Whether you drive a Chevy, Dodge, or Ford diesel truck, there are a variety of options out there for a replacement engine. Depending on your truck's worth, it may depend on the type of engine and the amount of money you want to put into it. You can purchase a used, rebuilt, remanufactured, or even new diesel engine to replace your old. At T&A Truck Specialist, Inc in Tampa, FL, we’re here to help you choose the right one.
Used
Used isn’t the best option for a variety of reasons, but it really depends on your truck. If it’s an old truck that you just want to keep on the road a little longer and get it fixed as cheaply as possible, used might be the right choice for you. However, beware of notoriously short warranty periods, suspiciously low mileage units, and the likelihood of that engine developing an issue not far down the road. If you have a nicer truck worth a little more money, or you simply don’t want to take the risk we recommend staying away from used engines.
Rebuilt
A rebuilt engine is better than used, but has a lot of the same shortcomings - a rebuilt engine will reuse a lot of parts that haven’t failed yet but could be on the verge of failure. Similar to used engines, rebuilt engines also aren’t warrantied for long, and the quality of a rebuild varies widely depending on whether it was done by a trusted source. If you’ve got the time to let a good rebuilder do the work, and your engine is still rebuildable, a rebuilt engine can be a good choice.
Remanufactured
Remanufactured units are an area where you get what you pay for - and it doesn’t pay to cut corners. Remanufactured units are zero mileage, well warrantied, and different from rebuilt engines in a variety of ways. A good remanufactured unit has been meticulously inspected, machined, and every part has been qualified or replaced, with the end result being a like new engine. Jasper Engines is the most widely recognized and does updates to correct factory flaws as well. However, quality varies widely across the board with remanufacturers, and it’s important to use a brand you trust - be wary of warranties that are too good to be true, and lack of transparency about parts and processes.
New
New units aren’t available for every truck - it depends heavily on overstock and whether or not your engine is still being produced. If you buy from the dealer, you’ll either get a new or remanufactured unit, and it’ll be exactly like the one you already have; that can be good or bad, depending on how reliable your original engine was. New units are going to be an exact copy of the engine you already have, and will also be warrantied much better than a rebuilt or used engine. Sometimes the warranty will only apply if it’s been serviced by a dealer though, so be sure to get clarification on the details before proceeding.
If you still need a second opinion on what direction you want to go, our professional technicians are here to help. At T&A Truck Specialist, Inc in Tampa, FL, we’ll help you make a choice and track down the engine that’s right for you.
