i was wonderin if any one did that, like go and find good JY engines. was considering buying one for 250 from a jy that i know. What are the chances that i could find a good one? i mean if it sat for 3-4 years, are they hard to revive for daily use?

 

Chances of finding a good engine in the boneyard are quite slim.


The cars are probably there because of bad engines in the first place, but even if they aren't, just sitting without running can be a death sentance.

Don't pay more than $100 for an engine you can't hear run first.

 

The most likey good engine will come out of a car that has had a serious accident. Other than that, if you can't hear and see it run, and run properly, concider any jy engine as a parts supply only.

If you can find a wrecked 7 with under 100k, then the engine might be worth 250, otherwise 100 or less sounds about right. I have seen only 1 good jy engine, and that came out of a wrecked FC.

 

im running a junkyard engine in my SE right now. Its an 84 SE block that i pulled out of a CLEEAANN FB last year. it was all stock w/ only 90,000 miles. i bought the entire long block, starter, RB headers and Centerforce Clutch for $200 (which i thought was a rip off at the moment). I just wanted the block just incase i needed the parts but as soon as i took it home my crazy dad hooked it up to his engine stand and started it up. He hooked up everything to it. Fuel tank, fuel pump, radiator, starter, etc. It started right up w/ no problems or smoke. Now its in my car and ive put about 2k miles on it since. i guess i just got lucky.

 

There are fellas running JY engines for a few seasons of racing. Let the thread get long enough and they might appear.

 

I have been running a JY engine in my 83 LE since 1998.I have put close to 90K miles on this engine.I bought it with a 90 day warrenty for $600.I know that sounds high,but it has been a very reliable engine,and was on a pallet shrink-wrapped,and in a heated building when I bought it.The JY had complete info on the engine,and it has been a really good deal to me.I thought I blew it a few years ago,but it turned out it was just a large vacuum leak that was causing it to run really poorly.If you find a reputable JY that will warrenty their parts I think a JY engine is just fine.The previous posters are right though,most cars in the JY are there due to blown engines,so finding a good JY engine is tough.

Chris
83 LE soon to be pated
79 GS early production 5/78
74 RE/PU
92 Cummins diesel wrapped in a dodge

 

I bought a 12a for 200$ and got to hear it running before I bought it. It also came with a 90day warrantee. It didnt die in the one year that I had it before some old lady ran a red light and t-boned/totaled my car.

 

I ran 4 of them including.......
An 84 12A that lasted 2 years before developing a dowel leak....

Another 84 12A that lasted 3 years then I sold it still running perfectly....

A 76 13B from a junked RX-4,ran perfectly for 2 years and I sold it to RSDEVIL,still running today....

An 87 TII out of a clean 80K FC.That one was wounded from the get go.It was in the yard for an overheating session.The engine actually ran great and didnt start using coolant for another 6 month.Long enough to get installed,smogged and run a dozen or two 13.5 second 1/4 mile runs.Even when it did pop,the engine still ran great,it just used water.

The trick to increasing your odds is to look for a wrecked car.If it got in an accident,then it probably ran well....at least well enough for it to be on the road!Another thing to look out for is JB weld or silicone near the distributor on the housings.A common,futile attempt to stop a dowel leak.Pass on those.
Look for AT equipped cars.They are often driven much more softly.While this is not always a good thing,they will usually be less abused than stick shift engines.
Look at mileage.If the chassis has over 200K miles,chances are the engine has been replaced recently....but not always!
A "U Pull It" type yard is best since you can pick and choose.If the yard is owner picked,then your at their mercy and you should be more discriminating before choosing an engine.Even with a warrantee,who wants to do 2 or more engine swaps just to get a good one?

 

the reason i ask is cause Im proly going to be looking for a new engine soon, mine has been sitting for around 3 months and worried its going to crap out. i know last time it was smoking like Mount St. Helens(and sitting couldnt have been any better for it.) but i was having trouble with the carb and just now getting the money to correct it. Which reminds me, If your OMP Lines donot stay full of oil, is that a bad sign or nothing to worry about?

 

a little leak back i think is normal when the car is parked for a while... just take it easy (like, idle) until they fill up again and youll be fine.
the best bet for engines if you ask me is to find old guys with rx's parked in their driveways without plates. offer cash-in-hand and say nice things about restoring their old rex...

the STRIP THE BAZTAD FOR PARTS AND SQUISH THE RUSTY SHELL!!! BAHAHAHAHAHA!

 

I have run several JY engines on my cars. I had the fortune to live near a U-PULL-it style JY and were able to get the engines for about $95 with a 30 days guaranty. I have one in one of my SEs that I bough at a JY about 6 years ago. it has being in three of my cars and i have used and abused the heck out of it. I paid $135 dollars for a long block w/ dual down draft webbers, headers and a few other things. I have bought others in the same JY and they all turned out prettu good.
Like some other members have mentioned anout, stay away from high milleage, high price engines. Do not pay more than a Hundred for JY engine unless the will guve you a descent guaranty or you now something about the particular engine. For about $600 you could get a rebuild with mostly use parts other than new seals and apex seals.