Buy this 07 Expy with a bad timing chain?

[Al Steel]

I found an '07 Expy that looks very good. No frame rust, all electronics works, new brakes, good transmission, new battery, no visible leaks, good tires, etc.

HOWEVER.. the owner says that it has a bad timing chain. He says it started shaking and acted like is was going to stall out, he shut it down and took it to a mechanic that said it needed a timing chain fix. Est $800.00. But other than that, he says everything works great (transmission, 4WD, suspension, etc).

My question to you is.. should I buy it with this issue? I can't start and run the engine or drive it, so I have no way of verifying if any number of expensive fixes are needed, including an engine replacement.

Thoughts? Anything I can look for to tell if it's going to need other major work done?

Thanks!

 

[Hamfisted]

For $800 you can't really get hurt. Worst case you'll have to put a new motor in it. But if it's rust free and the Carfax report is clean it might be worth the gamble. Are you planning on doing the work yourself ? That's a pretty cheap price to do a timing chain replacement. Replace the oil pump and use the old style iron tensioners.






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[Motorcity muscle]

Have to be honest, if it just need chain and can be fixed for 800 seller would fix it. Without full maintenance records and the ability to hear it run I would not be a buyer. How many miles?

 

[Al Steel]

Agreed. I asked him why he didn't just get it fixed and he said they didn't want to put anymore money into a vehicle they didn't need. I am considering offering to pay to get it fixed. After that, if it's good and I can test drive it that I buy it at $400 off his asking price. If not he will refund me half the repair cost. Think of it as a $400 non-refundable deposit.

Does anyone think $800 for a timing chain replacement is too low/high?

Sorry to be clear, the purchase price isn't $800, that's the repair cost. The Expy is a bit more than that, but extremely reasonable IMO.

 

[Al Steel]

Sorry, 175k miles.

 

[Trainmaster]

Nobody around these parts is doing a timing chain, phasers, tensioners, and dropping the pan to clean out the old tensioners for $800. So after you spend about $3500 on the job, you can assess the health of this motor, transmission and car? I think not.

If you pay him $800 to do the timing chain you're going to get the crappiest job he can pass off on you.

Why get wrapped up in this problem?

 

[Hamfisted]

Agreed. I asked him why he didn't just get it fixed and he said they didn't want to put anymore money into a vehicle they didn't need. I am considering offering to pay to get it fixed. After that, if it's good and I can test drive it that I buy it at $400 off his asking price. If not he will refund me half the repair cost. Think of it as a $400 non-refundable deposit.

Does anyone think $800 for a timing chain replacement is too low/high?

Sorry to be clear, the purchase price isn't $800, that's the repair cost. The Expy is a bit more than that, but extremely reasonable IMO.

I think I'd walk away from it. Or just offer him $400 for it to take it off his property. Your luck in the past with used vehicles has been $#!T .
Like Trainmaster said, a timing chain job is at least $3000 if you're not doing the work yourself.







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[ManUpOrShutUp]

Agreed. I asked him why he didn't just get it fixed and he said they didn't want to put anymore money into a vehicle they didn't need. I am considering offering to pay to get it fixed. After that, if it's good and I can test drive it that I buy it at $400 off his asking price. If not he will refund me half the repair cost. Think of it as a $400 non-refundable deposit.

Does anyone think $800 for a timing chain replacement is too low/high?

Sorry to be clear, the purchase price isn't $800, that's the repair cost. The Expy is a bit more than that, but extremely reasonable IMO.

I got quotes on a timing job years ago (as a just in case scenario) and was told about $2,500 by several local shops. Parts and labor have both gone up quite a bit since, so I imagine it would be a bit more if I went back to those same shops today.

 

[Fastcar]

I'd walk away from this. No, I'd run away from this. Way too much unknown. Find an engine, price it and deduct that amount from the price and make him an offer.

 

[Al Steel]

I think I'd walk away from it. ... Your luck in the past with used EXPEDITIONS has been $#!T .
Like Trainmaster said, a timing chain job is at least $3000 if you're not doing the work yourself.

... Fixed ...

Yup walking.. that's exactly what i wanted to know. I had no idea how much a timing chain job was for an Expy. Another thing is that I also don't know if it's an interference engine, you know, where a broken timing chain = bent valves. $2500 no way. $800 if I do the job myself? No freaking way.

Like Ham said. My luck would be I'd spend a month of Sundays getting the timing chain fixed, drive it around the block and the trans fall out! Nope...

Thanks for the advice.. nothing to see there. Moving along..

 

[OldMedic]

This deal stinks like a skunk love in!

 

[Herby]

Don't do it!!!

 

[Goofy173]

No way it's done right for $800. I you're not willing to put in $2500-$3k right away I wouldn't bother with it.

$4200 for my 5.4 3v chains, guides, cams, roller followers, water pump, phasers. That was a little higher than it should be since the first mechanic did not do the cams and roller followers in spite of me telling him to fix the ticking, and I also told him it's a roller follower, which the 2nd mechanic confirmed. So the dang thing had to be disassembled twice due to stupidity of the first mechanic who lost out on a lot of future work being I have 5 vehicles. I did have a broken spring on 1 phaser so at least the first mechanic did some of the right work it needed, but did he use all new parts? I'm worried now since I just bought a trailblazer off one of his ex-mechanics and he told me the horror stories of that place.

 

[BlackBetty]

Sorry, 175k miles.

I’ve got approximately 305k miles on my ‘04… so, 175k is nothing. But, $800 to do a job like that is not likely. You might be able to get away with the parts for the job at that price; probably not. Definitely not going to get the labor.

 

[scottc]

No way it's done right for $800. I you're not willing to put in $2500-$3k right away I wouldn't bother with it.

$4200 for my 5.4 3v chains, guides, cams, roller followers, water pump, phasers. That was a little higher than it should be since the first mechanic did not do the cams and roller followers in spite of me telling him to fix the ticking, and I also told him it's a roller follower, which the 2nd mechanic confirmed. So the dang thing had to be disassembled twice due to stupidity of the first mechanic who lost out on a lot of future work being I have 5 vehicles. I did have a broken spring on 1 phaser so at least the first mechanic did some of the right work it needed, but did he use all new parts? I'm worried now since I just bought a trailblazer off one of his ex-mechanics and he told me the horror stories of that place.

How many hours labour were you quoted for the roller followers? I was quoted 8.8 hoiurs by a Ford dealership?