Tips on Replacing my 2005 V6 Engine

I'm a site newbie, so I apologize for my clear ignorance in advance. I am hoping that I can get some advice on replacing the engine on my 2005 Automatic V6 4x4 Double Cab. I bought my truck, used and as-is from a dealership back in October when it had about 199,000 miles on it. It was running great and even got some awesome compliments for the condition it was in right up until I took it in for a vehicle speed sensor error and a strange whirring sound coming from the engine last week.

Turns out my passenger side sub-chain tensioner bolt came out and went THROUGH the engine, VSS error was unrelated, pretty sure. Now, this is the fault of someone who worked on the engine before I bought the truck because nobody has been in the engine since I started driving it, so I can't get any sort of money back. The shop said they found the bolt when they dropped the oil pan, and it was super eaten up, and there was a ton of shredded steel in the oil pan as well, so we'll need to replace the engine soon based on how much damage the engine endured with the bolt going through it. The shop estimated ~$14K to replace the engine (parts and labor) but a friend from work said, "f that, I'll help you switch it out this summer."

I have no idea where to start looking for a replacement engine besides my preliminary Google searches. Is there anything I should watch out for while choosing an engine or while swapping the engine out? I'm a mechanical engineer by trade, so I'm pretty good with mechanical stuff, but I've never done much on my own vehicles. Is there a resource you would suggest for a good step-by-step guide or 3D model of the engine I could poke around in? I'm sure my friend will be very helpful as he's done tons of stuff like this before, but I'd like to know what I'm doing and be close to being on the same page when it comes to terminology and general procedure when we actually start doing the work.

Any info will be helpful, thanks!!!

 

07-11’ engines should bolt right in.
12-15’ you’ll need to buy headers with the block off plat for the Secondary Air Injection System. Or get the stock manifolds for the 2012+ engine and buy the block off plate for the manifold.
Plus swap you intake I think?

Don’t get a used 05-06 engine. They were know for head gasket issues.
They redesigned the gasket for the 07+ engine.

 

Stay with the years 2005 to 2011, I think in 2012 they change the manifolds and you would have to do some modifications
Try bone yards and try keep mileage low
A good used one should run 2-3 K

 

And TNshooter is absolutely correct in his post

 

You can keep an eye out for another truck and buy it then sell off the truck you have now or part it out. If you want to keep your truck, place it on the back burner until you can line up another engine for it. Either way keep as many options open as you can.

Edited: I read that you are a mechanical engineer
You can have time working on your side if your truck is not a daily driver and keep an eye out for another engine.

 

Yeah, I'm definitely going to try to keep it unless I can find another one for less than $7K. I have a crappy car I can drive around all summer while I wait for an engine to poke its head out. Everything else on the truck is in such good condition, I'd hate to just let it go to.

 

Welcome to TW!

 

14k no way...

pretty sure a jasper engine is around 3-4k, then add roughly another 3-4k in labor...

I would easily guess for around 8k you could have a fresh motor

 

I would be tempted to pull a couple of rod and main caps and take a look at what kind of damage is there. Depending on what you see, you may get by with a new timing set and a thorough cleaning.

 

I was under the impression the redesign was in 09.

 

It was actually late 2006. But since there is not a “definitive” date of when, it’s better to just go with 2007.

 

According to forum consensus, they switched to the new head gaskets in November of 2005. Check the manufacture date.

Personally, I'd scope the cylinders on the old engine to see if it could just be rebuilt. It doesn't sound like it ran dry or threw a rod, right, it was still running? If the cylinders don't look scored, maybe pull the heads to investigate. If it doesn't look like total carnage, I'd take it to a machine shop to see if they could rebuild the bottom end and the heads for you. They know what can be repaired and what can't. Worth a shot, and even if it's fubared, by then you're already half way through replacing it. Personally I'd prefer a rebuild using a good local shop, re-assembled myself, vs. rolling the dice on a junkyard motor or a jasper. That way I'll know a timing bolt isn't about to back out, or if it did, I'd at least know who to blame.

But I agree, replacing it would be easier and faster.

Also consider whether or not you want a warranty. You can't swap in a Jasper engine yourself and have a warranty, as far as I know. Has to be a shop. Junkyard engines may have some sort of warranty but it will be for the engine only and may or may not cover shadetree installations. Personally I don't care about a warranty, I want the absolutely most-reliable solution to the problem, which is why I generally prefer doing things myself.

Finally, you can find the factory shop manual for these trucks online. It's frustrating to follow sometimes but ultimately quite detailed, and it will cover engine removal/replacement as well as teardown. Combined with this forum and other corners of the internet, it's enough to tackle nearly any repair job.

 

When you say, "keep an eye out for another engine" what do you mean? How should I go about doing that, exactly?

 

If you think that you can improve your situation by picking up another truck for parts to bring your truck up.