found 2 (09) motors in local yard for $500 w/140k miles. which seems low. can you guarantee a 30k mile motor for $2k is really that low miles? or $4k for a remaned motor? do you want a running car to sell or keep?
Good idea to have a shop take a look at the problem, as there might be a simpler fix than a replacement engine. If an engine replacement is required, make sure to consult w/your state’s emissions folks first, so that you’re be sure your car remains emissions legal after the engine replacement.
I just had the car towed to the shop for them to inspect it. The timing belt burned a little bit while I tried to pull it into the garage to be thawed at that time. As a result I replaced timing belt, water pump and pulleys and discovered the hole in the engine block later when putting antifreeze back in the radiator.
Back in the time I used water, I was flushing the cooling system when replacing the radiator. I forgot to put antifreeze back in. I wish I hadn’t done anything, the car would have been in good shape now.
Now, the engine cranks and starts but it immediately stalls when I release the gas pedal. There’s plenty of smoke from exhaust pipe when it is running. I guessed the timing marks were misaligned but the car didn’t even start before replacing the timing belt.
Still waiting for response from the shop. I was also worried about the used engine as I found out that the car overheated before and the mechanics even forgot some screws in the cylinder head! LOL
These are the photos that I took when opened the engine mount after lifting up the car.
I had difficulty in taking proper photos due to small clearance. I planned to keep the car for a long time so
sounds pretty a sweet deal for me. I did a few searches online and found a engine block at $450, a used engine in my city at $1300 with around 120k miles. Do you think I should open the engine after purchase to inspect it in case I need a new one?
Let me see if I got this straight . . .
YOUR engine is toast
You’ve located a used engine
Now you find out the used engine overheated, and the mechanics neglected to put all the cylinder head bolts in . . . ?!
If that last part is true, you really need to keep looking, as that used engine you located also seems to be garbage, at least in my opinion
*The engine on my car was toasted with previous owner. It was fixed and mechanics left some stuffs in the cylinder head
- I wonder if the used engine I’m looking for has the same condition like mine
I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you’re telling me
What “stuffs” did the mechanics leave in the cylinder head?
I suppose it doesn’t matter, as that engine is damaged goods, and should be discarded as such, to be replaced with a good used engine
For that matter, any used engine you locate should be verified to be in good condition. The ideal scenario would be that it is still running and currently installed in the donor vehicle. For example, a running engine in good condition, from a car that was rear ended or t-boned
The OP needs to find someone in their family or a friend to guide them because I can’t follow what is going on here .
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Best I can figure out, I think the engine suffered serious damage (fracturing) from severe overheating by the previous owner, and the damage was verified in disassembly and the engine slapped back together again for resale.
To the OP, if you’d like to specifically find exactly where the fracture/leak is for your own edification, you could add some UV sensitive dye to the coolant, run the engine a bit, and use a blacklight to light up the leak paths. It won’t fix the engine, but it’s a great and inexpensive way to see what’s really happening. It’s good knowledge. The dye and blacklight come in a kit.
NOTE: dyes are used for other leaks, such as oil and refrigerant, and I can’t tell from the photos if I uploaded one of those instead of coolant, but it illustrates the concept even if I used the wrong photos.
You got the right idea 
OP’s pictures look we’re dealing with an aluminum block
Reminds me of that lady’s Civic that I diagnosed as having a cracked aluminum block, a few years back. It was also leaking coolant, but only after several minutes of operation. That’s when the hairline crack would start to open up enough for the outside of the block to become visibly damp.
My brother bought a low mileage truck for $300 with busted engine block from no antifreeze. We went to the pull apart salvage and got a long block chevy 305 for $95. We put new bearings and rings in the salvage yard motor and he drove it for many years before selling it.
When we took apart the frozen motor, the inside was all busted up. The heads were also cracked. It was eye opening to see how nasty it was.
Sadly they said exactly like you 
@the_same_mountainbike Thanks for your method I forgot about it and I already got the car towed to the shop. Because it is run by one of my family members so it may take 1 week to finish the inspection. I’m on a tight budget at the moment so I guess I have to wait.
@Cavell That’s awesome, I love it. This is unbelievable. I’ll contact them asap if the shop tells me that I need a new engine. I almost went to the salvage yard in my city for a used engine that has 3x price.
@Propane_Car I had the same expression when I opened the cylinder head, it has a bunch of scratches, screws, plastic parts and the coolant has lots of white tiny grains due to using water completely. You make me feel better when I see my car engine. I’m glad that you repaired and made it run like a charm!
Just let the shop handle everything so you will have some kind of warranty protection . If you find a motor and it is not good then you are back to square one.
I looked at some of your other threads and it seems you are 17 years old and tried to make a front wheel vehicle drift and drove way too fast so stop that nonsense .
Get the car fixed and approach your parents or someone in the family to loan you the money if need be. Also sign an actual loan paper to show that you will pay back the funds.
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do not take my location as gospel for what a yard will charge for used motor where you live. if you go to mechanic and tell him where to get motor than you probably will have an issue right from the start. replacing a motor is a major bill however you do it.