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Lkq engines

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by acp380, Mar 22, 2017.

  1. acp380

    acp380 Member

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    Anyone have any experience with dealing with lkq? particularly dealing with used engines. I'm currently looking to buy a used 1.8 engine for my 2012 prius. Most of everything I'm finding comes from lkq. There are a few out there from other companies but lkq seems to dominate the market. I'm about ready to make a purchase but I can't help but notice the horror stories (customer reviews) that I am finding about lkq. Now out of the thousands and thousands of reviews, most of them are positive. But the more than a few negative ones are making me hesitant to make a purchase.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Hit or miss on used engines. I believe they guarantee them
     
  3. JStrenk

    JStrenk Member

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    I bought a used engine for my sons Mitsubishi and it was perfect.
    I was very hesitant to buy it because it came from so far away but I lucked out. Was very happy with the purchase.
    As long as you can send it back.....
     
  4. acp380

    acp380 Member

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    I'm leaning towards purchasing one of their engines from lkq's ebay listing. I plan on purchasing one that is located in Houston and then picking it up myself. That will give me the opportunity to inspect it before leaving with it. The bad reviews I'm seeing are from people that receive engines with pieces broken off or missing parts and and it's next to impossible to get a refund as the customer service is allegedly horrible. I know I can only get a visual of the exterior of the motor but it would make me feel much better than blindly getting one In the mail. That way if im not satisfied with the engine and tell them on the spot that I want a refund.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.



    Merged.



    Any tips on a thorough engine inspection greatly appreciated.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  5. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    I'd like to unpack the reason for the motorectomy briefly.
    Lubrication problem or is the motor completely TANGO-UNIFORM???

    A 2012 is awfully young to need a heart transplant, and I've seen lots of threads where Priuses are "suddenly" using oil where dealerships are advising that customers replace the motor. I just want to make sure in your case that this replacement can't be kicked to the right by about 50-100,000 more miles.

    Let us know how it shakes out.
    I thought I saw a transaxle replacement procedure but not one for the motor.

    If you have a camera it might be a good opportunity to do a write-up.

    Good Luck!!!
     
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  6. acp380

    acp380 Member

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    Etc the car has 240000 miles and sees an oil change once every 50000 if it's lucky. It's been using a quart of oil every couple weeks for the past 75-100000 miles. Also ran it until the oil light would flicker during a turn or quickly stopping...a few times. Plugs got replaced for the first time at 230000 miles. There is no doubt as to why it went kaput..lol...I'm just shocked it survived this long.
    Last week it started blowing steam out of the exhaust. Found droplets of water in the oil..2 days ago it started knocking horrendously.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    @acp380 Did you get a quote from a dealership about installing a used engine? I can't remember from your other thread. I'm just wondering if that would be safer: they take complete responsibility, you don't get your hands dirty. I appreciate the cost goes up, and maybe they're not willing to even do a used engine swap? But maybe if it was in the neighbourhood of 3~4 grand it'd be worth it for peace of mind? Especially if they would let you vet the potential donor engines, ie: how much (alleged) mileage on them.
     
  8. acp380

    acp380 Member

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    If I had the money I'd get a mechanic to do it for the reasons you state. But unfortunately I dont. We are living on a single income with 4 kids. The only reason I have money to buy the engine is because it is tax season. I've always done my own mechanic work and have pulled and reinstalled a few engines and trannys in my day so I am confident I can do the work..especially with the support of this forum.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  9. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Well.....you've certainly gotten your money's worth out of that one, eh?

    I'd be careful paying more than about $700 on a new motor since you're probably going to have to pay for it to be installed and you've already proven that an engine can be severely neglected and still give you most of 100,000 miles.....besides if your car has lunar mileage then other things are going to start going wrong with it very quickly based on the vehicle's service history.

    No.
    I would in no way let a dealer anywhere near this repair.
    See if you can pay it done with a local wrench.

    Good Luck!!!!
    I'm curious how this one will turn out.


    Non related: I'm shopping for my first 380 for cargo shorts duty this summer.
    Haven't picked a flavor yet....... ;)
     
  10. acp380

    acp380 Member

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    I(my wife) have a ruger lcp..she has tiny hands and likes it...what I like about it is that it fits nicely in my jeans 5th pocket or my carhart jacket inside pocket. ..very concealable.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.


    BTW, merged. just edit your post if it is still editable, which it was, don't post back to back.


    BTW acp is my initials. And acp45 was probably taken..lmao so I had to settle for 380.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  11. Unproductive1

    Unproductive1 New Member

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    I also had a LKQ motor off of ebay, but it was for a Mazda, worked great besides the east coast corrosion, had 50k miles on it I think and cost $750 ish even with shipping
     
  12. acp380

    acp380 Member

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    Picked up my engine yesterday in Houston at a HUUUGGEE warehouse off richey road. So far I'm satisfied with it. No broken pieces from that casting. Looks like some accessories are there including water pump,coils, throttle body. It's fairly clean. All the holes were plugged to prevent contamination except for the throttle body had a little gunk on the butterfly that didn't look car related. If it is defective I have the one from my car. Also the oil had been drained but a little residual was on the end of the dipstick and it looked like fresh new oil.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.


    Merged.


    Be on the lookout for my engine swap thread. I'm not very good at documenting things but I'll do my best. I'd also much appreciate some support.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #12 acp380, Mar 29, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 29, 2017
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  13. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Before you begin:

    1. IMO it is worth pulling off the water pump and checking its functionality
    2. If the egr cooler is on the car with the valve, worth pulling off and inspecting before it is in the car and access is challenging
    3. Pull the intake manifold and check passages from the egr system.
    If you were closer to the Bay Area, I'd be more than willing to assist. No trips to the Republic of TX in the future though:(.

    Keep us posted and take as many pics or videos as you can(y).

    Don't discard the old engine either. I think @m.wynn has some experimenting he'd like some answers on.
     
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  14. m.wynn

    m.wynn Senior Member

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    +1 on cleaning entire EGR circuit on the replacement engine before you drop it in!! Out of paranoia, I'd throw a new, Aisin WPT-190 water pump on it, too. I do understand some irrationality on my part here, though...

    Water pump functionality test and EGR cooler coolant leak testing on the old engine would be huge.

    Have fun with the project!
     
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