Blew up my gen3 motor and don’t know where to go from here

[Max5.0]

Hey guys, unfortunately my first post in here. Long story short I blew up my Mustang and I’m not sure what to do now. I have a 2020 Mustang GT PP1 10R80 with about 85k miles on it. I had been tuning with palm beach dyno for a custom tune because I have pmas fenderwell intake, gt350 manifold and throttle body, and imrc lockouts. Took them 6 months and still ran like crap. So I finally bit the bullet and took it to my local mustang dyno and that’s when I found out it was blown up. He said there was a small vacuum leak that caused the car to run lean and burnt the oil off the cylinder walls and now it smokes like crazy. (Videos below) I’ve been tossing around the idea of getting rid of it for a while because it’s been issue after issue with this car and I’m tired of it. Now I have literally no clue how to go about fixing it or selling it. I still owe 11k. Any advice is appreciated. TIA!

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[Skye]

I don't have an answer for you. I'm roughing out some "What would I do?" ideas. Maybe these could help.

I cannot price a used Mustang with a failed motor but in otherwise good condition. A running 2020 example with your mileage prices about $17,500 retail. See Autotrader.

You owe $11,000.

A replacement Coyote crate motor is $11,000. IDK what labor would be to swap engines.

My initial thought is replace the engine, no more tuning or mods and continue to drive it until something catastrophic happens. If you went this route, you'd now owe $22,000 on the same car, but continue to have the asset and use of it for at least several years to come.

If you sold the car as-is, what would it be worth? Subtract that from the $11,000. And you'd lose the asset. Even if you broke even money-wise, $11,000-11,000 =0, you'd now have to go out and buy another vehicle (something around $22,000 and under?) you could drive for as many years as expected with the current one, once repaired.

$20,000+ will get you another Mustang, but the engine and drivetrain will have roughly the same mileage as what you have now. Maybe a bit less. But you've been with your existing car and know it. Another vehicle, no.

So maybe gravitate around $20-25,000. Is the existing car worth that (to you), once repaired? Or is it better to spend that much on a used vehicle and roll the dice on that one?

Edit,

I did not consider repairing the existing engine. By the time a shop is found, the engine torn down, inspected and then fixed, it seems cheaper, safer and easier to replace the engine outright.

 

[blankman]

You could always look at scrap yards or ebay for verified sellers to see about a used motor. But to me thats a roll of the dice. From what I just saw, anywhere between 3.5k$ and 18k$. Although 18k was long tubes, whipple and supporting stuff.

Ho estly it all depends on what you want to spend and how long you want to be tied up with the car for what your paying out for the swap, unless you can do it yourself.

 

[compprep]

A brand new full up crate motor is $9,000 from this place. I got a long block from them couple yrs ago when mine blew up after supercharger install. This look more complete. I'm sure there's plenty of used engines in local wrecking yards, also known as recyclers. Any quality shop should be able to pull motor and hone or bore it for new .010 over pistons, etc. for less than $9-11K.

Ford Performance M6007M50CAUTO - 3.5L 4V Mustang Crate Engine

 

[robvas]

Try to find a gen 3/4 shortblock.

JR3Z-6009-A

A brand new full up crate motor is $9,000 from this place. I got a long block from them couple yrs ago when mine blew up after supercharger install. This look more complete. I'm sure there's plenty of used engines in local wrecking yards, also known as recyclers. Any quality shop should be able to pull motor and hone or bore it for new .010 over pistons, etc. for less than $9-11K.

You can't hone or bore that block.

 

[sk47]

Now I have literally no clue how to go about fixing it or selling it. I still owe 11k. Any advice is appreciated. TIA!

Hello; Skye laid it out well. You are in a financial hole. Not sure if the car is your only ride or an extra fun ride.

Also, not clear about your ability to absorb the financial hit. Such seems to be the crux of the matter. I get you are looking at cost and weighing options. My personal first notion would be to repair the engine which is what I did back in the day when I spun a bearing with a dumb stunt. It was an iron block 351 W. I could reuse the block and heads with some machine shop work. Had the bore enlarged a minimal bit and did the work myself. That worked out. I was in a tight money situation as it was during my second divorce.
I think the 2020 Coyote likely has the plasma lined aluminum block so not so simple to rebuild as a 1978 Windsor engine. Very likely to require all 8 holes sleeved which is not stock so will cost. Also, not clear to me how much of the rest of the engine can be reused, such as the cam adjusters. There will have been scored material circulating thru the engine. That said a rebuild would be my first choice if I were in a position to do the work myself.

My next choice would be a salvage yard (junkyard) engine. A roll of the dice as already mentioned but has worked out for folks i know. I rebuilt a 215 cu in aluminum block in a 1963 Olds cutlass back in 1988-90. Wound up with five junkyard engines robbed of parts. Got them cheap enough as they had been laying about a long time. probably could have wound up with another good engine but stopped at one.

There are places such as Jasper which remanufacture used engines and include a warranty. I think a possibility might be they will give you some credit for your old block. I would go for a long block if your engine is one they reman.

The Coyote is a complex engine with lots of expensive parts so is a sort of catch 22 when it comes to repair. My take is Ford already pushed the engine close to the edge to squeeze the HP out of such a small displacement. I get folks do try for more power. Running lean make more power but can run hot. In future tune attempts maybe stay away from lean conditions.

I hope you can find a way to come out of this. good luck

 

[Sparky1337]

My $0.02 is if it’s just the sleeves that are shagged I’d grab a new short block and transfer everything over if it isn’t your daily. I don’t think I’d be comfortable with re-sleeving a modern engine with any of the shops around me.

Otherwise, I’d probably test my luck at copart or something. And stay stock till it’s paid off or until it isn’t your daily and you can afford to let it sit.

 

[NightmareMoon]

Step 1 is decide to sell it w/o the motor and probably take a loss, or try to repair.

If you sell the chassis as is, its done. You may owe some remaining on the loan after you get paid for the chassis. This is the easiest and fastest, although it may still take some time.

Option 2 is repair it, which means finding a good shop and a good tuner to get it fixed up and running again. A used motor will be the cheapest route. Factor in some thousands for the shop to do the work and more for the tune, and expect the whole process to take 4-6 months after you find a shop who will take it on.

 

[NGOT8R]

Here’s an option. You can transfer everything over from the top end of your existing block. Since you’ll already be right there with the heads off, I would suggest a good valve job at the very least with upgraded springs.

https://www.modularmotorsportsracing.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=529

 

[mindo389]

My homegrown tech and his brother (my sons) replaced the shortblock in a 2005 Jeep Cherokee a few years back. They ordered the engine from LKQ online. I found this link: https://www.lkqonline.com/2020-ford-mustang-engine-assembly/-hj3jnjcnnP
It can't hurt to try it.

 

[ORRadtech]

As others have alluded, you need to decide what you want the goal to be.
Be done with it and have it gone.
Or
Keep it as a drivable vehicle. And its final form (stock, mods?).

If you want it gone then there are options. Not good ones but options. Selling it as is will probably result in a financial loss. Another possibility would be to part it out yourself. That is time consuming and a huge pita on several levels but you could probably break even.

If you want to keep it you will have to replace or repair your engine.
Options for that include either a new short block, a new long block, a new crate engine, a remanufactured engine or a used engine. Add into that mix who will do the work. Are you capable and able to or will you have to have it done?
There are tons of options but you have to make that first decision, keep it or not.

Having said all that, were it mine, I'd find a used engine at a reputable salvage yard and DIY the swap myself.

 

[ORRadtech]

My homegrown tech and his brother (my sons) replaced the shortblock in a 2005 Jeep Cherokee a few years back. They ordered the engine from LKQ online. I found this link: https://www.lkqonline.com/2020-ford-mustang-engine-assembly/-hj3jnjcnnP
It can't hurt to try it.

LKQ is a huge, reputable source for salvage parts. Many of the body shops in my area use them for used OEM parts. I have at least one tail light that came from them.

 

[Oakley]

if this is really a huge problem you shouldn't be modding it like that to begin with.
replacing the engine is the only logical move in this scenario.
leave it as stock as possible.

this is why I don't bother with tunes. most of the time they're fine but you might be that 1% guy and these cars are plenty fast enough for me.

 

[SCP440]

If it was me I would put a salvaged motor in it, if you are lucky you might be able to see it running and maybe even plug a code reader into the car to check for codes.
Most cars that have been crashed will have had a sound motor a second before the impact so as long as the motor has not been impacted it should be fine.
Put it back to standard and sell it once its running.
You can then sell the damaged motor.

 

[Gen 6 Mach1]

The only real choice is fix it , you need a car , any other 20 k car out there is a crap shoot, maybe better but maybe worse than the car you have . A new Ford engine comes with a 3 yr / 36k warranty and have the Dealer install . Good luck on the private shops , with a new motor install, if you need to use the warranty, the private shop may not want to take on the liability of the aftermath ( ask me I know I had a private shop do a few ks work and they were found to be at fault , and the parts were not covered I didn't want the said shop touching my car , and had all the work redone at a dealership) if Ford finds them liable. But a Dealership install is a bit different . Good luck

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