Long may your car's engine run

When she and her husband, Richard, considered getting a new hatchback or SUV, other models suffered in comparison -- too much gas consumption or too little room. Nothing was just right, except the oil-sucking Corolla. They even looked online for other '96 Corolla hatchbacks with low miles, but they didn't want to go to the East Coast to check one out.

Unwilling to pull the plug on Old Reliable, they consulted Dan Mattila, the car "doctor" at Dan's Complete Automotive Care in Blaine, who was there when their Corolla had its first oil change. Mattila suggested a solution that can be cheaper than buying a new car -- a rebuilt engine in the existing vehicle. Nearly $5,600 later, the Circle Pines residents got a new engine, and now Lynn hauls groceries to food shelves without complaint.

While that might seem like a greener solution than sending a beater to the scrap heap, engine replacements don't always save a lot of green. It's not a good solution for many people, said Mattila. The price can range from $2,500 to $6,000, depending on the engine. "I talk people out of it all the time," he said.

When the owner of a Saturn with a broken timing belt and ruined cylinder head asked about engine replacement recently, Mattila advised against it, based on the car's poor transmission and shabby interior. He said it makes more economic sense to replace engines in accident-free, well-maintained cars with little or no rust. Even then, an owner can spend more on the new engine than the car is worth.

The Rossiters' car had 190,000 miles on it, but many high-mileage vehicles are not good candidates for engine replacement. After 150,000 miles, expensive parts start to break down, said John Ibbotson, workshop supervisor for Consumers Union in East Haddam, Conn. Antilock brake modules and pumps can be $1,000, electronic body control modules $500 to $1,000, and catalytic converters $500 to $2,000. It's important to know the long-term reliability of the engine.

"I'm a Ford nut, but the engine and drivetrain in a Toyota or a Honda will go twice as long as a Taurus will," said Mattila.

Anyone considering an engine replacement can check reliability records in the April issue of Consumer Reports.

The green factor in rebuilt engines is, well, a bit gray. Ibbotson said that not every car with a bad engine goes to a scrap heap. Many go to salvage yards for parts. In fact, some engines are rebuilt from refurbished parts. A rebuilt or repowered engine re-uses all the original castings. A new crankshaft might be used, but it's usually reground to a new set of measurements, said Mattila. Hard components are re-used, including the engine block, cylinder head castings, valve covers and oil pans. Wear components such as gaskets, seals, bearings, the oil pump, pistons, rings and valve-train components are new.

Ari Ofsevit, the HourCar vehicle sharing program manager in Minneapolis, said that engine replacement hasn't crossed his radar screen as a green alternative. He questions the practicality of replacing an engine in a vehicle that might also need a new transmission. Then there's the person who wants to hold onto a gas guzzler instead of replacing it with a more fuel-efficient model.

For the Rossiters, the green factor was a consideration but not an overpowering one. In fact, they would have appreciated newer safety features, such as side air bags.

Mattila's shop replaced eight engines in 2008. He's been replacing them for 32 years, and although interest in repowering an engine has increased recently, Mattila says that he's doing fewer replacements now than 20 years ago because vehicles last almost twice as long. Cars that could last 100,000 miles can now last up to 200,000 miles with good maintenance, Ibbotson said.

Since the Rossiters had their Corolla engine replaced, they've had a cam seal that was repaired under warranty (the rebuilt engine has a two-year, all-inclusive warranty). Would he do it over again? After a pause, Rossiter admitted that he might have had unrealistic expectations that it would feel like a new car.

"It still has some of the old shakes and rattles that it had before the engine was replaced," he said. "But it's nice not having a new car payment."

John Ewoldt • 612-673-7633 or jewoldt@startribune.com