97 3.1 engine swap

[good samaritan]

Camshaft bearing seized. I can get another engine and need to know if it is worth doing myself.
I have never done an engine swap on FWD before.
Any suggestions or shortcuts welcome.

[Forscythe87]

An engine drop shouldn't be too hard. I'm not a mechanic, but I helped a friend with his 3400 (basically the same) and it was a piece of cake.

Money wise it seems dropping one in would be the smartest bet, depending on the condition of the car. Getting something new will easily run you a lot more.

Have you priced an engine yet? They can be had for under $400 with a fair amount of miles on them.

[good samaritan]

thanks for the advice.
lowest price so far is $580 with 102k miles on it.
anyone with an inside track to finding one cheaper please respond
thanks

[jeffcoslacker]

That's pretty cheap...a good 3.1 with miles around 100K goes for around $800 here...

Personally I prefer to pull motor and transaxle together and separate on the ground, some FWD cars HAVE to be done that way..just not enough room to pull the engine forward to get it off the transaxle....but the Lumina isn't one of them.

Here's an overview...

http://www.autozone.com/shopping/rep...090d3e#hd1-1-2

Sounds like a lotta work, but it all boils down to the old "Get everything outta the way and yank it"...nothing special...

[Forscythe87]

Originally Posted by good samaritan

thanks for the advice.
lowest price so far is $580 with 102k miles on it.
anyone with an inside track to finding one cheaper please respond
thanks

www.car-part.com

The inventory is usually off by a day or two so all because it lists something doesn't mean its guaranteed in stock. you can locate em pretty cheap. I know 2 people on other forums that got a 3400 for $500.

[good samaritan]

thanks for the links people.
Is there any other engines I could use without going through extra changes. (i.e. camaro or monte with same year?)
Like I said before first time with FWD, give me the old days when you could pull an engine from a 72 pontiac rebuild it and drop it back in over the weekend with no problems.

[good samaritan]

Update on engine swap. everything went pretty easy although I had to swap out sensors and intake manifold (different connectors in harness).
The car fired right up second crank and ran great.
Now kid says it will only start if the starter is jumped with the key in the on position. The car has aftermarket alarm w/remote start and no name brand.
Any ideas on what could have happened.