Engine Swap: An Overview

It's probably one of the worst mechanical scenarios you could imagine: your late-model vehicle has just suffered a catastrophic engine failure, and since it wasn't a warranty-related problem, you'll have to pay for it out of your own pocket. Even though you may not know the exact cause, it will help to determine the problem since that will help you decide exactly which repair option is best.

Pattern Failure
For instance, if the failure scenario was not initiated by any outside action, but might indicate a potential "pattern failure" in other similarly equipped vehicles, it might be wise to pursue some type of warranty remedy. Checking with the dealership service department and also on the Internet for information of such a failure, may give you just the leverage you need to convince the manufacturer to foot the bill, even if the vehicle is a bit beyond the warranty period.


If the failure scenario was initiated by an outside action, then that's horsepower of a different color. Reasons for the loss of an engine might be a lack of lubrication (due to poor maintenance, damage to the oil plan, or the wrong weight of oil), possibly aggravated by over-revving during the warm-up period. Or overheating could be the culprit, caused by cooling system component failure, or coolant loss through contact with road debris.


The "pattern failure" might be viewed as inevitable, and would likely require a replacement engine with an updated design so that type of failure is not repeated. On the other hand, the "outside action" failure certainly was not inevitable, and had that action not occurred, you could still be out there driving the vehicle with no problem (yeah, don't rub it in). If you only had another chance, you would do it differently, right? Well, while we can't turn back time, we can suggest the next best thing—a used (as in "pre-owned") replacement engine.

Next Best Thing
Used replacement engines (for late-model vehicles) are gaining in popularity these days for a number of good reasons: