Looking for mechanical help

Hello,
I have a 2000 Prerunner that I love but has something wrong with one of the valves. I am not mechanically inclined at all but I do know that this will be an expensive fix. Truck has 215,000 miles but I have replaced a lot of stuff on it already and don't want to get rid of it unless the cost is prohibitive. I am looking for advice on what to ask or what type of shop I should look for to help me get it fixed. Dealership is out of the question because they said something in the 2K range to get it fixed...any help would be appreciated and I am sure there is other info that I should include to get the answer I am looking for but this is my first post. Thanks.

John R

 

Ask your local fire chief who he gets to work on his vehicles and welcome to TW !

 

Welcome to TW, John. Look through the regional threads, find some people in your local that might have referrals.

 

You can get a low mileage JDM engine for under $2000.00. In my opinion if the pickup is worth fixing (vs. buying something newer more money) I'd do that. Then again - I wonder what exactly the problem is. Do you have a burnt valve? Top end shouldn't cost that much to fix. Sounds a bit steap to me.

 

If you got a bad valve this is what you're looking at (in the least) in terms of work:



You can get jdm engines for $800-900 on eBay. I got an engine and a transmission for $1400 out of a running truck... If you have to take a head off, I'd just sooner replace the whole engine @ 200k miles - less detailed work. Newer engine. Not much more $.

 

Welcome and which motor do you have, v6 or 4cl? What part of the world do you live in?