Remanufactured.com Engines Any Good?
 

I'm going to be taking a super-long road trip this summer in my '83 240D which has an engine that is approaching 220k miles right now. It's got a small amount of blow-by, smokes a bit, has some minor problems overheating, etc. All in all, I'd say it is probably in the top 25% of engines that are out there.

Possibly having more money than sense, however, I'm planning to get a new rebuilt engine before I go on a 20k mile driving vacation across North America. Metric Motors wants $5500 for a 616.912 longblock, while remanufactured.com wants $2495 for the same longblock.

I'd rather this not turn into a discussion of whether it's a smart idea to get a new engine or not, or whether my money is being wasted, but I am interested in people's experiences with different engine builders, etc.

My engine makes a ticktickticktick noise when I accelerate now, I haven't been able to isolate it but it just started. It gets louder with a heavier throttle, and when maintaining constant speed, it doesn't make any odd noises at all.

When was the last time you did a valve adjustment. A tick tick tick could be the vacuum pump or timing chain. Very rare for the engine itself to fail. A 240 engine should go 300,000 miles and beyond with proper maintenance and upkeep. 220k is nothing. I have 266k, and my dad's car has 293k, and they both run fine!

yea... you need to not buy a new engine

heck Surf n Turf will probably sell you his spare 616 he has laying around...

I keep trying to get you over here so I can teach you to adjust those valves bro... Plus you missed out on a great GTG

Dude, I was so pissed I missed that, too. My girlfriend and I had been looking forward to coming.

Then, I had to work, it was my first day on the sales floor selling appliances at Sears. They didn't bother to give me the day off like I had asked for when I signed the hiring paperwork. Grrrrrr.

Over Winter break, we'll meet up for valves and hell maybe engine mounts.

Yeah, I'd do some maintenance on the engine before jumping to: I want a new engine :eek: You can check chain stretch and adjust the valves all at once, if thats all good, do the motor mounts, and if there's still a ticking, it could be the vacuum pump or water pump or something. Highly doubt the engine is doing it. At worst maybe it needs some new injector nozzles....old ones can cause nailing and weird sounds as well as poor performance. 220k is young! Let it live!

Well, some portion of the "new engine" desire is my girlfriend, who will be coming on the road trip with me -- her father has 20+ years as a mechanic for everything from motorcycles to jet engines (and then a number of years as an inspector certifying foreign government's airliners as safe to fly into the U.S.) -- says he's not comfortable with an "old" engine going that far, and to buy one and he'll help me swap it for free.

I wouldn't hesitate to drive that many miles in a diesel MB with those miles if the car is mechanically up to speed. Why don't you take it to a mechanic and have him sort out any issues the car may have before you take the trip? I would worry about the rubber on the car before I worried about the engine.

Scott

217k is not that bad... as long as you inspect everything and do a little preventative maintenance you will be good to go.

as well as bring along two or three of certain parts

oil filters, fuel filters, oil, tranny fluid, power steering fluid, duct tape, flares, water for the car and water for you.. etc etc

I would me more comfortable with an "old" engine than a cheap rebuilt engine. I currently drive my 412K mile engine about 40K miles per year. I'm driving from CO to OH (gain) on sunday. Your engine has a long way to go.

Chances are what will leave you on the side of the road will be either:
Belts.
Coolant or oil hoses.
Wheel bearings.
Flex discs.
Accesory failing.
Maybe a half shaft.
Flat tire.
Battery.

Internal engine problems are very rare, and a cheap rebuild is just going to include the head and block.

A crate engine, with a new radiator and oil cooler, along with a rebuilt trans would do the job. But thats a $10k job.

He must not have much experience with MB engines despite being an experienced mechanic, else he'd know that 220k is nothing on a properly maintained 616. I drove 2,700 miles in one week when I went on vacation. I only had one minor issue: Alternator. It was weak/with worn voltage regulator when I left on the trip and died on the way home, and killed the battery. (it was my fault and I should have replaced it before I left) MB roadside gave me a new battery within 2 hours (for a $143 fee) and it got me home (alternator spontaneously began working again for another 5k or so) and I replaced it 4 months later. :D Engine had 0 problems despite thousands of miles at 85-90mph. :D Had it been daytime I'd have been able to continue on without electrical power, but it was 9:30 at night, and I had to stop because I had just about no lights left.

Your 616 can go 85-90 mph? Wow.

WOT "pedal to the metal" so to speak (w/o roof rack), I'm lucky to hit 80. WOT with Bikes, I'm lucky to hit 70.

I guess he's a bit paranoid, given his experience is primarily with aircraft engines, where you want a little more of a safety margin.

No...I have a 617 5 cylinder turbo. It can rather easily (but nosily) approach the top 114mph speed. I've done it many times. You'll never see that with a 616. :D ;) They are almost the same engine. The 616 is just minus 1 cylinder and no turbo....which in effect makes it last even longer.

I totally am in approval of being paranoid about engine reliability in terms of aircraft engines...yikes. I'd be the most paranoid person ever in that regard. :eek: Its just no where near as big a deal in a car....if it dies, you coast off to the side and get help. In a plane that "coasting" part.....isn't as fun. :D

Metric Motors engines cost more, but they are the probably the best choice you could make.

They have a really good reputation with the Mercedes engines that they sell.

I bet I know what your tiktiktik is. I had the same problem on my 616 when I first got it and it just got louder and loader over time. It would only make the noise on acceleration or hard throttle. I knew it was an exhaust leak but could not locate it until I pressurized the exhaust system and found the leak coming from the exhaust manifold gasket. The gasket has rotted away leaving a small gap. It took me about 8 months before I got around to replacing the gasket and by that time the manifold had lost a small amount of metal where the leak was and I had to get a new one from a friends parts car.

On the road trip note, I would totally trust the 616. I drove one in college that I picked up for 300 bucks, it had 252,000 when I got it and we used to drive that to Canada all the time. I think I put about 35,000 miles on it that year, it was the road trip machine. The only problem I ever had was with a very old alternator belt that was so glazed over it stopped turning the alternator at high rpm and the battery went dead.