Just took it to the shop for an oil leak and I've been quoted 5k and thats not including the newly discovered cracked harmonic balancer. Needs the following according to the shop.

harmonic balancer, Tensioner, Alternator, rear main seal, cross seals, oil pan gasket, timing cover gasket, front crank seal, water pump, cylinder head gasket and bolts, plugs and wires. The entire motor is covered with oil. All these are the visible spots that is leaking oil, the motor is so dirty they don't know if it's also leaking oil from anywhere else.

Thanks for any input. We're gonna take it to an indy mechanic to see what he says...used to work at a rover dealership so maybe that pans out better.

 

So basically a head gasket job, +rear main, +alternator, +harmonic balancer. If you can do it yourself it could be done for less than $2k

 

I bought a D2 that had new head gaskets and a great body for $3500. Are you asking if $5,000 is a reasonable amount to fix a d2 engine? NO, it's not. You can buy a new one for that. Or, you could buy a complete used engine on ebay for $800 - $1200.

 

Get indy price. Some of the leaks may cover other things. As an example, valve covers frequently leak all over things, and just snug up with a 8mm 12 point skinny socket. Head gaskets can leak oil, but mor likely leak coolant, and overheat. Without other symptoms, would not think HG involved.

Kit of parts for front crank seal, water pump gasket, front cover gasket, and new oil pump is like $114. Oil pan gasket or use a can of Right Stuff. Tensioner $69. Alternator under $200 from parts store (reman).

Spraying engine with good degreaser and getting off the gunk will let you see where fresh stuff is coming from.

Plenty of Rovers live to a ripe old age leaving oil dribbles. The product White Shepherd is a good oil stop leak product for the rear main seal.

 

the question is can you do the labor for him? if not sell the truck.
With you doing the labor he can get out of it for less than 2k, if your paying a mechanic it going to cost 4-5K.
the head gasket alone are 12 hours @ $100. per that's 1200 labor just for head gaskets.
personally I wouldnt do it I "think" you have bigger problems in there, if you have broken harmonic balance, rear main and cross seals leak. I guessing you have seriously unbalanced lower end which will only lead to bearing down the road.
JMHO

for another grand you can put in a remanufactured engine with a 3-year warrantee.

 

How bad is your oil leak? It'd have to be pretty damn bad for me to consider spending $500 much less $5000.

Dealerships are very expensive. There's a reason people call them 'stealerships'. Also, it's bit hard for me to believe your truck really needs all that stuff; many of the things listed have nothing to do with oil leaks. I would certainly want a second opinion.

 

Another part of the equation is how much does the vehicle get used? Dad might drive 50,000 a year or 5 miles a week to the store.

 

It gets driven quite a lot. You see it's mine and my brothers and we're both students so we have no time to do work on it. The reason I titled the thread with my "dad" is because it's ultimately his decision. I think today it is being taken to the Indy mechanic.

Where should we go about looking for a new motor of that's what ends up decided on? Everything else with the vehicle is pretty much fine. Entire suspension was redone only a year or so ago. New HD front drive shaft. New tires. Interior is fine. Vehicle only has 91k on it. I'm thinking the reason all these things need replacing is because for the vehicles first 40k after we got it, each oil change was done at least 3-8k miles AFTER it was supposed to be done. Personally as a family we all love the truck. This is just such a pricey fix for our family that right now we need a cheap good way out. It's either fix it for the right price. Or sell it for pennies and find another used vehicle. Thanks you all for all the input.

What are the odds that this harmonic balancer issue has caused bearings damage?

 

Let's take a step back - what is wrong with the vehicle?

Is it running poorly?

Are the oil leaks the only problem you notice as a driver?

 

Exactly. Start at the top and work your way down.

It seems to work pretty well on a lot of things... and I think it has a guarantee of some sort. I didn't try getting my money back, because it seemed to seriously reduce the spots I was leaving on the ground in my 2003.

It did NOT fix the leaks completely.