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Mitsubishi Montero Engines

May 11, 2010 By 2 Comments

This is just a snip because I’ve been talking to so many people recently that need Mitsubishi Montero engines. The Mitsubishi Montero is one of those vehicles that hits you the first time you see it. It has a suave look that seems to combine the aesthetics of a Toyota Land Cruiser and a Land Rover Ranger Rover. We get a of calls from people looking for 3.0L 6G72 used engines for their Monteros as well as the 3.5L 6G74. Lately, the 3.8L 6G75 has also been generating some calls as well.

While not all Monteros have high dollar engines – we simply cannot buy these engines cheap. We do have some of the best deals available on 3.0L Montero Sport engines (call Daniel at 901-384-5622 direct to speak with him about these), but the 3.5′s are simply hard to come by. 3.8′s are recent enough that we have excellent pricing and availability on them.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Filed Under: General Engine Information

If a Diagnostic Machine Says You Need An Oxygen Sensor, You Might Not OR Why You Still Need a Mechanic

May 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

On board computers and diagnostic computers have made diagnosis and repair of vehicles more efficient and less costly. If you don’t believe me, consider the fact in recent years many shops that used to charge a higher rate for diagnostics than actual repair labor have ceased that practice. Plugging a diagnostic computer into a car is a lot like running an MRI or an X-Ray on a person: you get a quick and exact picture of the symptoms of your patient.

For many repairs, this computer is more than what you need. For some repairs, a diagnostic computer in the hands of of someone who doesn’t understand what they’re working with can be a nightmare. Let’s look at a common sensor issue that causes a check engine light to come on: an oxygen sensor. If your oxygen sensor fails, you definitely need to replace it. But there are other issues that can cause a false positive on an oxygen, or O2 sensor. The main false positive happens if you aren’t getting enough fuel pressure to the engine. If this is the cause, you could either need a new fuel line (if you do, I recommend Gates Submersible Fuel Line Hos or Gates Barricade hoses) or a new fuel pump/fuel sending unit. Not getting enough fuel pressure can cause the O2 sensor to read “lean” and out of acceptable range. So, if this happens, and you go to an auto parts store, get a free diagnosis, and you still get the error after you reset the code, what happens? You’re out the money for the sensor, since you can’t return installed electronics (“we don’t sell parts for diagnosis” – even though they diagnosed you!) and you still have to figure out exactly what’s going on.

If you’re competent at repair diagnosis yourself, you might not need a mechanic. But if you’re not sure, you should definitely pay someone else to work on your vehicle. You don’t always need to take it to the dealership – though they do fine work. You don’t only have to utilize the mechanic just down the road – though he might be the best in town. In that case, use him.

Rather than finding a convenient mechanic, find the best in your area. An experienced mechanic that is good at diagnosing can save you hundreds on each repair and help you keep your vehicle on the road for a long, long time.

If you’ve had your vehicle competently diagnosed and you need an engine gas or diesel for a car or light truck, please, give our sales staff at call at 901-266-9996.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Filed Under: Engine maintenance Tagged With: , ,

Gates Has a Better Upper Radiator Hose for 1999-2003 Fords with 7.3L Power Stroke Engines

May 7, 2010 By 1 Comment

The 7.3L Power Stroke engine is a great engine, but one thing that has always frustrated mechanics with 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003 Super Duty trucks with the 7.3L Power Stroke engines is the fact that you have to remove the upper radiator hose to replace the serpentine accessory drive belt. The reason for this is that the Ford OEM upper radiator hose goes straight through the accessory belt drive system. This means that to replace the belt you have to drain the cooling system, and that adds cost to the overall job.

Gates has two kits to fix this problem. The first is part number 22434K and is good for vehicles 1999-2002 vehicles produced up to April 28. After an April 28, 2002 production date, the part number is 22690K. The difference is that the second kit has a slightly longer belt.

The Gates kits inclue upper and lower hoses and a “FleetRunner long-life fleet-rated belt.” Gates claims that this package reduces labor on a future belt replacement by up to 50%, so it makes sense to consider this option.

We recommend this kit be considered by any of our customers installing a used 7.3L Power Stroke engine from our company, Low Mileage Engines.

If you’ve had an engine failure in your F-150, F-250, F-350, or any other type of late model vehicle and are looking for a good used engine, please call our sales staff at 901-266-9996. We would be more than happy to quote you on an engine and answer any other questions you may have.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Filed Under: Engine maintenance Tagged With: ,

What You Need to Know About Water Pumps

May 6, 2010 By 2 Comments

A properly functioning water pump is critical to the continued functionality of any engine. If your water pump fails and you continue to drive your vehicle while the engine is hot, you will destroy your engine – no ifs, ands, or butts about it. Your engine relies on your water pump to force coolant through its water jacket. By forcing coolant that has just gone through the radiator into the engine, you also force the heated coolant out of the engine and into your vehicle’s radiator where it is cooled as it travels through the radiator, only to come out, hit the water pump, and go through the cycle again.

Water pumps are a belt driven accessory with two main different configurations. The first configuration type involves the power originally coming from the crank shaft pulley. Some vehicles use a serpentine belt to drive all accessories, including the water pump. If this is the case for your vehicle, your serpentine belt is very important. In addition to driving the water pump, it would also drive the alternator, power steering pump, and air conditioning compressor. It does this by taking power from the crank shaft pulley which is typically mounted on the front of the engine. You can also take power from the crank shaft pulley indirectly. For example, I have a friend with a 1968 Corvette with a water pump driven by a double pulley that comes of the air conditioning compressor. The main belt spins the air conditioning compressor pulley not only rotates the compressor, but has a secondary groove with the water pump belt in it. That belt in turn rotates the air conditioning compressor.

The second main type of water pump configuration is one in which the timing belt drives the water pump. This is common in Camry engines, Honda engines, or any vehicle with an interference engine (my 1997 Audi A4 has a water pump driven by the timing belt). Here is something you should know. Any time you change a water pump driven by a timing belt, replace the belt. Any time you replace a timing belt that drives a water pump, replace the the water pump.

There are two reasons for this. The first is that both of these are maintenance items. They have to be replaced at some point or your engine won’t work (I have information on maintenance schedules below).

The second reason is that if your belt or pump breaks, the other unit won’t work. If your water pump locks up, it will strip the teeth on the timing belt. If that happens, and you have an interference engine, you’ll be calling Low Mileage Engines looking for a new motor. While we value our customers and want to do a good job for you, we prefer helping folks who have gotten a lot of life out of their original engine and haven’t had a preventable failure!

You should always follow your vehicle’s owners manual for the maintenance schedule. A General rule of thumb for vehicles made in the last 20 years are that if you have a KIA, you should replace the belt and water pump every 40,000 miles. All other vehicles should be considered for a timing belt change at 60,000 miles. Again, and I cannot stress this enough, make sure you replace the belt driving the water pump when you replace it, and vice versa.

Age should also be taken into consideration in the maintenance schedule. Personally, if the mileage to justify a change hasn’t been reached but the belt has been in use for five years, I would change it because belts can get dry rot over time. Changing a belt is so cheap compared to what could happen  if the belt breaks that it doesn’t make sense to not change it.

You should consider replacing the water pump on any used engine you install, period. As a bolt on accessory, a water pump isn’t warranted and failure could lead to overheating, which voids any warranty. This includes warantees on new engines, used engines, remanufactured engines, reconditioned engines, rebuilt engines, or any other adjective in front of “engines.”

If your water pump has failed and you find yourself needing a replacement engine, please, call the sales staff of Low Mileage Engines at 901-266-9996. We would be more than happy to quote you on the engine you need, explain what makes our warranty the best in the industry, and answer any questions you may have.

no ifs, ands, or buts

Popularity: 5% [?]

Filed Under: Engine maintenance Tagged With: , ,

We’ve Made Our Warranty Even Better

May 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

For years, Low Mileage Engines has offered the strongest standard warranty available on used engines. For years, Low Mileage Engines has offered one of the easiest to understand Labor Warranties available on used engines. Now, we’ve made our Labor Warranty even more affordable and even easier to buy.

$100 will get you the best labor warranty available on a used engine. What does this cover? For this $100, Low Mileage Engines will cover the number of hours specified in the Mitchell Book for a Complete Engine Assembly R&R. If you have an engine failure not due to overheating (blown head gasket), not due to your failure to keep oil in the engine, and not due to any type of “obvious” abuse, Low Mileage Engines will cover replacing the engine we’ve sold you at $45 an hour. This is a good deal – you get a lot for a very little. Replacing a 6.8L Ford Triton engine, for example, calls for over 20 hours of labor. 20 hours X $45.00 means Low Mileage Engines would cover up to $900 for the replacement.

There are very few companies selling used engines that offer a solid option for a labor warranty. Low Mileage Engines strongly recommends each and every customer purchase a labor warranty. While each engine comes standard with a part warranty, Low Mileage Engines can only help to cover labor costs if a customer chooses to purchase the labor warranty.

If you have any questions, or need a quote on a used engine, please call us at 901-266-9996.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Filed Under: Engine replacement tips Tagged With: