1990 engine try and sell it?

good to doo

Registered User
So I just finished stripping all the parts I wanted off a 90 5speed car. The only thing left is the engine, minus the sc. Is it worth keeping? I don,t need any thing from it for my 95. Here in BC there is not much of an sc following, at least I never see many of them. I guess I could try putting it on craigslist. It was a runner when I got it 4 years ago, except for a blown head gasket from what the PO said. It has all the accessory brackets just no sc anymore. Thanks all, it just seems a shame to send it to the scrapper.
 
I'd call it a shame to send it to scrap too. Perhaps you market it to the Mustang crowd that wants a 3.8 SC instead of an N/A? I see M90s on Craig's quite often here in the States.
 
I feel your pain.....you want it to be used, instead of scrapped. The pushrod 3.8's in all forms (Mustangs, Thunderbirds both SC and NA) just get less and less popular as the 3.7's and the Ecoboost have such an easy time with making power. I'd considered my SC a "budget build" and accepted the fact that there will be some gremlins, but with each passing year, older engines and technology get that much more outdated, and a lot of people just want the ease of the overhead cam setups with TIVCT. It just gets to be tougher to extol the merits of the older engines.
 
Where are you at? I would buy the engine from you if you weren't asking much. Maybe some other parts. You will probably get about $1000 at the recyclers for it with the wheels on.
 
Good evening


When you say there is nothing but the engine/supercharger left does that include


TEVES brake system, relays?

The windshield cowls?

Coolant recovery tank (with sensor)?

Sun visors?

Center Console arm rest?

Door/Trunk weather seals?

Silver spare tire?

Driver/Passenger seats?

HVAC control head?

Radio/Cassette Units including harness?

Brake pressure switch/proportional valve assembly?

DIS harness?

Battery tray?

Trunk reflector, rear tail lights?

ABS speed sensors?


There is much, much more that I could list. If there are still there and in good condition list them. You might be surprised with the response.


As for the engine keep it. Just as the season change so does the condition of our cars. When you look at the forums it is sometimes amazing when one part is need by so many of us at one time (i.e. crankshaft, power steering pump pulley, knock/oil temperature sensors and harness, dipstick and tube, plastic PCV tube at the driver side valve cover, ect)


Anyway that my two cents.
 
So I have the tranny on the bench now. Is there a rebild kit for the shifter,1990 5 speed. It flops around like crazy.
 
Good evening


Yes there is. Autozone, NAPA, Rock Auto and Spinning Wheels have the kit. There will be a slight but simple modification necessary as the shifter plate is designed for the truck version of the M5r2 top cover transmission.


Good Luck.
 
I'd say post it up on CL or your canadian equivalent - I think its kikiji or kijijijijijijij or something like that :) -- as you never know who might pick it up from you.
Here in San Francisco, when I moved from a 3.8NA to a 302V8, I sold an 89SC block with heads in unknown condition plus the N/A intake bits from my blown 3.8NA engine (a package that I kept around as a race spare) for $220 USD (I think I asked for $250).

The buyer was going to rebuild the engine and swap it into his VW Vanagon since it offered more torque than his other options for cheap. He needed the extra torque for towing his dirtbikes around.
Bottom line: you never know who will buy what you might perceive to be junk unless you ask.
 
A stock used SC engine will do nothing but gain value as the years go on. Stick it in a corner and wait for someone looking for a good rebuildable core and willing to pay your price.
 
Ok I'm glad I didn,t let this engine go to the scraper. It,s on the engine stand now, took the valve covers off and the intake manifold off, looks like a fairly recent overhaul to me. Very clean frost plugs look new also. The flywheel, clutch, and pressure plate look new. Here,s the problem.The engine will only rotate about a quarter turn on the damper, then it locks up. Then I can rotate it back till it locks uo again. So I,m thinking the timing chain must have failed. What do you all think.
 
So I started spraying penatrent into each plug hole and now its rocking about one half a turn. Before it was about a quarter turn. Remember that this engine is on a stand now. The rockers move in that half turn, so I don,t know yet.
 
So after spraying penetrant for the last few days the engine rolls over all the way now. I am wanting to do a compression test on the stand. Is that possible? I have a tester just never did on an engine stand before. Thanks.
 
I am wanting to do a compression test on the stand.

Out of the car, I'd be tempted to do a leak down test rather than a compression test. Either way, tho, unless the engine is warmed up, it's not much of a test unless there is a severe issue in one or more of the cylinders. The best you can hope for is a comparison between cylinders, I think. I wouldn't try it without oil pressure and having a good hold on that engine ;)
 
Thanks for the reply. I made another discovery today. On the oil pan someone has marked with a yellow paint marker 95tbird with a #. So I,m thinking maybe this is a engine from a wrecker, or maybe just the pan was changed cause of failed motor mounts idon,t know. The sc was gone when I found the car. What signs should I look for to tell if I have a newer engine or just a newer pan? Thanks again for any help.
 
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