terryb52 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 I have been searching the internet for a used engine for my 2003 Forester and am terrified at the prospect. I thought I found a good deal til I decided to Google reviews. Yikes! And they use about 10 names. Now I'mparanoid. How do iI find a good company? Where do I find engines from Japan if I decide to go that route? I need help fast. No junk yards or subarus around here. Very American car country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 (edited) Purchasing a rebuilt engine was one of the worst experiences of my life. The "rebuilt" engine used a quart of oil every 200 miles and soon had a blown head gasket. I had to take the shop to small claims court to get my money back. I bought the engine from the installer. Therefore, I only had to sue the installer and not the rebuilder. The installer was in my state, so it was easy to drag him into small claims court. If you buy a rebuilt engine and it's good, there's no problem. But if you get a bad engine you can probably look forward to a trip to hell. A reputable rebuilder will replace a bad engine, but you're on the hook for all installation and de-installation labor. You are also responsible for all freight charges. And guess what, the replacement engine may be a bad engine as well. Usually you can't get money back if you get a bad engine. Your only remedy is a replacement engine. Edited February 10, 2015 by The Dude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryb52 Posted February 11, 2015 Author Share Posted February 11, 2015 Yes, I've been reading many horror stories here. I don't know what to even look for anymore. What's the difference between rebuilt and remanufactured or used? I can't afford another used car only to get someone else's problems when I know the history of this 2 owner car. I have also put some bucks into brakes, battery was tires recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbhrps Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 terry52, Major cities all across North America haveshops that import container loads of used Japanese engines, almost all of them with less than 45 000 miles on them, and guaranteed. Many of these suppliers will even install them for you. Here in Ontario, Canada, we have these guys: JDMTigerJapaneseEngines.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryb52 Posted February 11, 2015 Author Share Posted February 11, 2015 Any USA importers that anyone can recommend? I am over 100 miles away from a city. But I have a shop here that I think will do a good job. Not many subarus around here but they have worked on some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Another avenue, is to buy a used motor from a wrecking yard. Since you are in Illinois, there must be a foreign car wrecking yard near by. Over the years, I have purchased two Subie motors that turned out to be in great condition. Check out the website for wrecker parts............www.carparts.com. On that website, you can find motors for sale and price listed. A used motor is a lot less money then a rebuilt or re manufactured motor. Also, finding a motor near by, is a lot less costly then having a crated motor shipped to you. A Subie motor weights about 200 pounds, so pretty easy to haul in a pick up truck, or back of an SUV or station wagon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Another avenue, is to buy a used motor from a wrecking yard. Since you are in Illinois, there must be a foreign car wrecking yard near by. Over the years, I have purchased two Subie motors that turned out to be in great condition. Check out the website for wrecker parts............www.carparts.com. On that website, you can find motors for sale and price listed. A used motor is a lot less money then a rebuilt or re manufactured motor. Also, finding a motor near by, is a lot less costly then having a crated motor shipped to you. A Subie motor weights about 200 pounds, so pretty easy to haul in a pick up truck, or back of an SUV or station wagon. Motors from a wrecking yard are usually guaranteed for 30 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryb52 Posted February 11, 2015 Author Share Posted February 11, 2015 Jdmtiger has horrible reviews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 regarding used 03 ej25 engines, there are 2 risks, the fairly common, external head gasket leak , 00- 01 more so than 03 - 04. and the much less common bad rod bearing. (my 00 ej25 spun a rod bearing at 82k miles.) so i would rather risk a used engine than spend double the money on a JDM engine. a used engine is a risk, but it is a calculated risk. look for a good used engine in your area , ideally from a wrecked car. if it was running when wrecked, it was probably an ok engine. http://www.car-part.com sort by zip code to see what is close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montana tom Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Hi terry; here is the name & number of the japanese importer that I use , it's in coeur d' alene Idaho. 800-552-1595. I have installed over 2 dozen of these (not all subi) had one motor self destruct and they replaced it instantly no questions asked. Give them a call I think they have outlets everywhere. They are called "Foreign Engines" japanese specialists . They do ship anywhere. A wrecked low mile car is always a good choice if you can find one. Keep looking one will turn up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Shawn at http://retroroo.com/ Rick at http://ccrengines.com/ Both in CO. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryb52 Posted February 11, 2015 Author Share Posted February 11, 2015 Thanks for the suggestions, I am still hoping it will turn out I don't need an engine (see other thread coolant in the oil) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryb52 Posted February 11, 2015 Author Share Posted February 11, 2015 I moved back to Illinois from Colorado (family reasons) so maybe a trip out there is called for! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uniberp Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 (edited) I have been searching the internet for a used engine for my 2003 Forester and am terrified at the prospect. I thought I found a good deal til I decided to Google reviews. Yikes! And they use about 10 names. Now I'mparanoid. How do iI find a good company? Where do I find engines from Japan if I decide to go that route? I need help fast. No junk yards or subarus around here. Very American car country. I got an excellent new engine over a year ago from from http://www.ssisubiespecialists.com/ Check http://www.ebay.com/usr/ssisubiespecialists?_trksid=p2047675.l2559 IMO if the car is relatively solid a new engine is a good choice, even at the prices asked. After 4 engines in 6 subarus, I believe they are more susceptible than most to neglect. Edited February 11, 2015 by uniberp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryb52 Posted February 11, 2015 Author Share Posted February 11, 2015 (edited) This is my 2nd time dealing with a replacement engine. Previous was in a 98 outback that had a thrown rod. That was when I was living in Colorado and found a cheap one. Then I bought the Forester right before moving back to Illinois. I take very good care of my cars. This came as a real shock cause I've only put 30k on it in 4 years. 158k. Edited February 12, 2015 by terryb52 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryb52 Posted February 12, 2015 Author Share Posted February 12, 2015 Getting another oil change tomorrow to see if anything contaminated the oil. Mechanic said it was 2-3 quarts overfull!!!. Drove it about 20 miles today to circulate things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keith3267 Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I lived in Japan for three years back in the mid 70's and I would never buy a used engine from there. If you think you have seen traffic jams in the US, you have not seen a no-$hjt traffic jam like they have in Japan. A 7 mile commute took up to four hours one way. Morning wasn't too bad, about 45 minutes but the afternoon commute would last from 3pm to 7pm. At 40k miles (68k kms) the car was smoking like a jalopy and barely ran, had to junk it. If your lucky, you might get an engine from a country car where the miles are not so bad, but generally, the engines in Japanese cars do not last very long, it is a very tough environment for them. I have had bad luck with used engines, but I did get a very good engine for a Toyota from Proformance in Springfield, MO, but I think they have gone from a generalized reman factory to one that specializes in high performance engines now. There was a reman factory in Mass that was actually ISO9000 certified but I don't remember the name of the company. A quality reman engine should last 100k or more, but it won't be cheap. It can be very cost effective on a cost per mile basis if the vehicle is also good for another 100k and other major components are in good shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryb52 Posted February 16, 2015 Author Share Posted February 16, 2015 I had no idea the traffic was that bad in Japan! I am still hopeful I will not need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 used engine - resurface the heads, install EJ25 turbo headgaskets, and new timing belt kit. get one from a wreck with original headgaskets. www.car-part.com jdmenginedepot is online, they're about a grand or a little more, and they ship. outlier and anecdotal - but i bought one JDM engine and it had a blown headgasket when installed. their warranty was "we'll send you two new gaskets". hmm, no thanks, i'll pick my own gaskets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1997reduxe Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 i was gonna recommend the ccr place in colorado. the woman that used to write here really knew her stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccrinc Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 i was gonna recommend the ccr place in colorado. the woman that used to write here really knew her stuff Hey! I'm still around! Just had 2 full spine surgeries in the last 1 1/2 years, so no more shop for me. Or not very much anyway. I set up a VPN so I can work on the server at the office. I check in from time to time, and wave "hi" to everyone! Emily Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Emily--so good to hear your voice again! Sorry to hear about your back. Hope all is well now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Emily, glad you're hanging in there. Backs are tough. Take Care, Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccrinc Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Thanks, guys. Your words mean a lot to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1997reduxe Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 oh hey i never expected a response! glad you can still work Emily, and are recovering. my friend had a spine surgery and it was hell for him, of course in his case he got a staph infection in his spine (!) from the operation, so...but believe it or not hes better now. ive had my own share of problems over the past few years too i kind of meant i hadnt been around. glad youre ok. keep on trucking E. dan (97) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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