Replacing an engine options.

[MRtv]

I bought a used 2016 Nissan NV 2500 with a 4.0 6cyl engine with 210k miles on it. I bought it directly from a company via its fleet manager. I paid $500. There were no leaks from engine or transmission but there was a start up noise which lasted a second or less. There was another noise that I suspected would eventually become a problem and the day arrived that it manifested. I have a nice rod bearing noise as it knocks itself to bits. There is lots of metal in the oil after removing and cutting open the oil filter. The metal is fine flecks of metal. I have not removed the oil pan to inspect for metal.

I believe I am in the position of needing an engine. One mechanic I spoke to verified the looks of my oil as to showing the engine has reached end of life. He checked on a Jasper replacement and was told there was not one available at this time. I'm ok with that because it just might take awhile to get the funds together to actually buy an engine.

The transmission seems OK at this time. I did a one time dump and refill of the transmission. Shifting is good as it works through the gears. So at this time I am not to concerned about it.

Options I would consider is:

Find a used engine. Has anyone had good or bad experience with this? It could be my cheapest way to go but I know it has pitfalls. Then again if a person makes the right contacts and choices maybe it could be a good option for me.

See if a Jasper rebuilt might come along later. Probably a safer option than the used engine option.

Buy a new engine from Nissan. They have one available but it is the highest price option and comes with NO warranty from what I am told.

Like I saId I am open to any option. I have begun the fund gathering for this and now need to research what I should consider doing when the funds are available. I guess the question is have is, is it safe to consider used engine option? Should I just go with either the rebuilt or new engine? Last time I had an engine replacement it was a short block bought from NAPA and a local shop did the swap. So I don't mind doing this again. I may have to consider widening where I get a replacement engine this time around. Thanks for the input.

 

[cptbarkey]

I've bought engines from LKQ online and Ebay and had good luck with both. I lean towards LKQ these days.

 

[joekingcorvette]

If it were my vehicle we have a huge salvage yard within 15 miles of where I live. They have a nice garage and they install and guarantee a used engine that was in good running condition when pulled from a wreck. I would try to go that route. I would find a reputable salvage yard that has a very good engine and have it installed either by yourself or a reputable third party. You are starting out good by only paying $500 for the vehicle. A friend of mine had lots of metal in his oil and had the salvage yard install the engine with great results. It was a 5.0 in a 2017 F150.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Don't buy Jasper

I think you need one of these

 

[MRtv]

Don't buy Jasper

I think you need one of these

So you might be inclined to say I should buy used over Jasper? Yeah I do have option to buy a Nissan engine but they have a price showing how proud they are of the engine which also comes with No warranty.

 

[walterjay]

I have heard a few too many bad Jasper stories.

 

[Boomer]

+1 on bad Jasper stories!

 

[D60]

So you might be inclined to say I should buy used over Jasper? Yeah I do have option to buy a Nissan engine but they have a price showing how proud they are of the engine which also comes with No warranty.

YES. Avoid Jasper.

 

[Trav]

YES. Avoid Jasper.

+1. I don't think Jasper is capable of rebuilding a B&S lawnmower engine properly.

 

[SC Maintenance]

A few guys in the Xterra community burnt up their engines for varios reasons. All of them went with a late model VQ40 out of a wrecked Frontier or similar - long block was pretty much the same between Frontier / Xterra pretty much the whole run but the Frontier is more common and used the VQ40 up to 2019. On older models you needed to re-use some sensors and the engine harness from the donor.

I am assuming there the same but honestly know nothing about NV vans. Double check yourself.

I would go that route. Rebuilds from anywhere are always a wild card.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

So you might be inclined to say I should buy used over Jasper? Yeah I do have option to buy a Nissan engine but they have a price showing how proud they are of the engine which also comes with No warranty.

Yes, used is probably better than Jasper.

Also, I was kind of joking with the racing engines, though you could GT-R swap if you want

You might even be able to swap in a GM Cruise and Connect with some kind of LSx V8

 

[D60]

+1. I don't think Jasper is capable of rebuilding a B&S lawnmower engine properly.

I wouldn't trust them to repack wheel bearings....

 

[SC Maintenance]

Don't buy Jasper

I think you need one of these

NV3500 was available with a VK56. He could likely V8 swap it with all factory parts!

 

[fdcg27]

I think I'd be looking for a yard that is as joeking describes for a used engine or a unit from LKQ.
A rebuilt or a new engine would be more money than I'd personally want to put in my $500.00 van.
A quick and by no means comprehensive search seems to put a rebuilt at around four grand and I'd hate to think of what Nissan would want for a crate engine.

​

 

[IndyIan]

Those seem to be not great engines, I look at car-part.com to get a rough idea of price and demand for transmission and engines. Seems $4k will get one around 70k miles... quite a high price compared to a lot of used engines.

 

[D60]

At the risk of stating the obvious, if you buy used make sure JY warranty is in writing and be ready to install immediately.

My buddy bought a 4L60 but couldn't get it in within 90 days. The trans had problems but honestly I don't know if some of it wasn't his fault (he may have burned up the pump by not having the converter seated). Either way, he had no recourse after 90 days.

He now hates the yard but I don't blame them -- a deal's a deal.

 

[CarbonToast]

A set of rod bearing is <$50 on rock auto. If you can do it in frame by dropping the oil pan it might be worth a shot. Seems like you want to do it on the cheap.

 

[MRtv]

A set of rod bearing is <$50 on rock auto. If you can do it in frame by dropping the oil pan it might be worth a shot. Seems like you want to do it on the cheap.

I was not sure this could be done. Two shops I spoke to never mentioned the possibility of it being done. I do DIY but this would be over my head to be honest.

 

[IndyIan]

Its worth more than $500 for scrap, so you are ahead at the moment.

Seems the transmissions are pretty cheap, so mostly good.
What does an engine install cost of these? If reasonable, maybe get a new engine from Nissan, and have $2500 put aside to put in a low mile used trans if you ever need it?
Or, add up all that and then see what it buys you in cargo vans? Maybe a low mile van is available for the same money?

Or put it up for sale and see what you get? Maybe a guy rebuilds these and your is good because there isn't a hole in the block?

 

[IndyIan]

I was not sure this could be done. Two shops I spoke to never mentioned the possibility of it being done. I do DIY but this would be over my head to be honest.

Seems like a good candidate to learn on! Watch some youtube videos of it for this motor and see what you think. I try stuff on my car, because otherwise its scrap, so I did a front subframe just watching from youtube.