Blown engine in xterra/alternative fuel options?

I have an 01 nissan xterra and I think i need a new engine. There is a definite rattle at 2000 rpm, no power going uphill, and the oil pressure light comes on. So my question is, are there any alternative fuel, i.e. compressed natural gas, vegetable oil, ect conversions that I could do while the engine is being changed to make the vehicle more efficient and cost effective or am I just throwing good money at a bad idea? Any thoughts or tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

How many miles on this vehicle? And no, you really don’t have any alternative fuel options…Unless you can find a good used engine and have it installed reasonably, it might be time to walk away from this one…

The vehicle has 123846 miles on it. Te rest of the vehicle is in excellent shape, in and out. Apperently the guy I bought the vehicle from had changed the timing belt. Can improper timing of the belt cause a rod to go?

Don’t be spending a lot of money on repairs based on guesswork and amateur diagnosis…When does the oil light come on?

i had a diagnostic done and the mechanic said the rattle is coming from the front of the motor. I’m just not sure if it is best to fix the vehicle so I can sell it or wind up driving it for a few years.

not the typical buy car use it forever story. you did not buy it new and get 10yrs of use. you just bought it. and some here say sell it now? junk it ? dont know what you paid but lets assume you paid a good price since it was just repaired? or you got it for a huge discount?

Does this vehicle have an automatic transmission?
Do you have maintenance records verifying that the trans fluid & filter were changed at least 4 times so far?

Unless you can verify adequate maintenance of the transmission, overhauling the trans is likely to be the next big expense that you will face if you keep this vehicle.

Translation: The added expense of converting to an alternate fuel is not cost-effective with a 12 year old vehicle that was likely not maintained properly by the previous owner(s).

Vegetable oil is out, you don’t have a diesel and there wasn’t one for your truck. CNG might be possible, google ‘CNG conversion’ and see.

But I wouldn’t spend the thousands required on an old truck. Either just fix it, or move on.

Your mechanic’s ‘diagnosis’ was that ‘the rattle is coming from the front of the motor’?? That’s no diagnosis, that’s a (pretty meaningless) observation. I’d find another mechanic.

The vechicle is an automatic. I have given thought to the tranny going next so I am leaning toward swapping the engine and selling it. At least Ican recoup some of the money I bought the vehicle for. Thanks for all the information!

Broken timing belt repair. Fixed head but left block alone. Cracked piston? Bent rod? U could pull motor, and put in new rotating assy. Or new shortblock? Why give away fresh head?

Who said anything about a broken timing belt?

Right now you haven’t gotten much of a diagnosis on this thing and I have a few questions.

The first, possibly stupid, is how is the engine oil level? Just wondering because of the uphill comment.

The other is regarding that rattle which you state occurs at 2000 RPM. Does this mean the rattle is not present at idle, other RPMs, or when the vehicle is driven easy on a level road surface?

Assuming for a minute the rattle is not present at other times and factoring in a prior timing belt change on a distributor equipped engine, maybe the rattle is pre-ignition caused by the cam or ignition timing not being correct; or both.

The oil level is normal. oil pressure is normal at start up drops after 5 min. I can’t say for sure it rattles after 2000 rpms because I’ve kept the rpms low so I don’t blow the engine completely. I’ve had a diagnosis by two mechanics that it is a rod. Now I’m left with the decision of what to replace i.e. complete engine, have some one fix the major issues and sell the vehicle, or just say screw it and get what I can out of the vehicle. I know I am going to lose money on the vehicle, it just comes down to stemming the blood loss at this point and making the smartest decision.