Okay, here's the deal:

I have a 92 SE-R with about 142,000 miles on it. The original engine died, so I decided to do the replacement myself. I picked up another SR20DE from a salvage yard in Pittsburg for $700. It came out of a 92 NX2000 w/ 62k, and had a 90-day warranty.

Since I was doing this job on my own, the time from when I picked up the engine until I fiished the job and began testing the new engine exceeded 90 days. It is mine, whether I want it or not.

The bad part is that the new engine has a bad #4 cylinder, and a slightly bad sound that seems to indicate some detonation (I have no idea what the previous owner did to the engine, or why the car ended up in the salvage yard).

Now, the delima. I must rebuild one engine. Complete teardown, clean-up, and rebuild from the ground up. Should I use the original 142k engine, which I know has no serious mechanical faults aside from wear and tear? Or should I take a chance on the new engine which has only 62k on it.

Questions and comments are welcome!

I'd say just rebuild the old motor. You know nothing is seriously wrong with it. Hey, while it's out, it's a good time to turbo it!

Khiem

How about this. Since they are both de's why not strip them both naked and use the best parts in making one engine?

Im removing my DE and am gonna strip it then Im buying my DET. Im rebuilding my DET keeping the DET pistions(lower compression) and block(oil squirters) everything else we will see depending on the condition.

I would rebuild the original engine. The crankshaft is likely in good shape. The newer engine you bought sounds like it may have bearing issues and if the crank it bad at all, it will cost you $400 for a new crank.

These engines are pretty stout. I wouldn't worry about the high miles. My original SE-R engine has 210k miles and it will eventually go back into my SE-R with no worries. The engine I built into The Beast had 118k miles and I could still see the crosshatching in the cylinder bores when I rebuilt it.