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Located an engine (for cheap) that was in a vehicle fire. Just how deep would you expect the damage to go?

Bill

Anywhere between zero and total; what other answer can there be? You'll have to look it over really well.

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Especially with aluminum engines, the damage can be considerable...

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was this an electrical fire or a full on Dante's inferno?

if the outside structure of the engine is damaged then i would say NO.

if the engine management system is damaged, fuel and ignition, then i would also say NO.

may make a good source for spare parts though.

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I've been having a similar conundrum. A junkyard near me has two 2.5 Duratecs from fire cars for cheap. One was an interior fire and the other an engine fire. I was considering buying one for the bigger port head.

My thoughts are to run from one that had an engine fire. Even if only little stuff is melted, I'd be worried about the heat warping something. As long as the fire and heat were not near the engine (IE in the passenger compartment), I'd consider it as long as it was cheap.

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-Andrew
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I have heard that some guys like iron motors that have been in fires because they are 'tempered'.. probably just bench racers though..

In the early 80's I worked at a Fiat, Subaru, BMW dealership. Back then we used see quite a few block heater fires where a short in the block heater electrical cord (normal cause) would light the engine compartment on fire. When we got the cars for repair the hood would be black and paint gone, all rubber and plastic and composites under the hood would be gone or melted including the alternator, wiper motor, blower housing and motor, horn etc.. Usually the radiator had unsoldered itself and had to be sent out for repair or was replaced. Often the inner fenders (plastic), the front tires and brake hoses would be toast. Usually the interior including the dash was okay, sometimes the windshield needed replacement as did the windshield gasket depending on the characteristics of the fire. Headlight and turn signal would require replacement as would grill and trim in some cases. The engines, however, were always salvageable. We would drain the oil and pull the valve/cam covers, whichever it had, and check the severity of the oil burn. Most often the oil was undamaged in which case we would button everything back up, fill with clean fluids and then start rebuilding/replacing everything else. If the oil in the top of the engine was burnt then we'd tear the motor down and clean and inspect it before rebuilding. I don't remember (but its now a few years ago) ever getting an engine that couldn't be rebuilt. The outside of the engines always looked much worse than the insides with the outside, if aluminum, having a white powdery surface and cast blocks and heads showing burnt paint and rusted.

So, in my experience, if all you're looking for is a long block assembly then I wouldn't hesitate on buying an engine from a burnt car if it was inexpensive and passed my quick check…..pull the dipstick and stick your finger in the oil filler cap, if reasonably clean then that tells you the story.

Bill

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Bill H
Winnipeg, MB, Canada

I agree with BHR, it is also my experience with fire recoveries that the main engine is ok even with melted plastic manifolds and rocker covers - and that's from 100% burnt out cars from front to rear.

Dirty job to remove them from the car and clean and make look pretty again.

I picked up a Rover v8 from the Range Rover that had an under hood fire. All the electrics were gone, injectors melted, oil filler cap and neck melted, looked bad. But I was going to a carb setup so I just cleaned it up and everything was perfect. I did have to replace the water pump but I am not sure if it was fire related.

Gaham