FJ62 Engine swap/rebuild cost?

[sleepycruiser]

I am looking at possibly purchasing an FJ62. The seller said that the head gasket is blown and that it did overheat, but he didn’t drive it after that and not sure if there was any internal damage. It has sat parked for about four years.

So if I buy it I am going in with the mindset that it will need an engine swap. What would be a realistic cost if I found a used FJ62 engine to have someone swap it out? If they looked at it and it was not cracked what does a normal head gasket replacement run? This would be a long project…nothing that needs to be fixed overnight.

 

[toy_tek]

Used engine $1000-2000 depending on miles and condition, but good luck with finding something worthwhile. Rebuild 3-4k. Reman 6-9k. Plus labor for all those.

Give or take a few k

 

[sleepycruiser]

Used engine $1000-2000 depending on miles and condition, but good luck with finding something worthwhile. Rebuild 3-4k. Reman 6-9k. Plus labor for all those.

Give or take a few k

Thanks. Without being able to check out the engine before purchasing it might be a crapshoot…but if I go in expecting to need an engine….hmm.

 

[JTD]

Thanks. Without being able to check out the engine before purchasing it might be a crapshoot…but if I go in expecting to need an engine….hmm.

2F's are amazingly rugged engines. I've put a few head gaskets on in my day. It's heavy work, but is shade-tree mechanic freindly (ish) and depending on the circumstances of the failure a set of gaskets *might* restore operation. A bit of warpage is to be expected, but can be machined back into spec if egregious. The big scary would be a crack in the casting. Magnafluxing at a machine shop could detect cracking, if present. Once the head is off and at the machinist's, it would be tempting to at least lap the valves and check the valve guide tolerances.

Lower ends can fare well or fare poorly from head gasket failure depending on the degree of oil contamination, how long it was run and if it was *badly* overheated. When I bought mine with 186K on the clock, the former owner slapped out 2 rod bearings with a bad overheat, but the gasket wasn't the cause of the failure--the radiator was blocked.

I rebuilt it in '97 (machine shop for the lower end, oversized pistons, a bore, new cam and valves) and am still driving it at ~300K miles.

 

[sleepycruiser]

2F's are amazingly rugged engines. I've put a few head gaskets on in my day. It's heavy work, but is shade-tree mechanic freindly (ish) and depending on the circumstances of the failure a set of gaskets *might* restore operation. A bit of warpage is to be expected, but can be machined back into spec if egregious. The big scary would be a crack in the casting. Magnafluxing at a machine shop could detect cracking, if present. Once the head is off and at the machinist's, it would be tempting to at least lap the valves and check the valve guide tolerances.

Lower ends can fare well or fare poorly from head gasket failure depending on the degree of oil contamination, how long it was run and if it was *badly* overheated. When I bought mine with 186K on the clock, the former owner slapped out 2 rod bearings with a bad overheat, but the gasket wasn't the cause of the failure--the radiator was blocked.

I rebuilt it in '97 (machine shop for the lower end, oversized pistons, a bore, new cam and valves) and am still driving it at ~300K miles.

Thanks. I think the FJ62 has the 3FE? No idea of any similarities between it and a 2F. The seller said that he did not drive it after blowing the head gasket but felt it might have overheated. Worst case it might look good in the yard for a while.

 

[Lead Head]

Thanks. I think the FJ62 has the 3FE? No idea of any similarities between it and a 2F. The seller said that he did not drive it after blowing the head gasket but felt it might have overheated. Worst case it might look good in the yard for a while.

3FE and 2F are very similar. The biggest issues with sitting after blowing a headgasket is cylinder corrosion from coolant pooling in the bores. Although provided it has actual coolant, and not water, it shouldn't corrode.