89 S-10 4.3L V6 Problems

Hello,

I bought an 89 S-10 and on the way home it started knocking a bit on the highway, exit was about 5 miles to gas station so just went easy and then the headgasket blew about 2 miles later. Coolant boiling out of the reservoir etc. Had it towed the next morning to a mechanic, said it'd be about 900$ to do the headgasket. Today they called me and said that a headgasket isn't going to fix the knock and told me to call this other shop that does motors and that I needed to get a used motor put in ... bleh.

Any ideas on what I should expect to pay to have a used 4.3L put in and approximate labor/parts cost?

Thanks.

Josh

Ask the shop what caused all the problems, and if the seller did something to cover up an existing problem you might be able to do something about it.
That would be called Fraud and it's illegal everywhere.

Parts and Labor costs vary everywhere.
If you don't need it right away watch Ebay for the motor.
A good backyard Mechanic will do the job, and will save you hundreds on labor.
Just ask around.
The shop where it's at might work out a cash deal for you too.

Just remember with a used motor it's Buyer Beware.

There are 2 or more people on this forum doing a V-8 conversion soon, that I would trust.
They might be willing to sell you their 4.3 if you ask them

I got a quote of $1200 from the shop to install a used 4.3L w/o any mileage guarantee, they said they don't guarantee motors that are that old as far as mileage goes ...

I wouldn't either, but most auto wrecks will throw on a 30 to 90 day warranty on a motor.
You still have to cover the cost of the labor if it's a bad engine

Some auto wrecks will install it for you, and they they might just cover everything if there are any problems during that period