd be around 15-16h.

Different labor operation, the labor guide shows 17.7 hours for engine replacement with a short block, including transfer of parts. That means disassembling the old engine and transferring timing gear and heads, which takes lots of time. R&R with either a junkyard or reman engine would be 8.2 hours, which is a significant difference.

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Okay so. I battled this suggestion a LOT in my situation, mostly from males with gender inequality beliefs, which is a whole other level of ridiculous, but: Those who suggest donating it or getting rid of it to "get something new" are likely either people who drive cars (Jeeps and Jeep people are different!), and/or ones who may want to swoop in to scoop up your KJ to rehab it themselves!

KJs aren't MeToo vehicles like Hondas:emotions34: New cars mostly suck imo, there isn't anything I'd like as much or more than my Jeep. So why would I spend more money on a new or used vehicle I'd settle for, risking the unknown with a used, rather than put less money into what I know and love to drive? It's like acute pain of $ out vs drawn out chronic pain and possible disappointment of $ out.

You don't have to be a "consumer" with throw-away mentality, if it's not what you want to do. Way I looked at it is that when a part needs to be replaced, you replace the part. An engine is essentially a part. A big, expensive part comprised of lots of little parts, but still a part. It just made sense to me. But I had to fight for my position, because most people have different positions on it. Forgot to mention earlier that the initial quote given on mine increased by approx $1K per conversation...going upwards to $7k. That now fired mechanic said my KJ was "too old" for a reman, suggested I put in a "junkyard motor," or get a CRV:blah:

Bottom line: your Jeep, your money, your decision!

Cars are different things to different people. From a purely financial perspective they were correct, and I'd have to agree that sinking more into a vehicle than it's worth is a bad idea. But that's just me...I don't have an emotional connection to my cars, and I trade them often. Sure it was a gender thing? I'm a single guy who lives alone...my Liberty is a second car, and my other is a minivan. I think CR-Vs are great cars, and as a guy I'd be happy to own one.
 

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