engine recon-opinions wanted

Post by **NOT ANOTHER LEAK** » 01 Jan 2006, 15:46

ive got a 1.9dg engine im my van thats done 58k and is 17 years old.as far as i know the engine is original,which leads me to a few questions id like peoples opinion on.
is it worth taken the engine out to recon it,to pre-empt any problems.
ie rusting cylinder head studs ect,or would i be best to leave it alone because its running fine.
its more of a peace of mind thing cos i would much prefer to be running around in a van without worrying about the engine when going on long camping trips ect.
also if i do take the engine out wots the minimal i should do as far as reconditioning goes
thanks all

Post by **DiscoDave** » 01 Jan 2006, 16:13

what???? 58K??? if it works don't fix it!!! my dg packed in after 164K so if yours is only on 58 don't worry, just look afterit! service it well with good parts and regularly it should be fine, it's more likely that something else will go wrong on a long trip! have good breakdown cover and just enjoy the ride!!!

Post by **kevtherev** » 01 Jan 2006, 22:03

O K so the worry about an engine break down gets sooo bad you spend a grand or so changing it for a recon or 2 months off the road fixing.... wot ain't broke.... yer self ,

then you go off for the weekend, and the side door drops off in your hand,
the half shafts strip the splines, the alterntor fails and the starter motor goes BOINK
you haven't got a crystal ball so don,t worry 'bout what hasn't happened

as dave so rightly said look after it WELL,and enjoy it

Post by **stuckin88** » 02 Jan 2006, 08:12

If the head seals aint leakin leave well alone--has the coolant been changed during the vans life?---even low mileage engines can leak water--its an age related thing--as for recons--worry about than when the time comes--I put a genuine V.A.G in mine over 4 yrs ago--40k miles & no probs yet but time will tell---should the heads start leakin--yoove still got a few thousand miles as long as you check the water--so you aint gonna actually break down on holiday--

Post by **NOT ANOTHER LEAK** » 02 Jan 2006, 08:22

yep dave 58k with all the mot`s with milleage on for proof,the downside is that prior to me buying the van a year ago it only had 3 service stamps in the book,so not exactly well seviced(unless it was serviced by previous owners and not a garage).ive changed antifreeze and flushed the system,and there was rust in the old fluid,which lead me to think the studs were rusting

Post by **Diamond Hell** » 02 Jan 2006, 09:42

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Van hypochondria!

If it's not leaking and it's running well and not blowing steam or anything then just continue servicing it and enjoying it!!

Seriously, at whatever age your van is there's going to be some rust in the coolant. It's far more likely to come from some poxy little metal insert in the coolant pipes rather than some big, butch head studs.....

Now go camping for two nights to stop this nonsense - it's the only way to cure yourself in this situation.

Post by **HarryMann** » 02 Jan 2006, 13:42

... and an AA Relay card in you wallet is a lot cheaper than an engine rebuild, and even more peace of mind - even with a rebuilt engine. In fact definitely with a rebuilt engine, the devil you know etc...

Post by **NOT ANOTHER LEAK** » 02 Jan 2006, 17:16

thomas i`ll consider myself told