Should I Purchase A Rebuilt Engine Or Repair Existing One?

I have a 1995 Isuzu Trooper with nearly 200,000 miles on it. Within
the last three years, I've replaced the water pump, timing belt, timing
belt tensioner, and those pesky spark plug well valve cover O-rings
that tend to leak like a sieve and flood the spark plug chamber. Per
the latter, I had these O-rings replaced 18 months ago, but they're
leaking again. Since this is a $700 repair job (two quotes), I'm
wondering if, at this stage, I should consider getting a rebuilt
engine. The rings appear to be goners, since we envelop fellow church
goers in a plume of blue smoke when pulling into the church parking lot
.

My question is: Would it be cost-effective and wise to go ahead and
bite the bullet for a complete overhaul for this engine (or a rebuilt
engine), vs. just doing the $800.00 repair for now? The body integrity
of the car is good, the transmission seems fine, paint is not too bad,
and we *really* want to stay out of debt. Also, would an engine from a
later model fit the bolt pattern of the existing hardware? The reason
I ask this is because, at 175hp, this engine is considerably
underpowered for this car's weight, and later models (1996,97?) boosted
this to 195 I think.

Ideas please?

Thanks!
Steven

200K on a Trooper? Well, if your head gaskets aren't shot, they will be,
from the people I know who own them.
I'd replace it with a rebuilt from a "reliable" source. Note "reliable".

If you want to keep the vehicle, get a Jasper rebuilt put in it.
Expensive, but worth it.

Check the Yellow Pages for a Japanese engine specialist that sells JDM
engines. These are relatively low-mileage 'pulls' from Japan. They
should be able to source a later engine with more power, and install it
for a reasonable price.

Steven C wrote:
> I have a 1995 Isuzu Trooper with nearly 200,000 miles on it. Within
> the last three years, I've replaced the water pump, timing belt, timing
> belt tensioner, and those pesky spark plug well valve cover O-rings
> that tend to leak like a sieve and flood the spark plug chamber. Per
> the latter, I had these O-rings replaced 18 months ago, but they're
> leaking again. Since this is a $700 repair job (two quotes), I'm
> wondering if, at this stage, I should consider getting a rebuilt
> engine. The rings appear to be goners, since we envelop fellow church
> goers in a plume of blue smoke when pulling into the church parking lot
> .
>
> My question is: Would it be cost-effective and wise to go ahead and
> bite the bullet for a complete overhaul for this engine (or a rebuilt
> engine), vs. just doing the $800.00 repair for now? The body integrity
> of the car is good, the transmission seems fine, paint is not too bad,
> and we *really* want to stay out of debt. Also, would an engine from a
> later model fit the bolt pattern of the existing hardware? The reason
> I ask this is because, at 175hp, this engine is considerably
> underpowered for this car's weight, and later models (1996,97?) boosted
> this to 195 I think.
>
> Ideas please?
>
> Thanks!
> Steven
>