Not a restoration.

[bigbadbob76]

Thanks for your input guys.
The engine is old and tired anyway, it's had low oil presure and low compression as long as I've had it which suggests big end wear and piston ring wear to me too.
I think the smoke was from the overheated thin oil escaping from old seals and dripping on the hot exhaust rather than being burned and blown out of the exhaust.
I'll drop the oil anyway as part of the engine out manouver, it'll be easier to drop it with the engine in the van than with it on the bench anyway. I'll report back on anything I find in the oil
I knew this would happen eventually but due to my wife being terminally ill we decided to just use it as long as we could and deal with it when it happened. It's done us well considering.
Unfortunately it's happened at a bad time for us as the wife has taken a turn for the worse recently and we wanted to make the most of the time we have together by getting out and about in the van. She's on oxygen 24/7 but we can take her oxygen tanks in the van and plug in her oxygen concentrator as long as we have hook up.
Thanks for your kind words Roger. We're off to the beach for a day trip in the car today, not the same as taking the van but needs must.

(update)- i just went out and put it up on ramps while I can still drive it, it's pissing out water from several seals, thermostst housing, bleed ring to block under the alternator and i think head seals too. whether this is due to overheating? barrell fire seals gone and gasses pressurising the coolant circuit? or the cause of the overheating? I don't know.

[937carrera]

Oh dear again just doesn't seem enough, you are truly going through really difficult times. I'll let others with greater WBX experience comment on the likely engine damage, maybe just dropping another used engine in will be the quickest way to get out & about again, if you can stand the outlay. Only you know can decide what you want to make your priorities are and how to spend your time. If I can help eg. by looking at an engine close to me, please just shout. I'll be thinking of you both.

[RogerT]

Bob, I’m really sorry to hear that, I did note your mention of oxygen. She seemed to be looking well (to me, having not met before) when you popped by earlier in the year. My thoughts are with you both.

[bigbadbob76]

Thanks for your kind words guys and thanks for the offer Carrera, I'll keep you in mind. Pm sent Roger.
Yes, Ideally I'd throw in a 2nd hand engine for now and re-build mine when I have more time.
My only worry is ending up in the same situation if I get a clapped out engine or a badly re-built one from one of the less reputable companies.
I'll have a think about my options but if anyone on here has a good dg engine for sale I'd be keen to talk about history, price and shipping.

[937carrera]

Ask Itchyfeet, he seems to have a collection of engines he rebuilds for fun

[bigbadbob76]

He does em right too.

I dropped the fluids this morning, oil was a little silvery but no big bits of big end shell.
No mayo in the oil.
No oil in the coolant.

So I dropped the engine anyway so at the very least it needs new seals all round and new rings might as well go in as I have em.
If the big ends are worn am I looking at getting the crankshaft ground? or will new shells do the trick?

[937carrera]

Nice day for it then.

Yep, might as well get on with stripping her then. See what you find when the heads / barrels are off.

On the crank side, you won't know until you look at it. Depending on wear you can get away with just a crank polish and new bearings. Don't simply allow a machine shop to grind to first oversize

[bigbadbob76]

Cheers.
I'll start stripping it when I get a chance, The Mrs has plans for me today.
I've had a feel of the head nuts and they came loose easily.
Next up is to get the exhaust off. could be a struggle by the look of the studs.

[937carrera]

Soak the nuts in penetrating oil / diesel / engine oil before you crack on with your other duties for today.

If your exhaust is anything like my WBX exhaust then I suspect you'll end up cutting things off, and there might be nothing left to reassemble to

Still, rust cuts / grinds away easy

[bigbadbob76]

Thanks for keeping me going Carrera.
Soaked em in diesel while i took the mrs out this morning. Then cracked on with stripping bits off while she had a snooze. Yep! The grinder came out and i got all but 3 studs out clean. The rest will come if i weld a nut on em.
The first clean has started. Everything is knee deep in crud.



I've decided to just rebuild it unless i get an offer i can't refuse on a re-built one. Shipping an engine up here is almost as much as the cost of the engine.

[weimarbus]

Very quick and positive work, looking good so far, so good luck with the head studs,with what you have done so far with the van, everything else is just straight forward engine rebuild stuff

[937carrera]

Doesn't look too bad to my eyes, and you seem to have made good progress this afternoon. Won't be long before you're down to the crankcases. I'd give each piston a tug /twist before you remove the gudgeon pin to see if there's any play you can feel, same once the piston is off on the rods. (though not having done a WBX that option might not be viable)

Whatever you find up to that point, if you can feel play, you know you're going to have to split the cases.

I just got a quote for a full pallet to Skye - £125 if you want to compare to other quotes. Still if you do it yourself, you know what was done when rebuilt, 30 hours for the rebuild, 60 hours plus for reading Itchys excellent threads on how to do it

[itchyfeet]

Sorry been slack on help here but been busy this weekend.

Sorry I don't have an engine but I can help with advice they are easy to work on IMO.
I have a DG crank if that one is damaged, cheaper than a regrind

First step is to see what the head studs are like and find why it lost oil pressure.

plenty of rebuild threads to look at for pics on my itchylinks post link down there in my sig.

[slowcoach]

Keep going Bob, I think everyones rooting for you guys from afar [THUMBS UP SIGN]

[bigbadbob76]

Thanks Guys. Couldn't do it without this forum and especially Itchy's rebuild threads. I've been re-reading some of them today.
Thanks for the crank offer Paul, will see how it goes and my people will talk to your people if mines kaput.
As long as the stud nuts come off ok and nothing's totally fubar it will live again.
I think the cause was overheating of an old and tired engine, fully loaded, uphill on a hot day, the overheat then thinned the oil and the rest is history.
Thinking back, I don't remember hearing the rad fan come on, but them my attention was on the engine at that point, must check it works before taking it any distance after the rebuild.
I knew it had low oil pressure anyway so knew I would have to do this at some point and have allready stocked up on gaskets, rings etc and have made the patented Itchy gudgeon pin puller. work will have to be raided for circlip pliers, measuring tools etc.

TBH the Mrs probably shouldn't be sleeping in a hot van in this heat even with the fans on so timing is not as bad as first thought.
25+C here this week and as I'm off work to keep an eye on her I have time to work on it a few hours a day when she's not got me doing domestic stuff.
Working on the van stops me dwelling on the "pooh" and keeps me sane.
We're away for a sail on the Waverly tomorrow so might not get much done.

I've removed various rusty bits, brackets etc so I'll start a wanted thread when I get a list together.