Replace Rod Bearings or New Engine???

I have a 1998 Suzuki Sidekick JX 5-spd 4x4 with 1.6 MFI 16 Valve. It has recently started knocking (only driven about 20 miles after first noticed). Checked the oil and it was nearly dry. Knocks a little at Idle and smooths out till about 2500rpm. It's a deep knock.

Question # 1. Does it need rebuilt, or most likely just rod bearings??

Question # 2. Crank Shaft need turned??

Question # 3. Where can I find an engine with low miles?? 1.6 MFI 16 Valve. Estimate of price??

Question # 4. Are the engines in automatics drilled for the pilot bearing??

Any other suggestions or information would be greatly appreciated. Searched forever to find a Sidekick in this great of condition don't want to lose it.

Billy;

You don't mention how many miles on the engine total to give a relative idea of its likely condition. I'll take a stab at your questions - understand this is just my personal opinion but here goes:

1. Knocks are bad and they don't fix themselves so assuming you've toasted the rod bearings then it's time for a rebuild. Just replacing the rod bearings would be ignoring all the other things that will have suffered from the oil starvation (rings, main bearings, etc.). In my opinion it would be foolish to do the work of replacing only the rod bearings, you will most likely have other issues if you do that.

2. You can't know if the crankshaft needs turned or not until you are able to inspect/measure it. You could get a relative idea by dropping the oil pan, removing the bearing caps doing a visual inspection and testing with plastigauge but why spend the effort when it could be put toward rebuilding/replacing the engine which you will likely have to do anyway.

3. As for a possible replacement engine you can find a used one here:
http://car-part.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi
You would of course need to call the various yards to determine miles, compression (if tested) etc.. You could also search for a JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) engine - these typically are low mileage engines imported from Japan, they may or may not have the same emission setups US engines have so manifolds will likely have to be swapped over. As far as a new engine goes you can find suppliers with a google search.

4.Engines with automatic transmissions typically have a flexplate and will not have a pilot bearing. Manual transmission setups will have a flywheel and be setup for a pilot bearing. You can usually switch from one to the other (I haven't tried it on this engine) by simply replacing the flexplate with a flywheel or vice versa.

Good Luck

Tried replacing main bearings and rod bearings with no luck. I am now looking for a motor to drop in.