I just found out the tapping sound from my engine was most likely the engine throwing a rod. I heard the tapping, thought it was a knock, but it kept getting worse, until it sounded like popcorn. I bought the car a year ago, with 75K miles, and it has about 85K now.

So a few questions - what do I do? What could I get for it as is? What is the price range to repair it, and what are my options there? I suppose I could go with a new engine, or a rebuilt/reman. Any recommendations on a good mechanic in SoCal?

If I replace the engine, will it have a salvage title?

Thanks for your input.

 

Let Ford rebuild your engine. No it will not have a Salvage title after a rebuild.

 

I would scrape together some cash and have it rebuilt to factory specs either by you or a mechanic. If you have ford rebuild it im not sure if they warrenty it. if ford will offer a warrenty with a rebuild i would have ford rebuild it

 

I just had Ford install a newly remanufactured engine in my '97 about a few months ago... I had looked all over the place for cheaper routes and found some good deals, but when it was all said and done Ford seemed the way to go. It cost about 4 grand for the motor (not including the installation), but it came with a 3 year 36,000 mile warranty on the motor and the work... So I think I can say that I came out ahead on the deal... sure there are rebuilt/remanufactured engines out there for around 2,500 dollars, though it would be hard to say what you end up with.