Father needs BMW help, Son no help

[Craig the Princess]

Hello Autoshitters. My Dad appears to have cooked his engine (overheated and lost all drive on Saturday on the M20, now won't run) and the garage have told him it needs a new engine. His car is a 316i compact on a V-plate in quite good nick (apart from the borked engine).

 

EBay suggests around £450 for a replacement engine, does anyone know what a the cost of putting the engine is would be near? Or what the car is worth (I fear he may have paid too much last year but he really likes that car). Or is it fairly straightforward and could I do it? (I can do an engine change on an Allegros, but this seems light years away).

 

Thanks, sorry for throwing myself on your collective mercy.

 

EDIT for spelling

[Craig the Princess]

Hello Autoshitters. My Dad appears to have cooked his engine (overheated and lost all drive on Saturday on the M20, now won't run) and the garage have told him it needs a new engine. His car is a 316i compact on a V-plate in quite good nick (apart from the borked engine).

 

EBay suggests around £450 for a replacement engine, does anyone know what a the cost of putting the engine is would be near? Or what the car is worth (I fear he may have paid too much last year but he really likes that car). Or is it fairly straightforward and could I do it? (I can do an engine change on an Allegros, but this seems light years away).

 

Thanks, sorry for throwing myself on your collective mercy.

 

EDIT for spelling

[hairnet]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Complete-Engi ... 6.c0.m1538

 

 

5th one down

[hairnet]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Complete-Engi ... 6.c0.m1538

 

 

5th one down

[hairnet]

or save a lot of work

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1999-BMW-316I ... 1033895109

[hairnet]

or save a lot of work

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1999-BMW-316I ... 1033895109

[Craig the Princess]

Thanks hairnet, I think the second option might be the one we go with. If not would a 1994 engine be ok in a 1999 car? Would there be MoT emission problems or as the 1994 one will need a cat anyway it's ok.

[Craig the Princess]

Thanks hairnet, I think the second option might be the one we go with. If not would a 1994 engine be ok in a 1999 car? Would there be MoT emission problems or as the 1994 one will need a cat anyway it's ok.

[ashmicro]

I'd have said 300 nicker was nearer the mark for a donkey. 200 bills is what Belfast Engine House charge for a 4 pot RWD transplant with aircon, pas and all that shite that you get on moderns. If you have/can borrow an engine crane, why not have a crack at it yersen?

 

Good luck with it whatever you decide

[ashmicro]

I'd have said 300 nicker was nearer the mark for a donkey. 200 bills is what Belfast Engine House charge for a 4 pot RWD transplant with aircon, pas and all that shite that you get on moderns. If you have/can borrow an engine crane, why not have a crack at it yersen?

 

Good luck with it whatever you decide

[Ross_K]

What's a v-reg 316 worth? £1k -> £1.3k maybe?

 

Dunno if that's worth spending 450+labour on. Probably not.

[Ross_K]

What's a v-reg 316 worth? £1k -> £1.3k maybe?

 

Dunno if that's worth spending 450+labour on. Probably not.

[skattrd]

I'd agree with Ross, it's prob not worth paying someone to do the work unless he's really attached to the car.

 

A mate of mine recently bought an MOT failure (welding needed) e46 318i for £300. If you could find something along those lines and do the work yourself (if you have the time/space/equipment) then it may be worthwhile doing. You get any additional bits you may need, and can ebay other parts/scrap the shell to get a chunk of money back ... The downside is it means removing 2 engines.

[skattrd]

I'd agree with Ross, it's prob not worth paying someone to do the work unless he's really attached to the car.

 

A mate of mine recently bought an MOT failure (welding needed) e46 318i for £300. If you could find something along those lines and do the work yourself (if you have the time/space/equipment) then it may be worthwhile doing. You get any additional bits you may need, and can ebay other parts/scrap the shell to get a chunk of money back ... The downside is it means removing 2 engines.

[Craig the Princess]

I'd agree with Ross, it's prob not worth paying someone to do the work unless he's really attached to the car.

 

A mate of mine recently bought an MOT failure (welding needed) e46 318i for £300. If you could find something along those lines and do the work yourself (if you have the time/space/equipment) then it may be worthwhile doing. You get any additional bits you may need, and can ebay other parts/scrap the shell to get a chunk of money back ... The downside is it means removing 2 engines.

 

Removing 2 engines isn't a problem, putting one back in is far more of an issue.

Hmmm, plenty to think about.

[Craig the Princess]

I'd agree with Ross, it's prob not worth paying someone to do the work unless he's really attached to the car.

 

A mate of mine recently bought an MOT failure (welding needed) e46 318i for £300. If you could find something along those lines and do the work yourself (if you have the time/space/equipment) then it may be worthwhile doing. You get any additional bits you may need, and can ebay other parts/scrap the shell to get a chunk of money back ... The downside is it means removing 2 engines.

 

Removing 2 engines isn't a problem, putting one back in is far more of an issue.

Hmmm, plenty to think about.

[hairnet]

after 92 needs the cat keeping

[hairnet]

after 92 needs the cat keeping

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

V plate will be a 1.9, and only this unit will do. Older 1.6 / 1.8's have a different loom and crank sensor position.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

V plate will be a 1.9, and only this unit will do. Older 1.6 / 1.8's have a different loom and crank sensor position.

[Cavcraft]

I'd have thought the value of the car was probably nearer the £625-£750 mark personally.

The other option is to try and find and MOT failure or damaged one with the same engine as it might work out cheaper that way. £450 for a second hand engine seems excessive to be honest, is there no other E36s with the same lump? Usually four door ones go for quite low prices, again possibly worth buying a rough one and bumming it for the engine.

[Cavcraft]

I'd have thought the value of the car was probably nearer the £625-£750 mark personally.

The other option is to try and find and MOT failure or damaged one with the same engine as it might work out cheaper that way. £450 for a second hand engine seems excessive to be honest, is there no other E36s with the same lump? Usually four door ones go for quite low prices, again possibly worth buying a rough one and bumming it for the engine.

[scooters]

Common issue with BMW of that period..overheat rapidly caused by scrappy plastic waterpump impeller by the time the warning light comes on its too late...happened to a 5 series of ours a while ago.

 

If I were your dad I'd lib a bottle of k seal in the coolant ..worth a go and only cost a tenner,

 

Remember to replace waterpump with aftermarket one

[scooters]

Common issue with BMW of that period..overheat rapidly caused by scrappy plastic waterpump impeller by the time the warning light comes on its too late...happened to a 5 series of ours a while ago.

 

If I were your dad I'd lib a bottle of k seal in the coolant ..worth a go and only cost a tenner,

 

Remember to replace waterpump with aftermarket one

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I’ve seen my garage mate buggering about with his BMW’s and they seem pretty straightforward to work on, I reckon an engine swap on one of these is a lot simpler than the majority of modern FWD cronk. Find someone who’s breaking one and ask how much they want for the engine, rather than looking specifically for an engine listing. I wouldn’t wanna pay much more than £300 or so.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I’ve seen my garage mate buggering about with his BMW’s and they seem pretty straightforward to work on, I reckon an engine swap on one of these is a lot simpler than the majority of modern FWD cronk. Find someone who’s breaking one and ask how much they want for the engine, rather than looking specifically for an engine listing. I wouldn’t wanna pay much more than £300 or so.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I'd have thought the value of the car was probably nearer the £625-£750 mark personally.

The other option is to try and find and MOT failure or damaged one with the same engine as it might work out cheaper that way. £450 for a second hand engine seems excessive to be honest, is there no other E36s with the same lump? Usually four door ones go for quite low prices, again possibly worth buying a rough one and bumming it for the engine.

 

The 1.9 is an E46 engine. The older E36 one won't do. Looks the same, but it won't run.

 

And yes, bollocks to paying 3-4 hundred quid for a 10 year old engine with unwarranted mileage.

 

Head gaskets are very prone on these, always cylinder no.4. If the engine still starts and has oil pressure, I would be taking the head off for a look. It will need a goodly skim but unless it was driven until it melted, the block should be okay with a clean up. Only use a genuine gasket or one from Reinz/Payen, none of that cheap rubbish. The plastic impeller pumps get a raw deal, but this car is 13 years old. Worth chucking a 25 quid KWP pump in there when it's back together.

Also, the black plastic hose stubs (three, two on the head and one of the block) will be buggered.

If you can do it yourself (they're piss easy), you can do the whole lot for under 200 quid - plastics, gasket, skim and head bolts. Steel gaskets on these go again. If you can't, it's £600+ at a garage. K Seal won't do anything because the head will be utterly banana'd.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I'd have thought the value of the car was probably nearer the £625-£750 mark personally.

The other option is to try and find and MOT failure or damaged one with the same engine as it might work out cheaper that way. £450 for a second hand engine seems excessive to be honest, is there no other E36s with the same lump? Usually four door ones go for quite low prices, again possibly worth buying a rough one and bumming it for the engine.

 

The 1.9 is an E46 engine. The older E36 one won't do. Looks the same, but it won't run.

 

And yes, bollocks to paying 3-4 hundred quid for a 10 year old engine with unwarranted mileage.

 

Head gaskets are very prone on these, always cylinder no.4. If the engine still starts and has oil pressure, I would be taking the head off for a look. It will need a goodly skim but unless it was driven until it melted, the block should be okay with a clean up. Only use a genuine gasket or one from Reinz/Payen, none of that cheap rubbish. The plastic impeller pumps get a raw deal, but this car is 13 years old. Worth chucking a 25 quid KWP pump in there when it's back together.

Also, the black plastic hose stubs (three, two on the head and one of the block) will be buggered.

If you can do it yourself (they're piss easy), you can do the whole lot for under 200 quid - plastics, gasket, skim and head bolts. Steel gaskets on these go again. If you can't, it's £600+ at a garage. K Seal won't do anything because the head will be utterly banana'd.