Angry wife
 

Hi

I just convinced my wife to buy a 1994 Camry that had a blown radiator. i tried it and went great. brakes, suspention... no rust, everything workin but radiator had a major crack.

i changed it only to find out the engine was full of coolant and engine compression was going in radiator, also knockin noise and i feel the knocking near the thermostat hose.

I have a spare 5sfe engine from my 92 celica with 150 000 miles about. i dont know if its in good shape, but i know there are no block of head cracks.

have you ever bough those e-bay engine rebuild kits ? are they good ? i want to buy this kit and rebuild my spare engine to put it in her car.
Re-Ring Kit Gasket Bearings Rings Toyota 2.2 5SFE 90-96 | eBay

i have very good knowledge of engines and lots of tools so i could probably do it if i take my time. she doesnt have a lot of money for now thats why i dont want to spend 1500$ to get it done. but dont want to rebuild it and then find out thoses kits are crap.

would apppreciate advise please :confused:

If no help here try asking at the ToyotaNation website.

man, for what it is, simply buy used certified engine from Japan. it's drop in one, comes with spark plugs and all wiring, even hoses, just cut. $500-700
yeah, you can rebuild the engine. if it was hydrolocked, you looking at bent valve stems and push rods. why bother.

Celica engine for Camry?

I'm pretty sure its a serious repair for the radiator, at first you should not take it its just a waste of $$$.

a jdm engine 5sfe is about 1000$, i checked. and if i knew the engine was blown i woudnt have bought it. also i have a spare engine just pickin up dust, so i might as well use that one, its a workin engine with about 150 miles.
i just thought that if the engine rebuild kit was 100$ for internal gaskets (piston rings ...) and 100$ for timing belt kit, i might as well rebuild it before i put it back.
Also... that doesn't answer my question, are ebay gasket kits good ?
Re-Ring Kit Gasket Bearings Rings Toyota 2.2 5SFE 90-96 | eBay
Anybody ever rebuild an engine with one of those and has driven lots of miles after repair (over 100 000miles)

by the way ukrkoz, the celica has the same 5sfe 2.2L as the camry, the only difference is the camry has a vibration damper on crankshaft since its a granny car.

Have used timing belt kits from ebay with good success. Email the seller before buying to determine brand names in the kit, then after receipt inspect the parts to determine if they are real or knock offs.

Don't know anything about engine kits. Do a search on the brand names shown in the photos.

One issue with Japan engines is they have different emissions issues reflected in the engine setup.

Had mixed bag success with them. Low mileage may not mean a great engine, could be one that has sat in the rain and had water get into the engine.

Prefer to buy local or rebuild and know what I am getting before buying.

1. community here, in Pacific NW, buys engines from Japan. We buy them in prolly hundreds. No one ever had any issues. Nothing will get in, they do not sit outside in the rain and mud. Plus, It's a complete engine, fully sealed. Reason they are sold is due to draconian taxes on cars they have in Japan. It's almost not worth it to drive a car for more than 3-4 years. Hence abundance of trannies and engines for sale. Here they come rock solid certified.
2. Unless prices went up that much, it should not cost a grand for a 4 banger. Mazda 323 engine is around $350 delivered. Maybe pricing is different inland. We are, ultimately, right on Pacific coast.
thanks for clarification on Celica/TC engine swap. interesting. Half size car, basically.

Ok. i went to jdm yesterday. a 5sfe is 700 $ ?! and a 3sgte (225 hp-2.0L turbo for my celica) is 2000$, very expensive. I thought i could buy the 2.0L turbo and put the 5sfe from my celica into my wife's car, but at 2000$. having the engine rebuilt by proffesionals is between 1500$ to 1850$ around here !! thiefs ...
I checked for engine rebuild kits, 100$ on ebay and 550$ at local store, so i guess i will check out the brands on ebay and google their reputation, and probable take and chance and rebuild the 5sfe i have pickin up dust in the garage, 100$ for the engine kit (piston rings, valve seals... plus 100$ for timing belt kit (timing belt, water pump...).
ill see if im lucky :P

Try RockAuto Auto Parts for parts. The prices may be a little more reasonable.

Watch total shipping costs as they can drop ship parts from the vendor requiring more then one package.

shippin in more than one box ?? wow hadn't thought of that. ill have to check that :confused:

Another approach is to just get a short block.
I did this when my 22RE threw a rod.
If your reasonably sure the head and cam(s) are OK then this might be the way to go.
I found a local guy that rebuilds short blocks and I don't remember the price but it was fairly reasonable. The engine runs great now with tons of power and I've had absolutely no problems with it since (this was a few years ago).

Just a thought ... hope the wife is not still mad, this can be problematic to say the least.

Best of luck in all!

Counting the cost before you jump
 

I have worked both sides of engine rebuild Lowe's Automotive R & R truck engines and Automotive Block repair boring blocks. We always try to reach a balance between what the market will bare and what your/our labor is worth? Under cut your labor and you are cheap not worth the money? Do not read your wife's Sociology book! Some one's wife is always going to be mad. Out one pocket into another, my hairdresser wife counted cost in $40 hair cuts? I counted $500 a month rent for 3 years and parted ways. So the $100 kit on ebay is that like the $15 fuel pump in my closet for my Camry w/$9 sock?:eek: