I know this is a newbie question, so, please, be gentle with the flames and sarcasm. I currently own a FD whose coolant seal went out on me. I am in the midst of rebuilding it. I have a lineup on a TII in good shape. The only thing is it has 135K on the motor. My question is this:

Whats the average lifespan of a TII motor?

I feel like a motor with 135K on it is likely to go at any given time. I would like the car to last at least until next summer, before having to go in to do a rebuild. How likely is it that the motor will make it another 15K miles?

Thanks for the help guys.

 

I continued to search after this and it seems as though my suspicions are correct. It won't last much longer. Please, still add any opinions or experiences

 

Engine should be fine for another 15K, but the standard advice applies. Get a compression test, go through the checklists in the FAQ, etc. There's no magic mileage at which the engine will die...The 13BT can be quite reliable if cared for, so I wouldn't immediately discount an engine just because it has high mileage.

 

Thanks for the input, Aaron. I guess I am just a little leary, but I suppose a compression check will reveal the answers to my questions.

 

Well, if it makes you feel any better my car has over 168,000 miles on it, and it's still running strong. Idles well, accelerates smooth, etc. The car is an 88 TII, mostly stock, but it has been run real hard, with higher than stock boost levels etc. Just dynoed yesterday at 196RWHP (about 30min before me on the same dyno an 04 Mitsubishi Evo VIII dynoed 194hp).

So yah, the engines can last.

 

Thanks for the input, mountainturbo, that makes me a feel a bit better. The car is really clean and is "female driven" (if you can believe that). I am gonna take a look at it and see what kind of compression it is making. I only want/need it to run til the end of next summer(about a year) at which point my FD will be "done." and I can concentrate on a new project(i.e. the TII).

 

I would say the average is around 125,000 miles before compression problems begin. Thats for a car that was cared for by an average driver (maybe more than 3000 miles between oil changes, not too much care put into the coolant system, etc). However, for a well cared for engine...maybe more like 160,000+ miles.


-Joe

 

thanks guys. i am gonna go take a look at it. depending on how clean the body and interior wind up i will probably go for it. knowing that my time is limited i will be mentally prepared to hear the engine go boom! if the car is clean in and out i wont feel bad about putting a new engine in.