Bad 4.6. Rebuild or buy used or buy rebuilt?

[Mikeincool]

I bought a ,06 GT 5 speed with a bad engine. Has 200K plus on bad engine. Pulled the heads and pan. One cam has 3 bad barring, the other head looks okay. Cylinder walls look okay and I have not pulled the crank. So the question is, what to do? I can buy a used engine for $800-$1200. Not sure the cost of rebuilding the old engine and a rebuilt engine looks like it would be over $2000. Also, is this a great time to build the engine and buy some better heads? I have worked on lots of different engine, just never rebuilt a late model ford. Cost is not my main worry, but I don’t want to spend my money in the wrong place. I live close to Fort Worth Texas. Does anyone have a good trustworthy machine shop? A little information on the engine. Bad timing chain guides, bad cam gernals oN drivers side. So one damaged head. Owner was no mechanic and said he was told that the oil pump was bad. Hard to say, the engine turns good with cam and plugs out.

 

[nfrizell]

I think summit has remanufactured ones for $3800.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[01yellerCobra]

What's the plan for the car? Are you just wanting to get it running? Big boost? Fun weekend driver?

 

[Dino Dino Bambino]

What condition is the rest of the car in? If there are other issues (I'd be surprised if there aren't), the car could very quickly become a money pit.
What are your plans for the car? Daily driver, weekend cruiser, road racer, or dragster?

 

[eighty6gt]

buy used 4.6, cheap, easy, really fast

install 5.0 from truck - slow, annoying, expensive

I'd find a 4.6 from the yard (2008+ - good plugs, phasers, what have you,) drop a set of hot rod cams in it tune the car up and enjoy life.

 

[slackinoff]

Same thing happened to my 2008 engine with that many miles. I ended up getting a used engine from LKQ

 

[Mikeincool]

The rest of the car is in great condition considering the age and miles. It is a one owner. Tungsten with black stripes. I want a fun weekend car and maybe build it up For now the goal is to get it on the road. What does a set of cams and a tune coast. I found an engine out of a 2009 Mustang rollover for $800 with 99K and all of the accessories. Sousa like a good possibility. Has a cracked valve cover on the passenger side. My car came with a new clutch setup and all new suspension. That work had maybe 10K on it. Thanks for the feedback. I will try to post a few pics if that is what members like. Thanks again.

 

[06VistablueAZSaleen]

Hard to argue with the $800 used motor (limited by con rods to 450ish HP), other than you can put that $800 (plus a little more) and build yourself a solid motor (H beam rods) that would be a solid foundation if you decided to do forced induction later on (500 HP and up!).

Like others have mentioned, it all depends on what your ultimate goal is. Just remember that the stock motor is limited to about 450 HP, but if you build a motor up (with the better rods), you can get much more out of it.

If money isn't a huge issue, you could throw the $800 motor in it and build the original block on the side a little at a time while enjoying the stock motor, then swap back when you decide to add more ponies to your set-up!

 

[Dino Dino Bambino]

I found an engine out of a 2009 Mustang rollover for $800 with 99K and all of the accessories. Sousa like a good possibility. Has a cracked valve cover on the passenger side.

If that engine's good you could bolt on a pair of LT headers, charge motion delete plates, underdrive pulleys, and replace the cams before you drop it into your car. You could even add a CAI and then get a custom tune.

 

[RED09GT]

If money isn't a huge issue, you could throw the $800 motor in it and build the original block on the side a little at a time while enjoying the stock motor, then swap back when you decide to add more ponies to your set-up!

That would be the way I would do it. Or you could even part out the old engine and recoup some money. Sell the good head, the crank, and the block and you have a good chunk of your $800 back.

 

[Flusher]

I found an engine out of a 2009 Mustang rollover for $800 with 99K and all of the accessories. Sousa like a good possibility. Has a cracked valve cover on the passenger side.

Look for cracks around the motor mounts, bellhousing area, and where the accessories attach. Would also be good to look under the cracked valve cover for damage before you pay for it. Sounds like it took a pretty good hit.

Hope it works out for you.

 

[Mikeincool]

I like the idea of dropping in a used engine and building the old tired engine for down the road. I have the room in my shop to set it to the side for a little while.

 

[Mikeincool]

Are there any issues with using a 2009 engine in my 2006. I noticed that the 05 and 06 are listed as the same. Will I have to change anything on the 09?

 

[06VistablueAZSaleen]

I think the spark plugs are different (better on the '09), but other than that I think you'll be fine. You might want to strip both down to the long block, and transfer all the '05 parts onto the '09, just to be sure. Plus, that way you'll have a good opportunity to check for any other impact damage to the motor.

 

[Mikeincool]

I have the old engine stripped down to the shortblock. Old engine has 200k on it.

 

[RED09GT]

The charge motion plates are built into the 09-10 intake manifold but the plugs for the wiring harness should be the same. The 08+ heads have the better spark plug design as mentioned earlier and the phasers have been upgraded over the 2006 as well. I believe there are less valve cover bolt holes on the heads of the 2009 motor but the valve covers for the 2006 will still fit.
EDIT: the routing of the coolant hoses is different on the 09 motor so you can either use the water neck from the 2006 or swap to the 07-10 setup. I can't remember the explanation of why the 07-10 setup is supposed to be better but it may be a worthwhile upgrade.

 

[Dino Dino Bambino]

I can't remember the explanation of why the 07-10 setup is supposed to be better but it may be a worthwhile upgrade.

It's a simpler set-up with just two hoses instead of six, and the thermostat housing is integrated into the 07-10 crossover instead of being remote, so it declutters the front of the engine quite a bit. Cooling performance is equal to the 05-06.