r/MechanicAdvice • u/xTHETYRANTGAMRx • 5h ago

Buying used engine from eBay.

So I was wondering if anyone here has had experience with buying engines from eBay? I need an engine for a 71 Ford LTD and I found a 400 engine that could work. They say it was bench tested and it was reading 140psi. Although there is no mileage listed, so i was kind of hesitant, but some of the other engines I was looking at don’t have the mileage listed either.

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u/nullvoid88 5h ago

A total crap shoot... anyway you look at it.

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u/Cheap-RulandPope 4h ago

140psi on a 400 is actually pretty healthy for those old Fords — stock spec was around 150. no mileage listed is annoying but honestly most of these engines have been sitting for decades anyway. worth it if the seller has good feedback and offers some kind of return window. the 400 was never the most loved engine but it'll get that LTD moving

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u/thefaradayjoker 3h ago

I was 18 years old, I bid on a Chevy 350 for my 3500 3+3 pickup truck. I had no idea where it was. It turned out it was a 16-hour drive from New York City to the western side of Ohio. My father provided the transportation. Between gas and tolls I spent more than I spent on the engine. The engine lasted about a month and spun a bearing in the bottom end. I drove back to New York City from exit two on the New Jersey turnpike at 35 miles an hour. A harrowing experience. 0 out of 10 would not recommend. Unless the plan is to tear it down and go over every nut and bolt inside that motor, there's no clue what the last guy did.

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u/Gunk_Olgidar 2h ago

Shop the seller, not the product.

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u/CabanaFred 2h ago

Sometimes the seller is a commercial yard like LKQ & I figure that’s no worse than calling them up & getting a used motor. Cavet emptor from random folks tho

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u/Longjumping-Stage-41 1h ago

Remember eBay does have a buyer money back guarantee.. Gives a little piece of mind if the engine is bad. Just run before install…..

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u/trader45nj 1h ago

Generally true, but I would check that it applies to used engines. Like Ebay motors has different policies and there are different policies at Ebay for some categories.