should i buy this engine?

klauslx · Post by **klauslx** » Wed May 27, 2009 2:21 pm

alright, im not sure if im posting this in the right section or not but im looking at a 2004 srt4 engine with 84k miles on it and it has a knock in the cam the guy said he said he will sell it to me for $200 which i think is a pretty decent deal but im not sure how much its gonna cost for me to rebuild the cam
i would really like it if you guys gave me some input on what to do if its a deal how much its gonna cost to rebuild the cam and all that good stuff.
im very new at pretty much everything on engines but hey you gotta learn somewhere, right?

thanks for your help guys

mastershake · Post by **mastershake** » Wed May 27, 2009 3:15 pm

Buy it, do your research, and re-build the whole engine little by lttle. With such a small initial investment, i think it's be dumb not to!! And for a couple grand you could have one hell of a beast!!

Just because you are new to engines, doesn't mean you are new to asking questions. As long as you don't rush, and do alot of research, you should do just fine.

klauslx · Post by **klauslx** » Wed May 27, 2009 3:20 pm

alright yeah im pretty sure im gonna jump on it do you know what it would cost to get rid of the initial cam knock? would i need to replace the cam shafts, cam gears...? i have no idea im having a hard time looking around the web trying to find out what to do

mastershake · Post by **mastershake** » Wed May 27, 2009 3:29 pm

Hard to say untill you open the head up. I'd be concerned if that "cam knock" could actually be caused from a case of a broken timing belt that may have slightly bent a valve but he doesn't want to own up to it. Either way you should be able to replace only the effected components. The head is pretty easy to work on, compared to the bottom end. So if it is only an issue in the head, it should be a fairly easy fix. Probably at a minimum want to go ahead and replace your valve seals, and cam seals while you're in there.

Keep one thing in mind. If the motor only has 8X,XXX miles on it, something semi-catastrophic had to have happened to make it start having issues. Such as beating the sh!t outta it, not changing the oil, over heating, etc. So it may be a simple fix, or you may get in there and realize the whole motor is shot to hell. Luckily you should probably be able to get what you paid for it if you decided to give up and sell it. So IMO it's worth the risk!

Post by **occasional demons** » Wed May 27, 2009 6:35 pm

2.4's will not bend a valve from timing belt failure. They are "non interference" engines.

If you could hear it run before purchase, it would be great. Cam noises could be a worn lobe, or lifters (lash adjuster), but that in itself would be an easy fix.
Why is he selling the engine? was it replaced by another, or is it an extra? If the engine was replaced, and he is still driving the car, I would be a little leery of it.
If the cam journals are worn, a new head will be needed.

Cam damage is caused mainly by one thing: lack of lubrication. that would be the biggest cause anyways. Other than a failed lash adjuster/long peroid of time.

If it is damage from no lube, you will need to find out why, or it will re occur.

INVUJerry · Post by **INVUJerry** » Wed May 27, 2009 7:12 pm

YOu know, it's easy enough to buy a stock SRT head and swap it over.

klauslx · Post by **klauslx** » Thu May 28, 2009 2:31 am

Alright, thanks for all the info. The thing is, its really hard to find srt4 parts around here...spokane craigslist sucks...and none of our salvage yards have anything.

Well, I'm pretty sure he is still using the same car, just swapped the engine out for another...so, that might be a pretty bad sign?
But you're saying cam issues are normally caused by lubrication issues...so, yeah I'm not really sure.
for $200 I guess I really can't expect much?
I'm not sure

Donkeypuncher · Post by **Donkeypuncher** » Thu May 28, 2009 3:21 am

If the engine was fixable he probably would have fixed it as opposed to swapping for a new engine. That is unless he swapped for a fully built engine.

Let me put it this way, would you swap your engine if it was cheaper to fix your old one? I would draw up some sort of contract just to cover your ass.

The fact that he said there was a cam knock makes me wonder. I would bet he toasted the bottom end and the rods or bearings are shot.

But for $200, you could probably part out the good pieces of the engine and sell them off to make your money back just in case the engine isn't usable.

Post by **occasional demons** » Thu May 28, 2009 7:11 am

As long as there are no holes in the block, it is prolly worth $200. Offer $150, and see if he bites. Never hurts to try.

PhillyLS1 · Post by **PhillyLS1** » Thu May 28, 2009 8:01 am

The block alone is worth $200. However if there is a hole in the block

SOKADAO954 · Post by **SOKADAO954** » Thu May 28, 2009 12:42 pm

dude buy it and part it out...

klauslx · Post by **klauslx** » Fri May 29, 2009 1:15 am

Thats what I'm thinking about doing...I'm pretty leery that he roasted the thing and trashed it. Might buy it for parts, but not sure.
The fella looked like he wasn't the most truthful/tactful person, which is kinda throwing me from it as well. And his SRT was beat to shit.

klauslx · Post by **klauslx** » Fri May 29, 2009 4:36 pm

bump

i was wondering if the 2.4 turbo pt cruiser engine and tranny was the same as the neon/srt4 engine and tranny
ive come to find out that those are much easier to find but i didnt know if they would go in or not

if there would need to be "extra" work put into it or not
i was curious because i knew that a few of the pt parts could go into a neon and i was wondering if the engine and tranny and all that to do a 2.4l swap was

thanks for the help