Buying a used engine in a salvage yard can save you a lot of money. To ensure you pick a good engine there are some key things to look out for.
First step is to find the section of vehicles that have the engine type you need. Once you’re there, do a close inspection of each of the used engines to see which one is in the best condition. If you see still water inside of the cylinder walls or spark plugs, save your time and move on to the next engine!
A good thing to look for is vehicles that have been in a collision. You can assume that it was salvaged because of the collision rather than a damaged or bunt out engine. There’s a good chance that the engines are still operational because they were working at the time of the collision. When you’re inspecting the engine, look closely at the mounting bosses and look for broken parts either on the cylinder head or where the engine mounts to the body.
Inspect the oil pan and engine block for damage. If you see holes or pieces sticking out of it, it’s definitely not an engine you want to pick. Check to see if you can spin the crank shaft by hand, if you can’t, the engine can’t or will be extremely difficult to move.
Vehicles in the salvage yard have already been removed of all fluids so you won’t be able to check and levels. Pull the dip stick and look for coloration or signs of contamination on it that could indicate a problem with that engine. Also remove the oil cap and see if there’s any crusty build up, that is another red flag to avoid the engine in that vehicle.
Check for abnormalities in the spark plugs. Ones that have darker colors than the rest or has residue show signs that the engine is burning oil and you don’t want that.
Knowing these red flags to look out for will help you choose a well running used engine and save a lot of money! Wrench-A-Part offers $1 per day warranty, so if you happen to pull an bad engine and you purchased a warranty, you won’t be out very much.
Check out our inventory to see vehicles we have in stock with the correct engine matches: Check Inventory
