REPAIR SYSTEM 11
Engine builds & replacements.
When an engine is past repair, we lay out your options: repair, rebuild, reman or replace, with honest numbers before anything comes apart.
ON YOUR TRUCK
What fails on your engine.
Pick your engine to see the engine problems we see most on that generation, what you’ll notice, why it happens and how we fix it.
Showing your saved truck:
Choose your engine above.
THE BASICS
How it works, and why it matters.
What it does
An engine build can mean a head-gasket job with head studs, an in-frame rebuild with new rings and bearings, or a long block swap. The right choice depends on what failed, the truck's condition and mileage, and how you use it. Some engines are worth building stronger than stock. Others are best replaced.
Why it matters
A big engine job is the largest repair most truck owners face. Knowing what typically fails on your engine, and what the upgrade path looks like, helps you spend once instead of twice.
Warning signs
- Low compression on one or more cylinders
- Heavy blow-by or oil use
- Coolant in the oil, or oil in the coolant
- Repeated head gasket failures
- Knocking from the bottom end
- A failure after overheating
What we check
- Compression, leak-down and blow-by testing
- Oil analysis for coolant, fuel and metal
- Borescope inspection of cylinders
- Cooling system and oil cooler health
- The whole truck, so the new engine is not let down by the old parts around it
Keep it healthy
- Fix the root cause (cooling, fuel or oil) along with the engine
- Break in a rebuilt engine as instructed
- Keep up severe-service oil changes afterward