Should/Can i find a new engine or bury my Cat?

Topic: Should/Can i find a new engine or bury my Cat? (Read 1594 times) previous topic - next topic

Should/Can i find a new engine or bury my Cat?

March 16, 2008, 12:06:48 AM

Hello all.

Im not a car savy guy and Im not looking to any crazy restoring but I LOVE MY 1986 MERCURY COUGAR LS but it has kicked the bucket. And I was wondering if I could get some feedback on my dilema.

My grandpa gave me his Cougar about five years ago that was very well taken care off. I've had plenty of problems with it since its old but nothing has been to major until recently.

I took it to the shop that I usually go to and the guys there are trustworthy and everything and basicly told me i need a new engine and trans.

So the question is should I invest the $$$ to keep my 168 thousand mile cat running AND where/how would I even find an engine and a trans for my 86' (and would any other years work.)

BTW I believe its an 3.8L.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Should/Can i find a new engine or bury my Cat?

Reply #1 – March 16, 2008, 12:13:18 PM

you should be able to get a reman unit from a number of parts stores.

Should/Can i find a new engine or bury my Cat?

Reply #2 – March 16, 2008, 01:12:40 PM

I guess I would ask, how good of condition is the body? If it is still in good shape, this might be the perfect opportunity to step up to a 5.0L V8. You should be able to pick up a used one for a reasonable price.

Should/Can i find a new engine or bury my Cat?

Reply #3 – March 16, 2008, 02:39:10 PM

Quote from: jconn9;209351

Hello all.

Im not a car savy guy and Im not looking to any crazy restoring but I LOVE MY 1986 MERCURY COUGAR LS but it has kicked the bucket. And I was wondering if I could get some feedback on my dilema.

BTW I believe its an 3.8L.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

For the "unsavvy" that is unable to the mechanical work himself, you're looking at a large bill to have the engine and transmission replaced as well as the cost of the pair... Swapping to a 5.0 would be likely out of the question, since there would be other modifications required(generally mechanics only want to re-inst same as was removed)...

If you could find a good used engine/transmission possibly you could get the job done for $1500 or so, but with the poor reputation of the 3.8, you'd be taking a major chance...

Should/Can i find a new engine or bury my Cat?

Reply #4 – March 16, 2008, 04:47:13 PM

I will be pulling my 3.8 from my 1983 T-bird in about a month.(29k original miles) and selling it.I am not sure how easy it would be,to convert it to EFI (it is carbed) someone on the board could let you know if it would be worth the hassle or not.

Should/Can i find a new engine or bury my Cat?

Reply #5 – March 17, 2008, 07:41:00 AM

To answer your question, we'd ask another question. What' the most you are willing to spend to keep it going. If you love it, and don't mind $pending, and it's not rotted really bad, pay to have it fixed or upgraded. These are good cars. The kind they don't make any more.

Should/Can i find a new engine or bury my Cat?

Reply #6 – March 17, 2008, 08:03:04 AM

Everyone has a different idea of what there car is worth, and what they would spend to repair it. got some pics of it? It may help others lead you to the right answer.
I would say, if it looked like mine then no, (click link in sig)
If the body is good, then It's a matter of what you can spend to have the work done.
And welcome to the board.

Should/Can i find a new engine or bury my Cat?

Reply #7 – March 19, 2008, 12:30:02 AM

Craigslist! Someone might have one they are trying to get rid of.

You could probably get an engine/trans from a junkyard for a medium pile of green.

Do you have a buddy with a truck? If you pick it up and drag it to your mechanic he might cut you a deal.

What specifically is dead? If its the bottom end (pistons, crank), you can get a shortblock (the lower engine parts, re-use your old accessories, heads, and intake)

Its kinda odd that the trans would kick the bucket simultaneously.

If you post up specifics of whats dead we might be able to give you a little better direction.

Should/Can i find a new engine or bury my Cat?

Reply #8 – March 19, 2008, 05:31:38 PM

Thanks for ass the responses. Here are the answers to a few of your questions.

-The body is still is pretty good shape and I thought I had some pics on my PC but I must have deleted them, I'll up load some when I get it back from the shop (it's currently still drivable.)

-Theres some sort of rod loose in the engine ( knocking sound that gets louder when I accelerate) , the one the connects the connects to the pistons or something. I forget the name of it. As for the Trans when I'm driving for 30 mins or less when I stop at a light and then press on the gas it takes a sec for it to kick into gear.

-The shop said it cost $800-$1000 to do the work, I would just have to find one at a junkyard or wherever.

-I called around and found a few prospects. $425 for a used motor at one place, $1750 for a rebuilt one at another, $600 for a used engine (85k) and trans (122k),and $800 for both used (no mileage provided.)

-I am a "broke student" but have some money saved up. I guess under $2000. But the question is should I just invest $2000 and more into a newer car that might have fewer problems.

-@ inc: It does look better than yours. Less rust but it is starting to decay a little bit (is that fixable?). It does have 2 cracks in the windshield the developed over the past year or so (body problem?). And the passenger door handle it semi-broken and its "heat" is good enough to defrost and no AC. But other than that :tetas: its in good shape.

-My friends offered his 88-90 Buick La saber that has like 80-90K for $700. It has some new stuff put on it and is in decent condition but its no cougar.

Hope that helps. Thanks again.

Should/Can i find a new engine or bury my Cat?

Reply #9 – March 20, 2008, 08:59:57 AM

If you are looking to spend $2000 on a car and you are a college student, buy a used corolla, civic or something. Don't, repeat, don't by an 88-90 Le Sabre. There's probably a reason it's $700 and that is because it could need $1000 worth of work at any moment.

Otherwise find a good used drivetrain for $700 and pay someone to drop it in.

Should/Can i find a new engine or bury my Cat?

Reply #10 – March 21, 2008, 02:26:52 PM

ive seen those lesabres go over 200000 mi. they arent the
series 2 3800 but not a bad motor w/good care provided.
pretty good on mileage too. there are a lot of them running
around here. just my 2 cents.--irv