Question about replacing car engine?

Coolant was replaced.

Transmission fluid was replaced if the transmission was included in the replacement.

Oil was included too but should have been changed every 3K miles or four months since.

So no brake fluid? And oil has been changed every 3 months since then. Just not sure when to replace brake fluid/trans fluid? No clue when it was done.

The total was around $3500. Would that include the engine and transmission on this type of car?

Take the car to a Ford service department.

Ask them to run the car’s VIN to get information on past services (at least that took place at a Ford dealer.

Go from there.

BTW Ponies, OMG!!

Ok thank you for your response! I also heard if you’ve never had a tranny flush on a car and it has high mileage (180k is what his has) than it will cause the tranny to fail if you flush it? Should we just leave it alone then?

I would advise against the Tranny flush. Especially if the transmission isn’t giving you any problems.

Most of them do little good and can actually make things worse.

Alright, thank you very much for you help.

Anytime!

To be absolutely sure about what was and wasn’t done, you should find any paperwork that was given to you when the work was done. You should have a receipt that should say what was done. We can speculate what should have been done under normal circumstances, but a lot of the time, that can vary a lot from one mechanic to another.

My rule of thumb is that, if you don’t have the paperwork, it didn’t happen. Another is to not trust the mechanic unless I saw them do the work, but I’m that type of guy. Given teh relatively low costs tranny fluid, I would do it myself anyways just to be sure. I see no reason for them to touch the brake fluid since I doubt they had to do anything to the brake system that would call for bleeding them. Coolant was likely replaced as there is no practical way to remove the engine without draining the coolant system.

Regarding the tranny flush, the pressure of the flushing process can knock stuff loose. I went for a simple drain-and-fill when I got my Corolla; after 208k miles (possibly on the original fluid!) it was about the same color as the oil and smelled faintly of charcoal.

@jerv Were going to try and call the place that did the work and get more info. So instead of a tranny flush (if we needed to) would a drain and fill of the tranny fluid be better?

Replace transmission fluid if deemed necessary.

If the transmission was a part of the engine replacement from a year ago it’s fine if replaced properly and with the correct product.

Having documentation or the engine (transmission?) replacement is important. for a number of reasons. Including the fact that engine replacement can add to n old car’s value should you decide to sell. The buyer will insist on proof.

Don’t change your oil every 3 months, unless you’re putting over 7000 miles on it in that time frame.

Modern cars and oil can go that much (or far more pending the brand) without requiring a change.

I doubt they changed your tranny or brake fluids. As stated, I wouldn’t touch the tranny fluid unless it’s giving you problems. Brake fluid is easy enough, but I would get a garage to do it if you don’t know what you’re doing.

When changing the oil go by mileage (3k)

The time rule 4 months is for cars that are driven little.

Whatever you do. Don’t use the likes of Jiffy Lube. They aren’t necessarily equipped for or aware of the possible specific needs of your car.

(An example) Honda uses a soft aluminum washer as a gasket for the oil drain plug. It cannot be reused. JL does not have these and will overtighten the plug to try to make a proper seal. Just one overtightening can strip the threads in the oil drain hole and ruin the entire oil pan.

Also, an oil change in an opportunity to have a technician (not an oil change hack) have a look over the bottom of the car for problems. Problems that can be resolved before they worsen.

To get your business most dealershps now charge little more than JL and use parts specific to your vehicle.

Finally, repeated oil changes is a cheap way to develop a good relationship with a service department. The more business you give them the more breaks they’ll cut you when they can.

@Crashsequence2012 You do not need to change your car oil at 3000 miles anymore. 7000–7500 is about where you should, but you can stretch even that if you’re using a good brand and you take care of the car.

You are correct about the Jiffy Lube locations though, if you’re going to have someone change your oil, stay clear of them. Personally no one touches my car but me or a relative who I know knows their stuff.

The OP’s car is too old to have oil quality sensors. They should simply change regularly and frequently.

An easy way to stretch the life on an old car is to be quick with the oil changes.

But it’s not the oil I’m worried about too much, it’s filter failure.

@Crashsequence2012 The 3000 mile oil change mark is about 25–30 years out of date my friend, if not more. Cars made in the 90s that were at least moderately well maintained, using respectable or better oil… can easily get well past 3000 miles without any issues. You can in fact stretch the life of the car by changing the oil frequently, but at a certain point you’re just wasting your money and tossing out oil that still has a few thousand miles in it.

Like I said it’s not the oil I’m worried about.

When BMW started offering totally free service some years back the oil service interval miraculously jumped from 3K to 6k.

We started getting cars towed in with engines ruined by blown filters. The result? Warranty engine replacement.

After a little time oil service returned to 3K.

@Crashsequence2012 Like many things, that also varies. My ‘85 Corolla calls for oil every 5k under severe use, 10k under light use, and calls for thicker oil than most shops carry; you cannot use 10W30 if you ever expect temperatures over 60F while that oil is far too thick for many modern cars under any conditions. (I use 20W50 most of the time.) As my car is a bit different from many others though, I do not recommend using my oil schedule on anything other than old Toyota 4A-LC engines.

Check your manual.

Also, avoid Jiffy Lube type places. I’ve seen drain plugs either tight enough to destroy the oil own, or loose enough to leak oil and cause engine seizure.

@Crashsequence2012 The filters hold up just fine too. I’ve been driving cars my whole life and helping maintain cars going all the way back to the early 90’s when I could barely hold the flashlight to help. In my family you don’t change the oil before 5000, and even then it’s only when you’re utterly babying a car. And that’s from a family of car designers.

I’m assuming the OP might want to “baby” the car.

They have no documentation as to the contition of the replacement engine.

I wouldn’t make such a mistake but if I had I would err on the side of caution.

@Crashsequence2012 I had a car engine block catch on fire once. We continued to do oil changes at 5000–7000 mile increments and the car still runs today, almost 10 years later.

If you change your oil every 3000 miles, you’re an idiot, point blank end of story. And if you want, I can probably get someone on the phone who helped design any car in question, and have him confirm that for you.

You’re right.

My story regarding BMW filter failure was a complete fiction.

I never saw the pulp in the engines.

I never saw them removed.

I never saw them packed in crates and shipped back to Germany.

@Crashsequence2012 Sounds like you had a lemon filter. One example from your life doesn’t negate the literally hundreds of examples I can provide, as well as statements from the very people who designed the cars in the first place and work on them for a living.

My older brother worked for Honda until a few months ago (got hired on at GM). He had called me multiple times in the midst of a day where he was pulling out his 15th or 16th engine or transmission for the day so he could run tests on them ensuring their reliability and functionality…. He laughed, at great length, when someone suggested to him that you should/must change your oil and/or filter every 3000 miles. In fact if I recall correctly he said in many cases you don’t even have to do the filter every time you do the oil, at 7000–7500.

I’ve heard that as well

As is the case with most Honda designs the filter is likely intentionally overbuilt.

I’m just not taking any chances with my 200K+ Integra that still sometimes gets pushed hard.

From Honda to GM? how does he stand it?

@Crashsequence2012 Haven’t talked to him since the move (it wasn’t even a month ago). My uncle who worked at GM for around 40 years doing the same thing though, spoke very highly of it. (he also agreed that oil changes at 3000 miles are “a money grab scheme.”)

Considering how many Honda engines are boosted to 3–5 times their stock output without replacing the bottom end like you’d have to with most American engines, and the abuse I’ve heaped on various Toyotas that killed three American cars, I think it safe to assume that Japanese carmakers over-engineer their engines. The Big Three? Generally rather fragile even stock. As for the German stuff, I generally don’t trust any built after ‘90.

I’m running all motor with a four bolt main bearing.

I appreciate your concern.

While replacing engine, refilling oil and coolant gives your car a better performance. If mechanic, (who replaced your engine) did not change those things, then you can ask him to do this also.
As your engine swap is already completed, you can also change your fluid by yourself, to know about this as well as some engine maintenance tips visit www.hiperformer.com/engine_basics page.
Here you can get help and solutions on all types of troubles in your car engine.