Is replacining the engine worth it?

While out harvesting grapes today I was made an offer on a 2000 Nissan Xterra. Basically, it's mine if I want it but it needs a new engine. The timing belt broke and the engine is probably toast. The rig is in pretty good shape otherwise. The offer was made by the original owner who confessed that while it's been driven pretty hard it has been fairly well maintained. It has over 200,000 miles on it but looks good. These seem to sell between 3000 and 5000 dollars. Engines are under 2000 plus labor. I guess the main question is how much does a new engine fix it the rest of the vehicle seems sound?

Max I would buy it for is $400 and $700 for a used engine. By the time you invest a lot of work/labor you will be into it over 2k, better off buying a running xterra

Driven hard with those miles, the trans is about to crap out. Look at the larger picture. Owner says it's been put away wet , figure brakes and cooling system will need work etc. That engine swap just got a little pricier.

Am I the only one who gambles on replacing the timing belt before I write off an engine?

If it's free put an engine in it and drive personally if you need if your looking to flip get the hell away likely a money pit.

Well that depends on if it is interference engine which most engines then it is screwed if not then there is a chance but with 200000 engine is junk more likely then not. UOTE=GunsRBadMMMMKay;1729449]Am I the only one who gambles on replacing the timing belt before I write off an engine?[/QUOTE]

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Originally Posted by GunsRBadMMMMKay

Am I the only one who gambles on replacing the timing belt before I write off an engine?

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NO. Some folks who think they're mechanics have no clue how to troubleshoot either. It's, we can replace the module and go from there.

200k or more, leave it. Many other links in the chain ready to break..
All said and done it'll cost more than getting a lower mileage one.

when the timing chain breaks, valves get munched inside the engine. Just replacing the chain is not a solution.

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Originally Posted by Wulf202

when the timing chain breaks, valves get munched inside the engine. Just replacing the chain is not a solution.

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I think very few engines are non-interference.

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Originally Posted by Irving

I think very few engines are non-interference.

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Glad my 3.4 Toyota is Non...

When timing belts break, there is the possibility of valves contacting the piston face and damage occuring. This possibility is increased in interference engines or engines that have been modified by having heads shaved or utilizing thinner then stock head gaskets to increase compression. Damage could be anything from scoring of the piston face, dropping a valve, bending a valve....yes the possibility of dropping a valve and completely screwing a cylinder up is there. The faster your driving when the belt breaks, the more likely the damage is bad....but without actually looking inside the engine and doing a little troubleshooting, it is what we call an assumption to say that an engine is ruined because a timing belt or chain breaks. Some people won't write off an engine unless the block is destroyed and not rebuildable....(especially if it says Caterpillar on it lol).

That said, it is generally cheaper and quicker to just swap out the engine with a scrapyard donor rather then rebuild when your talking about a basic transportation aka beater car. I'm guilty of taking the quick an easy route plenty.

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Originally Posted by 2XS

Well that depends on if it is interference engine which most engines then it is screwed if not then there is a chance but with 200000 engine is junk more likely then not.

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Originally Posted by GunsRBadMMMMKay

Am I the only one who gambles on replacing the timing belt before I write off an engine?

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This ^^^

It's an interference engine.

Throwing a not so cheap part at it and a day to put it in on a maybe before doing atleast an inspection and compression with leak down check first would be an assumption also.

I completely agree with the donor motor. Looks like 00-04 work but I didn't look real hard.
http://denver.craigslist.org/ptd/4579789847.html
http://denver.craigslist.org/ptd/4609293903.html

Xterras have popped belts at the shop plenty of times... And as it technically IS an interference motor.. We have het to see one smack valves.. Could be dumb luck. But take that for what its worth

Try this.
Pull the spark plugs and look for scarring on the pistons. Harbor freight sells a fiber optic camera video gizmo cheap you can put that down the spark plug holes.
If the piston soot has valve like rings hammed into it you need to do a valve job at least.
If not Have "Rorl" do the work tell him you are a member and he will charge 2x. ( I would )[ROFL1]
Also at 200K look up all the maintenance that needs to be done and I would go for a transmission at the same time as well.

Thanks for the lively discussion gen'emen. I have to admit the first two phrases that popped into my head were "money pit" and "time suck". I talked with the mechanic who looked at the vehicle and done a lot of the work on the rig in the past. Turns out, he checked three of the cylinders and the results were something like 20, 20, and 60. Basically no compression. He also checked the distributer and found the rotater isn't rotating. He didn't think it was necessary to check the timing belt to see if it had broke. He told me the brakes and the radiator had been replaced in the last two years and it had had a lot of front end work done earlier this year. The drivetrain was in good shape for the mileage. Turns out most of the driving had been on the highway and some relatively good jeep trails. In the mechanics opinion, the biggest issue was that the engine likely had many more hours on it than the miles would suggest.

So I'm still wondering, given the added information, does replacing the engine on and old Xterra sound worth the trouble?

If I or someone close needed cheap transportation and I got it REAL cheap I would probably throw a used engine in it after I looked over the rest of it......like others said, if your planning on trying to flip it for profit you'll probably end up losing money (counting time as money too) when you really think about it.

I may be wrong since I am not familiar with the engine in question, but if the distributor is driven off the cam shaft and teh timing belt/chain broke.......it ain't gonna move :p I also may be crazy, but without the valves being in sequence via correct timing, your compression test is going to be inaccurate at best....idk, just my 2 cents on that.

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Originally Posted by JohnnyDrama

Thanks for the lively discussion gen'emen. I have to admit the first two phrases that popped into my head were "money pit" and "time suck". I talked with the mechanic who looked at the vehicle and done a lot of the work on the rig in the past. Turns out, he checked three of the cylinders and the results were something like 20, 20, and 60. Basically no compression. He also checked the distributer and found the rotater isn't rotating. He didn't think it was necessary to check the timing belt to see if it had broke. He told me the brakes and the radiator had been replaced in the last two years and it had had a lot of front end work done earlier this year. The drivetrain was in good shape for the mileage. Turns out most of the driving had been on the highway and some relatively good jeep trails. In the mechanics opinion, the biggest issue was that the engine likely had many more hours on it than the miles would suggest.

So I'm still wondering, given the added information, does replacing the engine on and old Xterra sound worth the trouble?

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Originally Posted by JohnnyDrama

Thanks for the lively discussion gen'emen. I have to admit the first two phrases that popped into my head were "money pit" and "time suck". I talked with the mechanic who looked at the vehicle and done a lot of the work on the rig in the past. Turns out, he checked three of the cylinders and the results were something like 20, 20, and 60. Basically no compression. He also checked the distributer and found the rotater isn't rotating. He didn't think it was necessary to check the timing belt to see if it had broke. He told me the brakes and the radiator had been replaced in the last two years and it had had a lot of front end work done earlier this year. The drivetrain was in good shape for the mileage. Turns out most of the driving had been on the highway and some relatively good jeep trails. In the mechanics opinion, the biggest issue was that the engine likely had many more hours on it than the miles would suggest.

So I'm still wondering, given the added information, does replacing the engine on and old Xterra sound worth the trouble?

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IMO, not really. Or you could put it on the side of the house, save pennies and start buying parts to make it an ORV only. THAT'S a real Money pit.

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Originally Posted by GunsRBadMMMMKay

If I or someone close needed cheap transportation and I got it REAL cheap I would probably throw a used engine in it after I looked over the rest of it......like others said, if your planning on trying to flip it for profit you'll probably end up losing money (counting time as money too) when you really think about it.

I may be wrong since I am not familiar with the engine in question, but if the distributor is driven off the cam shaft and teh timing belt/chain broke.......it ain't gonna move :p I also may be crazy, but without the valves being in sequence via correct timing, your compression test is going to be inaccurate at best....idk, just my 2 cents on that.

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I'm with this thinking. You really need to get at the cams make sure cam is incorrect position and do a leakdown test. The tip about the camera down the hole is a good idea too. A compession test only proves what you know(the belt broke).