Looking for some opinions and experiences. I need another engine. Now the junkyards around me have a couple. But really no damage to the vehicle which leads me to believe something mechanical was wrong. I found some from auto dismantlers around me.

Junkyard I have to pull myself which I don't mind but if they are bad it would be a waste of time.

Dismantlers they pull. A 90,000 mile 3 hr drive away or 120000 1.5 hrs away.

Whichever way I decide to go. What checks would you recommend to do? Or even seals gasket to replace while it's out.

 

We'd need to know which engine to provide help on what gaskets to replace.

Getting junkyard engines is pretty common on the 3800 side as lots of people mod them and blow them up. There's certainly duds out there, but they should have a limited warranty, so you're best off to get it in and running asap so you can fully check things out.

IMO, I'd go for the lowest mileage assuming all else is relatively the same (ie cost is within a few hundred bucks, both look well maintained, etc).

 

I am looking for l67. I tried bidding on a couple on a online salvage auction yesterday but came up short. After fees and taxes. A 600 dollar bid was doubled to 1200. But anyways I guess I look for the one with the lowest miles. I would just like to replace most common stuff while it's out if there is any. Thanks

 

The 3800 is pretty robust in terms of gaskets. The LIM gaskets are the most common, but TBH thats just as easy in or out of the car. If I had to pick a 2nd most common failure- Id probably say valve cover gaskets.

I'd certainly take a look at the oil pan gasket + front/rear main seals as those are the ones that will be awful to get to later, but none of them are a regular failure point.