[Mk2] [NA] Do I really need a whole new engine?

[poser]

I'd put my car into a garage to check out a starting problem and they think it needs an entire new engine!

They say it needs new piston rings and/or new valve stem seals and that the crankshaft is rattling - they say all these things combined mean it's not worth fixing each thing.

They are probably correct about the rings and seals - it's blowing out a helluva lot of oil at the moment. The jury is out on the crank shaft - if I had a problem with it, surely it would just go altogether, wouldn't it?


Personally, I think the rocker cover is leaking oil onto the first plug, flooding it and causing the starting issues. I've also only made short journeys this winter, so the car probably needs to stretch its legs a bit, too.

However, a whole new engine seems a bit extreme, especially as none of the above should really be stopping my car from starting (it turns over and runs, sometimes perfectly). I'm going to do the R/C this weekend and see if it helps the starting issue.

What are my options, given that I am currently working on an extremely tight budget? I saw a refurbed engine (with guarantee) on eBay for around £400, which I could stretch to, though the associated labour is currently out of reach.

Is it worth ploughing up to a grand into a car that will still only be worth about a grand?!

[C50]

Could also be turbo seals - i assume blue smoke. Get a second opinion from another garage.

You could change the rocker gasket or plug seals to see if it sorts out the starting problem.

[LiamTye]

its not going to be turbo seals as it says he has a n/a

[-:[KM]:-]

Get an opinion from a specialist... GTS Chris isn't too far from you I think (unless it was Chris that said it was FUBAR'ed!!)

[poser]

It wasn't Chris - and I never realised he was in Newcastle until now

I was going to pop to Woodsport with it but I doubt I can even get it that far. The gtschris website seems to be down at the moment so I'll drop him a line.

[C50]

its not going to be turbo seals as it says he has a n/a

im tired

[Martin F]

if you could change it yourself then it would be well worth your time but if your going to be paying someone for it then i would just save up for another motor


i'm sure you could pick up an n/a engine for around £250 -£300

[RabRS]

if you could change it yourself then it would be well worth your time but if your going to be paying someone for it then i would just save up for another motor


i'm sure you could pick up an n/a engine for around £250 -£300

Machining etc to fit a nw crank + bearings will cost 400 alone. New rings are about 100 quid. All the gaskets are around 200.

A new engine could be picked up for around 300 quid as said. Then you're looking at a good 6 hours labour to fit it.

[BLZ-8027]

Theres a rev 5 engine near me going for £200
he still might have it?

[poser]

Theres a rev 5 engine near me going for £200
he still might have it?

Interesting - do you have any details?

Is it possible to drop a rev 5 engine into a rev 2?

There also seem to be more rev 3 engines around at the moment and they obviously tend to have lower mileage on them - is it posisble to put a rev 3 in, too?

[matt_mr2t]

You'd have to change the ECU and make sure you get everything from the engine if going from rev1/2 to rev3 +

[BLZ-8027]

Theres a rev 5 engine near me going for £200
he still might have it?

Interesting - do you have any details?

Is it possible to drop a rev 5 engine into a rev 2?

There also seem to be more rev 3 engines around at the moment and they obviously tend to have lower mileage on them - is it posisble to put a rev 3 in, too?

He can be contacted on 07795160818 (Tim).and hes in kettering town centre

[MR!! wren]

are you the guy who emailed me on ebay, about the engine? the guy selling them is just a middle man, and none of what's posted on the listing gets done, they just fix whatever problem the engine had to get it running and that's it, probably better to talk to rogue or woodsport as i think they sell the engines left over from conversions, might get a better deal, or at least more honesty

[poser]

are you the guy who emailed me on ebay, about the engine? the guy selling them is just a middle man, and none of what's posted on the listing gets done, they just fix whatever problem the engine had to get it running and that's it, probably better to talk to rogue or woodsport as i think they sell the engines left over from conversions, might get a better deal, or at least more honesty

Hiya,

I've emailed a few people on ebay now and can't remember what I've put!

Are you on about this listing:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... =p3907.m29

Because I was quite tempted by that - but if you know better please let me know.

I have pretty much sorted out the funding for this now, much to the other half's annoyance, but if I'm going to be spending so much on the car I need guarantees that it'll last.

Paul at Woodsport said he doesn't actually get involved with the old engines and that he couldn't guarantee their quality.

Rogue would've been fine and dandy a year ago when I was in Coventry still but now it's a bit of a distance to drag my flagging motor.