Do I need to rebuild?

[Petros]

best place to look is actually on Craig's list. Not that common they will have a fresh engine that was last manufactured some 20+ years ago, but you never know unless you check. You can also install the 4ac, so you can look for those as well (might be easier to find the 4ac).

[danzo]

so the low mile import engine is the way to go.

I think Petros is referring to the companies that import Japanese engines. Jap emission laws require all cars to have their engines replaced when the car hits 100k kilometers (~62k miles), so the "old" engines get shipped here. The problem is our 3As, and 4As for that matter, have not been used in a recently manfactured car. I checked with one such company and they did a saki spit take in my face. They would rebuild a 3/4A for about $900 however.

If you decide to replace your engine the cheapest and most feasible way to go would be to get a used 4A from an '80's Corolla/Nova. Not too tough to find, but just make sure it's OK before you buy it. But it sounds like your engine can be saved.