First time on this community post. My 2007 Lincoln MKX engine just died along with a broken timing chain. Vehicle has 115,000 miles on it and I am not entirely sure what to do… Do go with getting a new engine? Get a rebuilt engine put in it? Call it quits and scrap it? Or try to sell it to someone so they can fix it up and profit off it.
I also owe $6500 on the auto loan so I’m in quite the pickle right now. Any general advice or assistance would be so helpful. Don’t have much help from family : /
you owe more than your car is worth, even on the hot market day, so getting the engine installed is gonna double what you owe with little chance ever recovering the costs
sell it for scraps or whatever you can and seriously consider never getting into the same situation of buying luxury you can not afford
You can’t sell it for scrap with a lien on the title, so forget that idea. A private party in their right mind wouldn’t buy it with that lien. You’re pretty much stuck with the necessity of raising enough cash to get a used engine put in.
Daughter had a 2003 Saturn I think, timing chain broke, messed up the valves, but the right guy fixed it for $1200, explore your options. She drove it 2 more years until wifey decided she needed something better.
Thanks for the comments all. I do have enough cash to pay the $6500 off, but that only leaves me with a couple thousand left in savings. Sorry i didnt clarify that earlier
Yes, I believe this is exactly how the mechanic explained my damage/repair. Timing chain went and blew valve. Not sure it one or multiple or how that matters.
You don’t say what your financial situation is right now, other than being “upside down” on this car loan. I assume you have already had a professional mechanic look at the car and determine the extent of any engine damage, and you were told this is unrepairable?
If you have the financial resources to pay off the loan and junk the car, that’s probably your best option. Assuming it was properly maintained, and the engine barely lasted for 100,000 miles, that does not bode well for future longevity. I’m not sure it makes sense to pay $2500 or more to install a junkyard engine (which may not last much longer than yours did) or $5000 or more to install a remanufactured engine, especially since the car could be destroyed in an accident, or something else that’s expensive could fail.
If you don’t have the financial resources to pay off the loan, it makes even more sense to cut your losses on this car, and buy an old, cheap used car to drive until your finances improve. The $2500 or so, which you’d pay to have a junkyard engine of unknown longevity installed could be used to buy a decent used car from a private seller.
I’d look at something like a 1997-2001 Toyota Camry, 1993-1997 or 2003-2004 Toyota Corolla, late 1990s-early 2000s Ford Escort, maybe a late 1990s-early 2000s Chevrolet Cavalier/Pontiac Sunfire. These are all reasonably reliable models with reasonably low maintenance costs, and the models which use a rubber timing belt are non-interference, so no engine damage if the previous owner lies that the belt was changed, and you discover it wasn’t when it fails.
Edit: After seeing additional information above that the damage consists of bent valve(s) and maybe a nicked piston or two, it should be possible to have your engine repaired, and hopefully the car will run long enough to pay off the loan.
If the mechanic can offer you a solution to put this back on the road for a price you can live with that seems to be the best choice. That way you will have a running vehicle that will give you time to decide to keep or replace . I assume this was a used vehicle that may not have had the required service it should have had. It just is a fact that sometimes we have expenses that we would rather not have .
Thanks for the detailed comment, as mentioned in my additional reply. I do have enough to pay it off, but left with only a couple thousand. My fear as u appear to mention is that even if i do get a used engine or re-manufactured engine, something else will go wrong with it.
Anyone have any idea what amount of money I should bargain for if it do scrap it?
I am going to call around too and see what other mechanics say about the situation and costs too.
Something tells me a 2003 Saturn is a lot easier and cheaper to fix, versus a 2007 Lilcoln MKX
The problem with some of those vehicles is that they’re so old, they’ll have to pass a tailpipe smog test, depending on the location. Easier said than done, in some cases. I know for a fact that those older Toyotas and Camrys were always “dirty” . . . meaning even when they did pass, it was by the skin of their teeth, and we’re talking vehicles that were immaculately maintained
I think scrapping the vehicle is the worst option
It would be better to get it running as cheaply as possible, whether that’s installing a junkyard engine or paying a shop to replace the chains, replace valves and send the heads out, as needed
For crying out loud , every one of those are older that what this person has now . Finding even one of those that would make decent reliable transportation would be a monumental task.
not to mention that none of those vehicles are worth sinking any big money into
Brakes, fluids, tires, maintenance . . . but any big repairs would instantly total any of those cars. Even a clutch job would exceed the value of the cars
And let’s be realistic . . . anything that old will probably have faded paint and clearcoat, lots of scrapes and dents, the ac will more than likely no longer be working, a lot of components might be leaking . . . I could go on forever
and what about rust . . . depending on op’s location, any of those cars that @Barkydog mentioned might be so rusted out, that they’re ready for the junkyard already
You’re in trouble unfortunately. The reason most timing chains die is because of low oil levels and/or infrequent oil changes. In cases like this the rest of the engine is usually not far behind the chain as far as damage goes. No easy answer with a note that big still owing.
One last gasp if there is a large salvage in your area is to call them and ask about a used engine. Some yards will do this for a nominal fee. Most do not but some do. It’s worth a phone call or two anyway.
Our daughters broke, the car had regular oil changes, mechanic was not sure what really happened, it has a squirt lube for the timing chain, maybe that failed who knows.
I believe I’d rather repair the Lincoln if it’s in good shape (besides the engine) rather than scrap it and buy something else for cheap that may or may not be in decent shape and may or may not last. Scrap value on the Lincoln is probably in the $300 range.
Agree that you need to get a repair estimate from the shop before deciding for certain. I think if you can get it repaired with a warranty for a couple of grand, I’d do that. Then pay it off ASAP and start saving for the next vehicle that you have to buy - hopefully 100k miles later.