Mechanics nationwide have long known about Low Mileage Engines as a great company to buy used engines from for the vehicles they commonly work on – GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Nissan, etc. What you may not know is that we’re also a fantastic company to buy less common engines from. Some of our happiest customers are those that have saved money buying Volvo engines from us.

Finding a Volvo engine can be more frustrating than finding a common engine. There simply aren’t as many Volvos on the road as other vehicles, and Volvos tend to hold their value well so insurance companies are less likely to total them when in wrecks. Further, there are quite a few engines available for most Volvo models. For example, if you have a 2004 Volvo 40 series, there is one 1.9L engine, two 2.4L engines, and a 2.5L engine available.

How to Identify your Volvo Engine

Below, I’ve included some pictures of a common Volvo engine – a B5254T (if you’re interested in this engine, call Wade at 901-384-5624) with 14,000 miles.

If you were to call me and you were looking for this engine, we would have to wade through the myriad of options available. Fortunately, Volvo utilizes the sixth and seventh digit of all VINs to identify the engine.  For example, the engine below has “59″ as the sixth and seventh digits of the VIN. You’ll also note that the timing cover has a sticker on it. Besides the bar code, which is used during manufacturing to track parts, the sticker has a serial number (directly linkable to the VIN), part number, and, at the bottom, an engine model number.

2.5L Volvo B5254T engine, VIN 59 Side View

2.5L Volvo Engine B5254T

Note the Sticker on Timing cover with identifying information.2.5L

Popularity: 9% [?]

GMC Canyons [04-06 3.5L (VIN 6, 8th digit)], Chevy Colorados [04-06 3.5L (VIN 6, 8th digit)], Isuzu 350s [06 (3.5L, VIN 6, 5-214)] and Hummer H3′s
HUMMER H3 [06 (3.5L ,VIN 6, 8th digit)] all have a head issue that was fixed in production about midway through the ’06 production.

Low Mileage Engines has the production date this change was made on file, and always verifies any engines we sell for these applications were manufactured after the production issues were resolved.

If your engine has failed, chances are it was due to this production issue. Of course, verify this with your mechanic, since knowing the cause of a failure can prevent it from happening again!

If you need an engine for any of these vehicles (or any other late model vehicle), please call us at (800) 709-9233. We’ll help get you back on the road at a great price!

Popularity: 5% [?]

The first man I knew who had GMC truck with a 5.3L Vortec engine was a farmer in the Red River Valley of Minnesota. He loved it, and over the years modified it heavily. It got to be well known around the Breckenridge, MN and Wahpeton, ND area. After all, a farmer’s truck is more than just a work vehicle. It’s a statement!

I haven’t lived up north for quite some time, but not a day goes by that I drive without seeing a GMC Sierra or a Chevy Silverado with a 5.3L Vortec engine in it. The 5.3L has had strong results and thus GMC has used it in a lot more than just pickups. In 2008, for example, the 5.3L engine was used in the GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier, Chevy Avalanche, Chevy Tahoe, Saab 9-7X, Sierra, Silverado, Suburban, and Trailblazer.

In other words, the 5.3L is one of the most common engines on the road in America.

There have been no major recalls on the engine that we are aware of. Further, problems unique to the engine are rare. Sure, it has “problems” that other engines have that could be classified as maintenance issues.

I like to browse car forums to see what problems folks are having, and it seems like a lot of folks don’t keep their throttle bodies clean. I suggest you clean your throttle body at about 60,000 miles with approved cleaner to prevent throttle body sticking. This to rough idling and stalling out. This is an issue on almost any vehicle today though.

A recurring problem with many GM engines is the plastic intake manifolds. Plastic intake manifolds cause a problem because they don’t dissipate heat as well. This leads to a sort of drying effect on the intake manifold gasket, which can lead to the gasket not doing its job. Oil and water can mix when this gasket fails, reducing effectiveness of the cooling and lubrication of the engine. More commonly on the 5.3, you will see coolant leak outwards instead of mixing with the oil. Again, both are possible, but an outward leak (coolant loss) is more likely. Anytime I replace a GM engine, I always use an aftermarket gasket of higher quality than the OEM part.

So what do you do if your Vortec engine has failed?

Several weeks ago, an elderly gentleman from Louisiana called us asking for a price on a 5.3L engine for his 2005 Silverado. His local dealership charged him $2800 to pull his engine apart to diagnose the specific problem with his engine. This was bad business by the dealership, and cost them a customer for life (and his kids, grandchildren, and extended family, who had all bought from the dealership in the past). You see, they didn’t need to take that engine apart. They knew it was bad from the get go. Don’t let any shop rack up billable hours on you. If an engine is bad, competent shops can diagnose it in under 4 hours. Tops. There can be extenuating circumstances if an engine is having electronic problems (which aren’t really an engine problem per se), but a shop would have to be pretty convincing.

This dealership then proceeded to tell the man they would fix his engine for $7,200 – leaving his total bill right at around $10,000 + tax.

When I quote this man $1,400 on an almost new engine (we had a real deal at the time!) with under 4,000 miles, he sounded like he was ready to cry. You see, he knew that he could have just replaced the entire engine for less than he was charged for diagnosis.

So if your Vortec engine is having issues and you’re not a mechanic, go through this procedure:

1. Find an HONEST mechanic who is accredited by the BBB, who has a fair hourly shop rate, and who has been in business for some time.
2. Determine if your problem is the engine itself, peripheral to the engine, or an electronics problem.
3. If you need an engine (and I hope you don’t), please call us at (800) 709-9233.

We can help you save money, time, and heartache.

Popularity: 100% [?]

Sellers of used engines normally don’t start to sell engines for cars until they’re past their manufacturer’s warranty. With that said, intelligent decisions have to be made well ahead of time to secure the availability of low mileage engines for that day when demand does arrive. Most engines with less than 10,000 miles are made available by wrecks that happen within the first two years of the vehicle’s life.

Early adopters of vehicles in which the same engine is repeatedly used can benefit from long production runs on their engines. For example, if you need a 2002 2.4L Toyota Camry Engine, you can get that engine from certain 2009 vehicles made by Toyota.

If you need a 2.5L engine for your 2002 Nissan Altima engine, you can get it from certain 2006 Nissan’s.

Honda Accords? These don’t have production runs that are so long. Accord drivers, the great news is that engine replacements are almost never in the works for you. Accords seem to go forever. I’ve never owned an Accord, but it is a leading contender for my next vehicle. Accords just don’t seem to die.

These vehicles are incredibly important in the recycling world because there are an incredible number of them on the road. Recycling allows useable, undamaged parts from wrecked Accords, Camrys, and Altimas to keep drivers unwrecked vehicles on the road for a long time.

Low Mileage Engines specializes in engines. While we do sell remanufactured engines, we prefer to sell used engines for two reasons (sadly, a used engine isn’t always your best option):

1. We believe in the recycling industry and its benefit to the United States and Canada.

2. We can save you money when you purchase a used engine from us.

If you drive an Accord, Camry, or Altima, and need a replacement engine, please call us at (800) 709-9233. We would love to help get you back on the road and keep you there!

Popularity: 4% [?]

Susan from Bridgeport, CT asked us just before Thanksgiving if driving with low tire pressure could harm her vehicle.

Susan, most people drive around with under inflated tires. We’re reminded of this by environmentalists and conservationists concerned about the hit this causes to gas mileage. Barack Obama even mentioned properly inflated tires as a method to reduce our dependence on foreign oil during his first presidential campaign. That got mixed reviews.

To answer your question is technically “Yes.” Driving with proper tire pressure can give you longer engine life. We’ll look at it logically. The “easier” you are on a car, the longer it lasts. If your tires are under inflated, we know you burn more fuel. The reason is that your engine has to work harder to move your car. Working harder strains the engine.

For this to make any practical difference in engine life though, you would essentially have to drive on flats for extended periods of time. We urge you to not let this happen, and recommend you always fill your tires to the levels specified by your vehicle manufacturer to get better gas mileage… and nothing else.

Thanks for the question, Susan.

If you have a question you would like one of our writers to answer, send an email to blog@123lme.com.

If you need an engine we sell used engines and remanufactured engines. For a fast free quote, please call us at 800-709-9233.

Popularity: 4% [?]

We’re very thankful for what has been a strong year for our company. Low Mileage Engines has been able to serve more customers this year than any year before, and in this economy, that makes us very thankful!

Here are a few tips that will help you make sure your car doesn’t go down before you head out of town! These things should be done well before you get on the road!

1. Check your oil level. You don’t want to overfill your oil, just have it slightly below the “full” indicator on the dipstick. If you need an oil change as determined by your owners manual, get one today!
2. Check the coolant level in your vehicle. Make sure the vehicle has been off overnight before doing this! For most vehicles, this means you should just check your coolant reservoir. If your vehicle is low on coolant, you need to add more, and figure out what is causing it to be low! Remember, your radiator is what keeps your engine from getting hot and “blowing up.” It must work properly. Period.
3. Check your tire pressure and tire wear. The owners manual of your vehicle recommends tire pressure that will give you the most comfortable ride. If you want better gas mileage, add 5psi above what is in the manual.
4. Check your brake fluid (this should be flushed every two years).
5. Check your air filter. This should be replaced one a year or every 12,000 miles. More engines wear out due to dirty air filters than dirty oil filters, and a dirty air filter can destroy your gas mileage. Since gas isn’t cheap, we think $10.00 for a good filter makes sense.
6. Check your transmission fluid. For most vehicles, you should run the car for five minutes before checking transmission fluid, so do this last.

We hope this list helps. Sadly, we know that our phones will be busy on Monday morning, because vehicles are machines made by people and they break down. If you need an engine, we’re very sorry for that – but we’d like to help. Give us a call at( 800) 709-9233, and we’ll be glad to help.

Popularity: 4% [?]