I'm certain its the timing chain, though my mechanic was instant it wasn't...

driving down our interstate, at a constant 3200 rpm... started hearing a sound... like a loose sound

then popped the clutch and then a "clutch grind type nosie" and bap, she's dead

I try to turn her over, and she won't start, but its not making any kind of "interfenerce" noises, but who knows...

is it worth replacing the engine? I dunno, will a 2.5 mate right up? the question being, the 2.0L in low k, is the same price as the 2.5, if not the V6 being cheaper and closer as per car-parts.com

Take the oil cap and look down it whilst cranking - if the cams are turning the chains are fine.

Also - whilst I've never tried it - as far as I know - the V6 will not bolt up - bell housing patterns are different - you'd also be looking at ECU & harness changes, etc., etc., etc..

Get a OBD2 reader and check to see what codes you have, you will need one if you make a off size/model swap.  If just a timing chain is broke, those repairs will be easier than a swap to V6.

You can easily find 2.5's with manual tranny's, 2.7's with manual tranny's are harder to find.  They almost drop right in, then the wiring challenge begins.  You have to blend the two wiring systems together, or swap out the wiring completely.  Having the donor vehicle definitely makes it much easier to do.  You need to be able to read wiring diagrams and form a plan on how much integration will be necessary.  It is a much easier task if you are staying with the manual transmission (one less computer to deal with).

Take the oil cap and look down it whilst cranking - if the cams are turning the chains are fine.

Also - whilst I've never tried it - as far as I know - the V6 will not bolt up - bell housing patterns are different - you'd also be looking at ECU & harness changes, etc., etc., etc..

if in the case it isn't...

is it worth attempting to rebuild the engine? I wouldn't think it would be, assuming this is a interference engine

It IS an interference engine.

Wether or not it's worth rebuilding is a case by case decision - based on what a replacement will cost in your neck of the woods and what needs to be changed in this one - I've seen an interference engine (Swift GTi) come through a timing belt failure whilst driving, without bending a single valve - I'm told the average is three.

In my neck of the woods, a good used J20a engine is well nigh impossible to find, so a rebuild would be my first option, followed by importing a front cut out of Japan.

sorry to hear about your troubles man.

how many miles are on your truck?

I sourced one that was close (about a hundred miles or so) for about $1500... with low k

assuming that's cheaper and easier than rebuilding?

sorry to hear about your troubles man.

how many miles are on your truck?

110,000 miles about

I'm thinking in my neck of the woods having a garage (hopefully a competent one) do those repairs you'd be looking at around $1,500.  That would include pulling the head, replacing two or three valves, seating them and replacing the valve seals while they are at it, then replacing the timing chain, gears, tensioners and guides, cleaning out the oil plan and reassembling.  You may have found a replacement engine for $1,500 but there would be no guarantee that it wasn't in need of front timing chain maintenance as well.  It's just a crap shoot.  If you had your engine repaired.... at least you would KNOW what you have under the hood, plus some form of assurance from the garage making the repairs.

you should be able to find a part truck for cheap, i find at least 3-4 trucks in a month under 800$ canadian with the 2.0L engine, in fact i bought two for 900$ in january. if you live in canada check on kijiji.ca every morning and you should be able to pick one up quick, just be quick to buy it as they sell very fast!!

and the advantage of buying a part truck for these are huge guy's!!! specially if you are mechanically incline and have room to store one!! if you cant fix your own truck don't suggest it (you can break or get hurt if you dont know how to remove parts),

you cant buy a new gas tank for these and they are very hard to find used!! (its a gem to have), oil pan is a dealer item only (175$), the lower steering shaft is very hard to get (they are known to be bad and are about 300$ +) engine (1000$ and more) differential,shafts,front struts and body parts.... i wont suggest to buy one for front end parts,brakes,exaust... those are not really worth to put used, cheaper putting new and saves a few trips to the alignment/muffler shop lol.

if the truck is 600$ and less with 4 good 16" rims and tires you got half or 3/4 of the truck paid off (125$ for the rims and 300$ for tires...)