what questions to ask (engine)

[ladybird]

Hi to all i might have to buy a 2.1 engine petrol costing 500 euro
what questions should i ask before purchase
its a local garage that assures me its running fine.

[croc]

Hiya
You sound like you're having a tough time - sorry to hear.
How is it you have gone from coolant issues to replacing the whole engine?
A lot of problems can be sorted with some replacement parts - has it really reached end-of-life?

I bought a secondhand engine a couple of years ago, the seller assured me, hand on heart, that it was in fine condition but did smoke a bit going down hill. The reason was he was fitting a Golf engine - sounds reasonable eh?
Smoke a bit!!!- a Navy could have used it for smokescreen duties!
I do this sort of work on my van myself so this does help with costs, but a set of 4 new pistons with rings fitted and liners was just over £300 - plus gaskets etc.
At least this way its virtually a new top end to the engine, now no smoke, good power and good economy - and less embarassment when the traffic behind dissapears in the smoke!

This might not be the same as your problem but I feel its better to deal with the devil you know and fit new parts than to open a whole new can of worms which could well have been someone else's problem.

jon

[keith]

easy...."how much of a written guarantee are you going to give me"

[itchyfeet]

I do this sort of work on my van myself so this does help with costs

jon

labour is the biggest cost, I doubt you will get a garage to change pistons and liners and head seals for less that you can buy a budget Recon

[kevtherev]

Hi to all i might have to buy a 2.1 engine petrol costing 500 euro
what questions should i ask before purchase
its a local garage that assures me its running fine.

warranty...

[itchyfeet]

its a local garage that assures me its running fine.

so is it still in a van?

if it is they can give you compression test figures and oil pressure figures, these are some indication of condition. Also you can see it running let it get hot rev it up and check for smoke.

Can't do any of that if the engine is out.

€500 is not a bad price but if you have to pay for fitting you have to decide if it's worth the risk against a budget recon with a waranty

may be worth getting a fitting price to decide, unless you are doing that yourself?

[ghost123uk]

Just to agree = Warranty

I bought an engine once (years ago) that was supposed to be a DG that "ran like a sewing machine". "You won't find a better one" they said. It not only turned out to be a DF on arrival, and covered in dust and muck, but on fitting it it was knackered. £600 that was. I did get my money back after a lot of hassle, including hinting that I might name them on the thread I had running on it at the time.

I don't want to scare you off though, I then got an engine off Billy739 on here that is still running great thousands of miles later

Warranty is what you want. However, if they are not the ones fitting it, they can wriggle out by blaming it on the fitter doing summat wrong, like ignition timing or oil levels, bleeding coolant system etc. If you can, (and I would) )get them to fit it, then take it for a good test drive before paying any money (they might want to accompany you ) and get a proper written, signed warranty on their proper headed paper.

[ladybird]

he will fit it for 500 euro
and guarantee it for 3 mths
so Warranty is the key question
and Written down.
thanks for the sympathy
im on a mission to have this machine running sweet
Thanks for replys
i will keep you posted

[itchyfeet]

Imo that's a very good price
You may not expect the earth for that
Just check if they are taking your old engine in exchange, id be wanting to keep it its worth money

[ladybird]

i havent tought of that, keep my own engine
or sell to him
the guy that now has the van reckons there is a blockage in the rad
as its cold in the middle and hot around the edges
the last geeser that had it said it was a blocked head
if only i could get it to gasure from dublin.

[kevtherev]

flush the rad out, or renew it

[ladybird]

he is in the process of flushing the rad
just took delivery of 9 1 litre bottles of coolant g12
im not holding my breath
i would be surprised if the last mech didnt spot that.

[itchyfeet]

Any mechanic who says the head is blocked can't be trusted

https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.p ... 1#p7927671" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[AdrianC]

the guy that now has the van reckons there is a blockage in the rad
as its cold in the middle and hot around the edges

Yep, sounds about right. But - if the rad is blocked - why change the engine? You're going to need to change the rad anyway, so might as well do that first, THEN see if the engine's needed.

[ghost123uk]

A fault that I have personally come across and has been seen on here a good few times that relates to your comment re a "blocked head" is a blockage in the thin bleed ring pipe(s) that runs around the lip of the engine bay. I had it once.
I have used a picture of KarlT's "T" piece blockage but I cannot trace it now

It is well worth blowing down various points of this pipe to check it is clear. Mine and KarlT's were blocked on the left hand side where the "T" junction joins to a thin rubber pipe, that has a fatter bit on the other end and joins to the nearside head. A blockage here will prevent coolant flowing around that head and can cause boiling up and excess pressure in the system. On mine it caused damage to that head resulting in my needing a new engine, as per details in mu post above ^^^