Club 80-90 Forums

Basically I'm after a bit of advice from people on which path to take.

Our van (F reg 1988 watercooled 1.9 dg petrol) is currently only running on 3 cylinders. Investigation is showing that cylinder 3 has no compression and the exhaust valve is burnt out. The compression on cylinders 2 & 4 seem fine. Cylinder 1 was okay but not great.

Trying to decide on whether to:

A) Try and get the engine taken apart and fixed.
B) Get a replacement bare engine.

I've heard these engines can be trouble to get apart and fix. So wasn't sure whether it might be worth biting the bullet and getting a recon engine. If option B) then where would be a well priced reputable option to get one from?

Cheers

They can be troublesome - a lot depends on the care it's received in the past, mileage, etc. Rebuilt ones are available, but it's a bit of a lottery. Check out all the threads about Elite Engines on here. Ask around, stick a wanted ad up - but unless you want to spend big, a second hand one is probably the way to go. There's a 1.9 engine on ebay at the moment. Could be a cheap fix to get you back on the road.

If it drives on 3 cylinders which it should then consider driving it to somebody like Campershack who can most likely fix it.

I would not touch an ebay engine or a mechanic who isn't familiar with these engines.

Recon engines are discuseed regularly, they are a lottery unless you pay 2k upwards because thats what a proper recon costs.


http://www.thecampershack.co.uk/aboutus.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If it's a valve issue get the head refurbed.

shepster wrote:If it's a valve issue get the head refurbed.

Like the man says ^^ Just don't leave it too long. I'm sure Campershack or Brickwerks etc will do it for you IF they can fit you in.

Ian

So from what I'm gathering Elite engines and Just Kampers (Vege) recon engines are a bit of a lottery.... some good, some bad.

Yep the van does still runs fine. Just a bit slow!
So if I go down the route of getting the head refurbished can anyone recommend someone a bit closer to Worcestershire?

I've never used them myself and I know they're not on your doorstep, but heard a lot of good things about MV engineering....... https://m.facebook.com/mvengineering/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;