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Hi. New Member (5.0XR4)
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by 5.0XR4: [QB] What does a good 2.3L go for? Tough one. W/O trying to sound like a smartass, it depends on the condition, and mods the previous owner(s) made. You can often find a pulled one with 100K+ miles from a TBird, or other, for $150-$200, but you don't know the condition. Or you can pay $1400+ for one with a refreshed block, big valve heads, ported intake, custom exhaust manifold, etc. Remember, even if you find one that's been sitting in a garage for 6 years, these turbo 2.3L are almost 20 years now. The blocks are bulletproof, and very well "seasoned" by this point with all the heat cycles. BUT, its the heads which develop problems. You may get a deal for $200, and you might be able to just drop it in and go have fun. But, if you're serious about what you're putting in your car, just doing a compression check isn't enough. You'll be taking it apart to one degree or another, to find out what needs what. Everytime you take off the heads on one of these, you release the tension, and any cracks in the exhaust seat areas will open up. Plan on adding another $75 for Magnafluxing, $50-75 per weld to fix the cracks. And, you'll probably have 3 or 4 cracks. Add in the installation of new seat(s), 3 angle grinds on the seat and its valve, if not complete replacements of all the valves and seats, and you're in the $550-$600 range. Your investment is now at least $750. On the other hand, guys run these heads for years, with cracks, and don't have major problems. Or, don't even know the heads are cracked. The high heat tends to close the cracks up when the metal expands, and for the most part you don't notice any performance drop, ONCE THE ENGNE'S WARM. What that means for passing smog depends on how hot you can keep the engine prior to the tech getting it on the dyno. Even if you can get a real find, 100K not abused, you want to check on the springs and hydraulic tappets (lifters). You may be adding another $200-250 for stock replacements. If you do your own work. So, my point is, you can find one cheap, but who knows what it really costs you. [/QB][/QUOTE]
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