New Engine needed

Okay, three years ago I overheated my 1998 Tacoma engine and the local shop I was using said I need a new one. I've been on and off spending time looking for an establishment in Arizona and on line nationally looking for a remanufactured engine.....of course there are plenty available however almost every distributor had bad reviews for service/ warranty, etc. Of course I get the same negative reviews for just about every shop around town also (Phoenix)...rather shocking indictment of the entire industry.....sadly.

Two Questions:
Can anyone in this forum recommend a rock solid engine remanufacturer with a good track record and good warranty?

What approach is best? Should I have my own 238,000K engine remanufactured or roll the dice and get one off the shelf already done. Time is not an issue (my truck sitting on the side of the house for two years already!) I'm told that there is a risk that they could get my old engine taken apart only to realize that its not able to be repaired (block cracked) and I'm stuck holding a bill($). But at the same time, maybe its just the head cylinder or fried gasket, etc. which is a cheaper repair alternative to a whole new rebuilt/reman. engine.

Just need some guidance and advice. I miss my truck big time...... Thanks!

 

I hear a lot about JDM remans and from wreckers, lots of people have good experiences and just know you're not going to get more than like 10k miles or 1 year warranty

 

What is wrong with your engine? Did they tell you?

 

Build your own , If you cant have it done . LC Engineering is who I would call . TRD in Dallas has even talked good about them . That motor you have is tougher than you realize . Build it !!! It will last a long time . Use the best parts you can find

 

Serge,
so here's the deal. I had a leaking water pump and it was the middle of the summer. Like a knuckle head I let my radiator dry up and my engine stuttered and then stopped working. Towed it to my regular shop and they said I'm losing compression in two cylinders and that I must have fried my engine. At that point I started researching and talking to folks. Some folks said it could just be the head gasket fried up or the head cylinder cracked, etc. and that it might not require a new engine.....but to find out they would need to pull the heads (estimate $2000) to check. They warn that if they pull the heads off and the engine is whacked I just wasted $2000.... so that is where I am.
What would you do? I see you're experienced. If I have to get another engine, I don't want a rebuild, but would rather remanuafacture this engine or get another reman engine (all new parts)

 

If they're charging you $2000 to open it up and check it, how much are they charging you to rebuild it?

I would just rebuild.

 

wow, $2k just to "pull" the heads and check? do it yourself and take it to someone to check. but if there is any doubt a used/reman might be better money spent?

 

Since you over heated it it could just be a head gasket issue. Pull the heads and take them to a reputable machine shop to have them checked. I'm not sure of your mechanical abilities, but with the proper guidance and the right tools its not too bad of a job.

 

I blew a head gasket a while back, I can say good things about jdm. I think it was about $1300 for a 40k-70k engine delivered to my door, took me about a week of evenings and a few busted up knuckles, and riped wires lol but I swapped the engines, note most of the time you need to swap over all the fuel delivery, and intake systems.

 

I've read here to watch buying JDM because of flood damage from the tsunami. A lot of those engines have been cleaned up and shipped over here. I recently purchased a 96 4runner with a seized 3.4 so i'm shopping for a replacement motor now. When i bought my taco with a blown motor i bought a 69k mile complete 3.4 out of a wrecked 03 taco from a Az. salvage yard. It's a easy swap, i did it by meself and i didn't even have to remove the hood.

 

Thanks for the suggestions....I think I can handle pulling the heads out and get them inspected as Frizzman and 68dave mentioned. If they check out to be okay though, what would be the next step? Cracked engine block? (although I heard its almost impossible to crack a taco block (true?)...

 

Hopefully the heads check out good and it's just a head gasket issue. Take the old head gaskets to the machine shop with the heads and have one of the machinist look at the gaskets also to see if he can confirm that a gasket was the cause. Sometimes you can see the defect in a bad head gasket. Heads should still need to be checked and machined.