Engine rebuild
Discussion
Hi,
I'm going to be converting my dumb auto gearbox into a manual soon. Aparrently that will involve the engine being either taken out of shifted a bit. Would this be a good time to get an engine rebuild?
The engine currently works OK, but I suspect it could be better. It has done about 90,000 miles and I reckon the cams are almost certainly worn. I'm not looking to soup it up particularly, just to have things working nicely.
So my question is
a.) What exactly gets rebuilt in an engine rebuild?
b.) Would it be OK just to get new cams?
c.) Has anybody had this done that could give me an idea of prices?
p.s. There is no chance whatsoever that I would ever attempt something like this myself so don't even suggest it.
I'm going to be converting my dumb auto gearbox into a manual soon. Aparrently that will involve the engine being either taken out of shifted a bit. Would this be a good time to get an engine rebuild?
The engine currently works OK, but I suspect it could be better. It has done about 90,000 miles and I reckon the cams are almost certainly worn. I'm not looking to soup it up particularly, just to have things working nicely.
So my question is
a.) What exactly gets rebuilt in an engine rebuild?
b.) Would it be OK just to get new cams?
c.) Has anybody had this done that could give me an idea of prices?
p.s. There is no chance whatsoever that I would ever attempt something like this myself so don't even suggest it.
Essentially, the only parts that 'need' replacing are worn ones. As a matter of course you're looking at crankshaft main bearing shells, connecting rod big end shells, crank thrust washers, oil pump gears (and possibly pump body), piston rings. You may need new pistons dependng on cylinder and small end bearing wear.
Then it would make sense to have the crank journals polished, and the cylinder bores honed to provide a new surface for the new piston rings.
The valves should be checked for fit in their guides, and either or both renewed as necessary. Rocker arms and their shafts, and valve springs, come into question as well. The camshaft may or may not need replacing depending on wear: if it did, you'd then also need to replace the cam followers. The V6 uses a fibre timing wheel that should be renewed: V8s have a drive chain and gears that suffer wear as well. Finally, a full new set of oil seals and gaskets would be required to put it all back together.
With all of the above (and one or two odds and ends that I didn't list) you would, in effect, have a new engine. It is a good opportunity to consider camshaft changes and big-bore conversions.....
I overhauled my V8 last year: it cost me £800 in parts and machining work, but of course I did the actual strip and rebuild, plus getting the engine in and out, myself... probably another 4 days labour on top of that if a garage did it all for you.
Ian
Then it would make sense to have the crank journals polished, and the cylinder bores honed to provide a new surface for the new piston rings.
The valves should be checked for fit in their guides, and either or both renewed as necessary. Rocker arms and their shafts, and valve springs, come into question as well. The camshaft may or may not need replacing depending on wear: if it did, you'd then also need to replace the cam followers. The V6 uses a fibre timing wheel that should be renewed: V8s have a drive chain and gears that suffer wear as well. Finally, a full new set of oil seals and gaskets would be required to put it all back together.
With all of the above (and one or two odds and ends that I didn't list) you would, in effect, have a new engine. It is a good opportunity to consider camshaft changes and big-bore conversions.....
I overhauled my V8 last year: it cost me £800 in parts and machining work, but of course I did the actual strip and rebuild, plus getting the engine in and out, myself... probably another 4 days labour on top of that if a garage did it all for you.
Ian
Gassing Station | Wedges | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff