5sfe rebuild?, 5sfte/3sgte guys please chime in.. Options

[samir0189]

Before i start, let me say that i ran a search and found alot of info about this, and yes it has been discussed before, but my hearts not content with what i've found.

My celi is getting pretty up there in mileage and i read horror stories all the time, so before my 5s catastrophically craps out on me, i wanna either rebuild it or figure out if i should just save for a swap.

basically all i want to ask is if i decide to rebuild the 5s, is there anything i should do now while someone will be in there that will assist with a future turbo setup? I don't have the money for a turbo now, so thats out of the question at the moment, but id love to prepare the bottom end for boost. Pistons? rods? any suggestions? is stock better? mainly, how much will this cost me? average with parts and labor, and what are the costs of pistons?

Ive also read not to even think about a 3s swap unless ive got 6k lying around, which i don't. Is this really true? 6k? i see 3sgtes selling for 800 sometimes on ebay, do they require rebuilding? what moves this figure to 6k?

I have about 2k, i don't really want to spend it all on this rebuild (or drop 6k on a swap), but i just want to be one step ahead of this engine.

Please give me some advice guys, i see alot of happy 5sfte-ers on this site that run reliably and with power comparable to that of a 3s, and i just dont want to spend my money only to regret it or wish i had done the opposite of what i already did, if that makes sense.

sorry this is so long.

[Terracar]

Get the motor rebuilt - $1500 should get your block & head rebuilt (stock) with you assembling it yourself. Toss in a metal headgasket and you are set for future modding/turboing. No your motor won't be a beast but it will be reliable - just be sure to use a reputable machine shop. Though out of curiosity what is the mileage and what makes you think it will be crapping out?

Chances are a swap will be more headache/costs associated than the cash you have on hand. It is all the little things that will get you.

-Terracar

This post has been edited by Terracar: Nov 3, 2008 - 12:45 PM

[samir0189]

Get the motor rebuilt - $1500 should get your block & head rebuilt (stock) with you assembling it yourself. Toss in a metal headgasket and you are set for future modding/turboing. No your motor won't be a beast but it will be reliable - just be sure to use a reputable machine shop. Though out of curiosity what is the mileage and what makes you think it will be crapping out?

Chances are a swap will be more headache/costs associated than the cash you have on hand. It is all the little things that will get you.

-Terracar

I don't think its something i can handle myself, I try to do alot of things myself but i don't think i have the right tools to do this, and its my DD so i cant have alot of downtime. It would be a great learning experience, yes, but its not an option right now.

I currently have 239,2xx. I see most people on here have issues right around that amount of miles so im scared, although she runs strong.

i've previously had the valve seals etc done on the head, so i think thats ok, i'm mainly worried about the bottom end.

I mean, I take good care of her, and fortunately ive never experienced engine failure, so i dont know if there are warning signs, or if it just goes kaBOOM and there i am on the side of the road. If you guys think i should let something happen first and go from there, im all for it. i just dont want it to break in a way that i cant fix it, and in the event it does, i wanna have a game plan.

This post has been edited by samir0189: Nov 3, 2008 - 6:10 PM