How can I find out about my engine? Options

[Rider]

How can I find out if there's anything wrong with my engine, how much longer it will last and what I can do to it reliability-wise? I'm undecided whether I should work on the engine (or possibly do a swap) or work on the appearance of my car? Are there places that do engine inspections/diagnostics, and tell you about its condition?

Thanks

[funnyboy117]

My dad said a while ago that Triple A can do a full engine check for something like 60 bucks, even if they aren't your insurance carrier. I haven't attempted it or heard anything further of it but you might wanna check out the website or something.

[Digndoug]

First off, what u wanna know. Also what year is it, and how many miles. as for how long it will last It all depends on how u drive, how u treat it, and the number of miles already on it. I have 141k on my st now. I norm drive it pretty car cause it neeeds to be. I got it at 125. It drives great runs great, isn showing any signof damage or warn parts. Just make sure u check your oil every few days and keep an eye on your gauges.

[Supersprynt]

How can I find out if there's anything wrong with my engine, how much longer it will last and what I can do to it reliability-wise? I'm undecided whether I should work on the engine (or possibly do a swap) or work on the appearance of my car? Are there places that do engine inspections/diagnostics, and tell you about its condition?

Thanks
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Nobody can really tell you how long its going to last if you dont already have tell-tale signs of damage. Unless something is wrong and teh car is throwing a code, whats there to diagnose?

Whats the mileage on the car, how many owners have been before you, did they treat the car well, accidents? If its not broke dont fix it. Reliability-wise, just maintain it, thats the best thing you can do. Regular oil changes, regular checking of coolant (it can go bad), checking fluid levels, this is what will keep ur car in tip top shape. But theres no doctor which can say, yeah you got 5 months to live.

This post has been edited by Supersprynt: Dec 17, 2004 - 1:16 PM

[Rider]

115k miles, '94 GT. The only thing that worries me so far is a rattle when accelerating after switching gears (or when I start in 1st). I can usually drive the car without it making that noise (if I give it just the right amount of gas while taking my foot off the clutch), but I would still like to know where it's coming from. If I take my car to Autozone and Pep Boys do you think they'd be able to help?

Edit: I forgot...It can make the same sound when I'm accelerating from low rpm in 2nd or 3rd (it sounds like I'm forcing the engine or the transmission)

This post has been edited by Rider: Dec 17, 2004 - 5:29 PM

[klr_toy]

do a compresion test on it. That can give you an idea of the cylinders conditions. It's also pretty simple and you can usually find a friend or something that has a compression tester... or maybe u can rent one from somewhere.... just an idea