Head Gasket Blown

[Mave]

I have just spoken to a VW mechanic and he said when the engine is stripped down the crank case could end up being cracked

Very very unlikely

He said he could get me an reconditioned engine for £2100 & Vat with 2 year guarentee, seems a bit excessive when Elite are doing them for £900, this VW mechanic said do not trust recon engines for the price of Elites.

Here we go again

Lol, I know, I may as well get another van at that price...

[ghost123uk]

You need another mechanic ... biker or not. Cracked crankcase my asre

Ian, It was the VW mechanic who told me about the cracked crank case and how it is a major problem with these vans, not the biker mechanic I will be using

Sorry, I know I am not Ian, but this VW mechanic is talking bollox ! Search on here for "cracked cranckase" and through the tens of thousands of posts, you will find zero results !

The VW mechanic also told me I would be better replacing my engine with the £2100 one and not to trust Elite VW......

Again = bolox, The elite engines are used by hundreds of folks and nearly all of them are happy. There are arguments about what they do / don't replace but this has been discussed to death on here. (lets not start it again ) A bit of searching on here will give you all the info and opinions you need. End story is they sell a lot of engines and at the price and with a 2 year warranty, they are good value. They couldn't do a 2 year warranty if they were dodgy.

You also hear horror story's about Remtec, Vege, Pettit etc. Worth remembering, folk don't go on forums about their new engine unless there is a problem. All the happy customers are busy going camping !

My advice is don't trust the opinion of one "Vw Mechanic", rather trust the opinions of hundreds of experienced T25 owners that populate one of the largest T25 forums in the world

[Ian Hulley]

Morning Mave, a search on the forum for 'Elite' or 'Reconditioned' will throw up a good many results for you to mooch over .... As with everything technical on here I can and will only comment on my own experiences, our engine belonged to Aidan (gearbox guru) Talbot, he had it reconditioned by Elite to his spec using extra parts he supplied. He sold it to me with a 2 year warranty ... that was 4 years ago last May Day bank holiday. It's since done 60,000 miles and I have nothing bad to report. I replaced the waterpump (which Aidan fitted) after 35,000 miles.

I have seen inside a VERY expensive Vege 'reconditioned engine' which had less than 500 miles on the clock, my chum was given the receipt from the garage and it clearly states 'Vege reconditioned engine', it was fitted by a local garage into an elderly couple's camper which was rotten beyond repair, the owner passed away and a chum of mine bought the van to break it. Both heads were pre-used, one had a badly tapped out exhaust stud thread. On one side of the engine the barrels still had 'Good Side' written on them, none of the pistons were new. The barrels had been honed and new rings fitted, used head studs were fitted. Both the waterjackets were full of a spaghetti-like blue silicone sealant ... obviously they'd had trouble re-sealing the barrels on one side. This blue silicone is a common occurance in several failed Vege engines, I'm sure if the would other members could say more about blocked oilways and coolant pipes.

So who actually DOES fully recondition engines ?

Ian

[T'Onion]

The only time I have seen the crankcase fail is when the con-rod lets go , and even a biker mechanic would be able to diagnose that

There would be oil and coolant and bits of metal everywhere

Another alternative is to get a straight 4 petrol out of a Vw ( pissatt ,golf etc) or scooby and fit that , look in the alternative engine forum

[Mave]

Cheers Folks

I will keep you all updated on the progress, but your advice has been great...

Much appreciated

[ghost123uk]

This blue silicone is a common occurance in several failed Vege engines, I'm sure if they would other members could say more about blocked oilways and coolant pipes.

Yep I have suffered from a guy doing this to an engine I had a few years ago Caused me a right load of agro and expense !

[Mave]

The only time I have seen the crankcase fail is when the con-rod lets go , and even a biker mechanic would be able to diagnose that

There would be oil and coolant and bits of metal everywhere

Another alternative is to get a straight 4 petrol out of a Vw ( pissatt ,golf etc) or scooby and fit that , look in the alternative engine forum

Eh up, Can you advise if I would need to change the gear box etc if i went for an alternative engine like a Pissatt or Golf ???

I am seriously considering this option if its my egine is knackered.

Appreciate your help

[Ian Hulley]

https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=194

[Mave]

Hi Folks

Just a couple more questions, if i was to change my engine to a vw golf or pissatt straight 4.

1. Is it straight forward to change over.

2. Do i need to replace the gearbox?

3. Do i need to replace anything else to do with the engine?

4. Do you get better fuel consumption, miles per gallon with the golf or pissatt?

5. Can the original exhaust system still fit?

Many thanks

[Ian Hulley]

1. Is it straight forward to change over.

No

2. Do i need to replace the gearbox?

Probably best ... I believe my old mate Jed has had this done in his syncro ... perhaps he or Aidan can comment

3. Do i need to replace anything else to do with the engine?

Yes, lots of plumbing and the donor wiring ECU etc etc As a matter of course you would change the donor's cam belt, tensioners and waterpump.

4. Do you get better fuel consumption, miles per gallon with the golf or pissatt?

Yes 30+mpg the 1.9TDi AFN 110bhp does 46 in the Passat it was designed for.

5. Can the original exhaust system still fit?

No.

[T'Onion]

I was thinking petrol Ian not diesel ,
For a petrol swap ,You need stuff like diesel gearbox bell housing
Diesel sump , td is easiest but the normal D can be use with some messing
Diesel engine bars
look in the other forum loads of info in there and on Brickyard

Failing that give Billy numbers or Mercdoc a ring to see if they have a 1.9 or 2.1 in stock

[Ian Hulley]

Mark I thought our new friend wanted to know about a TDi coversion ? No-one in their right mind would put a Passat petrol engine in unless they are after a very high performance chip-up job ... they I'm sure we both know what they will end up doing anyway

Ian

[ghost123uk]

5. Can the original exhaust system still fit?

Flat 4 exhaust onto a straight 4, this thread is getting too silly

[edoh]

' Cracked crankcase my asre'

i don't know why -
but that line has lodged itself in my bonce!

[T'Onion]

Mark I thought our new friend wanted to know about a TDi coversion ? No-one in their right mind would put a Passat petrol engine in unless they are after a very high performance chip-up job ... they I'm sure we both know what they will end up doing anyway

Ian

I was think about the 4cyl 8v jobbie