Engine Decision: Rebuild or Replace

[Boba Debt]

I need to either rebuild my current engine or replace it with a salvage engine.

Thanks to this forum I now know Aspire have the 1.3L but i have a few questions answered to make an informed decision.

If I don't have to bore the block or replace any valves I may get away with rebuilding it for less then $500.

The engine has 138K miles on it, does anyone think I'll have to get it bored or is there a good chance I'll just have to have it de-glazed?


How common are bad valves?


If I go with an Aspire engine is it a direct replacement or will I have compatibility issues?


Any advice would be appreciated.

[Gro Harlem]

why rebuild or replace it? upgrade it with a 1.6. Same fuel economy, more power, and can be had for about 150-250 dollars.

[gomer]

Tell us what the engine was doing that is leading you to think of a rebuild.. $500 is a lot of money when talking about a Festiva or Aspire ,, you can buy a "new" one with reasonable miles and break even on the money... if you can borrow a compression tester that will answer the boring question...

[Boba Debt]

It uses a lot of oil.

I go through about 3 quarts per tank of gas.


I actually have oil coming out of my exhaust and it leaks a lot too.


The car has plenty of power though, I can zip up to 70mph with no problem.

I looked into re-manufactured engines but they are way too expensive so I either have to get a salvaged engine or rebuild the one I have


I don't know where some of you have found such cheap salvaged engines but around here the going price is $450 and that is for a high mileage engine (over 100K)

I can get a master rebuild kit (everything except the pistons) for $250 from Advanced Auto. It will cost $105 to rebuild the head as long as I don't have to replace any valves and it's $85 to clean and deglaze the block which is about the same cost as a salvaged engine.

Rebuilding seems to be the better option since I will know I have a strong new engine but if I end up having to buy a bunch of parts (valves, pistons, oil pump, etc) and have the block bored it with get expensive quick.

I am hoping that a few of you have experience with this and can give me an idea if I can rebuild the engine without have to spend a fortune on parts



BTW: I get 40mpg in the city, even though it burns so much oil, and I find it hard to believe a 1.6 will deliver the same fuel economy.

Our Mazda Protégé has a 1.6 and it only gets about 26mpg, what am I missing?

[gomer]

Spend $30 on a compression tester ,, if compression is good and more or less equal on all cylinders then you're just sucking oil past the valve guides ... just a wild guess here but I've seen MANY MANY Festy's with minor cooling leaks and such ,, they've all run low on coolant at one time or another... this could have lead to a warpage in the head (mine suffers from that) that causes oil consumption... I've bought 3 Festy's over the years and the most I've ever paid was $1200 and that was for a 2 year old model with air ,, $350 and $125 for the last 2 ... Festy's are kind of a minor cult car ... if you're looking for the best value in a high gas mileage econobox I'd get an Aspire ,, much newer and you can find a dealer to buy you a nice one at auction for next to nothing unlike the japanese brands...

[gomer]

BTW: I get 40mpg in the city, even though it burns so much oil, and I find it hard to believe a 1.6 will deliver the same fuel economy.

Our Mazda Protégé has a 1.6 and it only gets about 26mpg, what am I missing?

What you're missing is that the Festy weighs AT LEAST 1200 lbs. less (40%) than a Mazda Protege and rides on ultra skinny low rolling resistance tires and doesn't (usually) have a/c or power steering... the 1.3 is going to get better mileage but the 1.6 with much better power uses just a little more fuel in an equivalent car..

[oxbrain]

I just did a b6 swap. I spent about $450 total after new plugs and so forth. The power difference is huge. It makes onramps safer.

If you don't mind rebuilding an engine then you can get a really good deal. Most junkyards sell dead engines for really cheap.

[Festiva_newbie]

did you pull it and swap it yourself for $450? I'm not highly knowledgeable and mechanically inclined, but I know the basics. Rumors have it that its very easy to pull it out, and put in the 1.6?

[oxbrain]

I spent $400 on an engine because it was in good shape.
To swap it I had a friend help me and I borrowed an engine hoist. Neither of us had pulled an engine before and we did it in two days. Could have done it in one, but I have a tendency of breaking things. Battery tray, alternator high voltage stud, VAF, hood support rod, coolant bypass hose, ect.

The b6 is so close to the b3, read through the b6 swap guide that will made, its really helpful. If you just go slow and double check everything it's really easy, if I had to do it again I'm sure it would be a 5-8 hour deal.

[Boba Debt]

Thanks for pointing me to the B6 swap article, it had a lot of good info

I didn't consider that it would have detailed instructions on removing the B3.

I have decided to rebuild my engine.

B6 cost up to $600 around here and I don't have enough experience to know what kind of B6 I would be getting.

The b6 is so close to the b3, read through the b6 swap guide that will made, its really helpful.