Hi everyone, I'm Steve and i'm new here. I have a question: I have an 88 toyota pickup, 22 re engine with about 215000 miles. The head gasket went out and I figured I might as well go with a rebuild. I called a place and they quoted me $1034, out the door price. If nothing else was needed. After having my truck for a few days, I just got a call saying that they're going to charge me $2300!! They said I new new hoses, belts, bolts, cylinder head, pcv and other misc stuff. I myself blew a head gasket when I heard this and told the guy off. So, my question is, should I still go through with it or tow it home and look for someone else to do it? Thanks!

 

They low balled you to begin with to hook you in. Then once they have your truck, they come in with the real price ($2300 is still too cheap in my opinion for a good rebuild) because at that point...what are you going to say; No?

The price of $1,034 should have sent off warning signs right there. No motor is that cheap to rebuild, even using Chinese parts.

If it sounds too good to be true...it probably is.

 

$1,034 isn't an unreasonable cost for a DIY, assuming you'll take some parts to a machine shop. My 22re rebuild cost me around $1000 after paying for the kit, head machining, thread repair @ the machine shop and sundry parts. If you're paying somebody else for all of it, $1k isn't enough to parts and labor.

$2300 isn't unreasonable if they've identified everything that needs to be addressed. The problem with engines this old is that there will inevitably be more hidden costs.

 

If you love your truck and can save money a little go to LC engineering .com and buy one of there complete engines, $5000 shipped to your door and there some bad a** motors my friend.

 

If I don't do it with them, they're going to charge me for the tow and the teardown. It'll probably be a few hundred bucks. Should I just do it then? I wasn't expecting to spend that much, but if you guys think it's an OK price, then I might as well go with it. I'm going to have to wait for the new tires and paint job now.

 

Thing is you can`t quote a engine rebuild like that.

They did say if nothing else is wrong.

What all did the $ 2300.00 include.

Do you need Machine Work ?? turn the crank for over size bearings

Does the Block need bored to get the cylinders round again.

All new pistons

Perhaps the head was so bad it was cheaper to go with all new

Maybe it was cracked from the head gasket failure.

Myself all the hoses and belts and tune up that`s a given

Granted people get hosed every day.

***

*** It all comes down to just what all the $ 2300.00 includes.

You should have a estimate telling you where all the $2300.00 is going .

If you don`t tell them you want one.

Find another place.

 

The guy did do a pretty bad job explaining everything to me, he had a pretty thick middle eastern accent. He mentioned a new cylinder head, re-size something, etc. It just didn't seem to add up to an extra $1200 to me. I'll call him back and have him itemize what he is going to do.

 

Ouch.

I paid $1620 for my rebuild. I pulled the engine out myself and delivered it (everything between the oil pan and the valve cover). Guy rebuilt it and gave it back to me the same way. New head, new crankshaft, new lc engineering rv cam, new pistons/rings, new timing chain and guides, new oil pump)

Probably spent another $200 on hoses, belts, gaskets, etc.

 

I'll try to talk him down to $2000.

 

Here is the breakdown from the shop that did mine

87 22re

*Clean and mag 4 cylinder block 1 155.00
*Clean oil pan 1 42.00
*Clean crank shaft 1 38.00
*BORE AND HONE INLINE 4-CYLINDER 1 115.00
*Polish Crank 1 65.00
*RECONDITION TWO OR MORE RODS (BIG END) 4 112.00
*INSTALL SMALL END PIN BUSHING & SIZE 4 80.00
*Assemble 4 Cyl. Short block 1 330.00
*Complete 22RE toyota head 1 383.34T

All together I spent about $1,350 because I needed a new head. I also provided the parts from my master rebuild kit.

I dropped off the motor with head on it and got it back with out. I put that back on myself.

 

Where are you located King?

 

I rebuilt my own with a few upgrades from stock, my totals go something like this
800 bucks got me
complete master rebuild kit + water pump + cam,
all machine work, (head surfaced, cylinders bored, mating surfaces cleaned up, crank turned, valve seals replaced (my valves were all fine) everything hot tanked (block, head, oil pan, valve cover, pickup tube) pistons mounted, freeze plugs installed.
i got back an empty block, an assembled head and a box of parts.
after that i have spent a little over a grand on
offy intake
header
new distributor
gm alternator and bracket
BOLTS! lots of new bolts!
rocker assembly
block off plates
small parts (double row oil pump drive spline, dizzy drive gear, fuel pump eccentric spacer, etc

the list goes on and im still not quite done, close but not quite lol,
if 2300 gets you a decent rebuild, and all the external parts are re usable than i suppose thats not a bad deal. there are a couple decent shops that you can get a good long block from for about 1700 bucks, but unless you are going to do the swap, youll be in it for another 500 to a grand for someone to do the work for ya,
if budget is a concern, just get a good used head, have it surfaced then buy a gasket and slap that sucker on there, who knows it may do another 100k with just that.

 

I live in the San Gabriel Valley, Calfornia. 25 miles East of LA

 

i would bite it on the tow and tear down, and look somewhere else. you were def. low balled to get it in there and now that you realize this how are you going to trust their work? i see on CL you can get a rebuild installed for 1350 ish. http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv...898806012.html
or just engine for 895http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv...930888065.html
but how long they will last i could not say. how well the work is done on these would be suspect IMHO. if you do take your truck back un- assembled make sure you get everything back, maybe get proof some how.

 

I'm here at the shop right now. I am trying to convince them to let me bring my own parts, but they're giving me bs about the warranty even though it covers labor.