How Much Does It Cost To Rebuild An Engine?

An engine rebuild is a less costly alternative to an engine replacement. Here are the signs that you need your engine rebuilt and the estimated cost.

Uh oh – if you’re already questioning if you need to rebuild your engine, you must have experienced some quite severe symptoms.

Fortunately, an engine rebuild can be a fantastic, less expensive alternative to an engine replacement.

How much does it cost to rebuild an engine?

One of the main factors is the car’s make and model. The more common it is, the less the parts are likely to cost.

The intricacy of the engine also matters, as well as which parts are salvageable. Regardless, the average cost of an engine rebuild sits around $2,500-$4,500.

Does that sound like a fantastic deal? It truly isn’t when you compare it to an engine replacement.

How much does an engine replacement cost? We will address that a little later.

First, I will examine a few of the most common signs that suggest you need your engine rebuilt.

Let’s start with the guide!

Table of ContentsShow

Signs That You Need Your Engine Rebuilt

Rattling Or Knocking Sounds While Idling

woman on phone opens car hood to look at engine

If you can’t hear your radio over the sounds of clattering and clanging, then there’s a good chance something is extremely wrong with your engine.

There are several causes your car might make a rattling or knocking sound while idling.

Most of which suggest disastrous failure. Some possibilities include broken parts, worn bearings, and a damaged timing chain.

Clattering Noises While Accelerating

If accelerating causes your engine to rattle, it’s likely that the pistons are moving around too much inside the cylinders. This is often referred to as Piston Slap, and if you disregard it for too long, it will only get worse, thus causing further damage.

The other possibility is that your timing chain/belt broke, which is accountable for ensuring the synchronization of your pistons.

Coolant In The Engine Oil And Vice Versa

coolant in oil

Coolant and oil should never mix. If for some reason, they do, it means there’s a grave internal issue.

Finding oil in your coolant or coolant in your oil suggests several possibilities, including a blown head gasket, a damaged cylinder, or a crack in the engine block. Each of these is a major fix, requiring countless hours to perform.

Engine Consistently Doesn’t Turn Over

There are many reasons why your engine may not want to start, many of which have simple solutions. However, if it happens consistently (even after changing/charging the battery), it is probably something more serious.

A few possibilities include a faulty starter motor, an issue in the wiring, or that the engine has seized.

While a starter is not always an expensive repair, it can be if it’s on a complex engine. Take a 2002 VW Passat W8, for instance, which, instead of costing $400-$600, costs approximately $1,000.

Thick Smoke Coming From The Exhaust

thick exhaust smoke

Regularly noticing thick white or blue smoke coming from your tailpipe is never a good sign.

If it is azure, it normally indicates oil entering the combustion chambers. If it is white, it could be water or coolant doing the same thing.

This can stem from many things, but the more significant reasons include a cracked engine block or a blown head gasket.

Engine Rebuild Cost

mechanic fixing or rebuilding engine

Regardless of which of the above symptoms you notice, there are countless reasons they might appear. If you aren’t experienced under the hood, your best bet is to have a competent automotive technician diagnose the cause.

If it turns out that the extent of the damage requires an engine rebuild to resolve, the exact costs depend on what needs to be done.

The first thing they’ll do is remove the head to see how intense the damage is. Sometimes, they may only replace the piston rings and hone and glaze the cylinders. However, they’ll have to lift the block out entirely if they notice the problem is more grave.

Here’s where the expenses of an engine rebuild start to rise.

Any parts that don’t meet manufacturer standards will be replaced or repaired. They’ll also prepare the cylinders for the fitting of fresh pistons. Some components, like the timing components, main bearing, rod, and freeze plugs, should also be switched.

The job may also require machining and finishing repairs, which often means it gets sent to a proficient expert.

Ok, back to the costs. If all your engine needs is to have its piston rings replaced and the cylinder walls honed and polished, this shouldn’t cost more than $200-$300. However, if the engine needs to be lifted out, this increases substantially.

Once it’s lifted out, much of the cost depends on which components need to be repaired or replaced.

Take a timing chain, for instance, which can run as high as $1,000 to replace. Then tack on the cost of a new water pump, oil pump, lifters, and journal bearings, which goes up another $1,000-$2,000 in supplementary expenses.

As for labor costs, most shops charge between $50-$100 per hour. The job itself usually takes between 10-20 hours to complete. Add these together, and you’re looking at a total sum of between $500-$2,000 for labor.

At the end of the day, the cost to rebuild an engine averages out to between $2,500 to $4,500.

Let’s now investigate how the brand and model of your car affect the cost of an engine rebuild.

How The Make And Model Of Your Car Factors In

cars

The price per part from one model to the next varies substantially. Much of this has to do with the import costs of getting foreign parts from overseas. However, another factor is the popularity of the vehicle. A mass-produced part is almost always less expensive than one that isn’t.

Take a Volkswagen Passat W8, for example.

To replace the starter on an average car, you’ll likely spend between $300-$500. However, on a Passat with the W8 engine, it’s closer to $1,000. Why? Because with this model, you have to lift the engine out completely to reach the starter, which isn’t the situation with most other models.

The complexity of this engine, and the fact that it’s imported, cause the price to double!

The same is true when rebuilding an engine. Each job requires consideration of every particular part that gets replaced, how long it takes, and if any additional repairs are needed.

Regardless, rebuilding an engine is almost always less expensive than an engine replacement, which sits between $4,000 to $8,000 on average.

How Much Does It Cost To Rebuild An Engine?

mechanic working on car engine in garage

Well, it is significantly reduced if you never have to do it in the first place.

Your best bet is to maintain your vehicle throughout its lifespan properly. This includes performing routine oil changes, replacing filters on time, keeping an eye on your brakes, and more.

However, if you need to rebuild your engine, be sure to get several quotes from reliable mechanics just to be on the safe side.

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Joshua Barrett

Josh Barrett is a writer hailing from the great state of Alaska. While describing himself in the third person is not his forte, writing about any and all things automotive – is. After 13+ years hustling in the exciting world of car sales, he took off to travel the world with his dog Teemo.