New engine in my 2008…what else to do?

Some bad news from Florida…the water pump on my ‘08 blew this week causing the engine to overheat and the mechanic said she’s beyond repair. Which means it’s a new engine for me! She’s sitting just shy of 180k miles.

Definitely not the news I wanted to get right after they told me one of the cats is bad as well. Oh well, can’t take the money with ya anyways right?

Current plan is to grab a junkyard engine and toss it in. So here’s my question, while I’ve got the engine ripped out, what else is worth doing in there? I’ll replace the spark plugs on the new one and definitely the water pump. The torque converter was diagnosed by the previous owner as being bad, worth buying a new one and seeing how the old one looks and replacing it if necessary and returning it if not?

Anything else worth doing I’m not thinking of?


Thanks for any help y’all!

 

Throw a new radiator in it, too

 

Was the temp gauge not working to warn you of the rising temp before engine failure?

 

Sure didn’t, was pegged dead center of the gauge like it always is

 

As a fellow '08 owner, this made my ears perk up. I think that at that age there's very little which you could replace and it wouldn't be money well spent...not that you aren't already looking at dropping some coin on just the things you mentioned. Keep us posted on how it goes with the motor replacement. This also makes me think I should just go ahead and replace my water pump and thermostat...and pulleys while I'm in there. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

I still don't get it. There would be obvious warning signs before engine failure. (Temp gauge, water leaks, noises?). How did the mechanic came to conclusion that it was beyond repair?

 

If the converter is bad putting a new one in it is ignoring the problem the trans will be full of what ever trashed the converter.

 

If the converter is bad putting a new one in it is ignoring the problem the trans will be full of what ever trashed the converter.


I have seen that happen before...Great suggestion !

 

07 with same mileage wondering if I should just replace also. I have my scan gauge always on water temp and always watching it. Would think I'd catch it climbing but you never know.

 

I was in this position about 13 years ago with a Jeep Grand Cherokee I had. After looking thru my options, it was just aboutn the same cost to put a remanufactured engine by Jasper in. I went that direction because of the warranty.

 

I wish I had an answer for the temp gauge and no overheat light but I’ve got nothing. End of the day doesn’t really matter how we got here…still get to pay the stupid tax for not replacing the water pump sooner.

Thanks for the suggestions so far everyone! As far as the transmission goes it was diagnosed probably 4 years before I got the truck, had a slight shudder when I got it but did a drain and fill of the transmission fluid and haven’t had a single problem since. For all I know it was misdiagnosed and is actually perfectly fine. Might just leave it alone and not fix something that doesn’t need fixing

 

In that case if it ain't broke don't fix it.

 

Same exact thing just happened to me at 180k miles. Gauge was at normal spot I was on the interstate. There is a coolant bypass hose going to your heater that’s made of plastic. It goes in between the intake manifold. You should replace it with a metal one while it’s all out. That’s what broke on mine and let all the coolant out. If you find way to get a cheap motor for this truck please let me know!

 

I think the temp sensor measures coolant and if there’s no coolant than it’s only reading hot air, giving a normal temperature. So if all your coolant has leaked out it’s not gonna give an accurate read. That’s how a buddy explained it to me at least.. somethin like that.