German engine post mortem

[Des]

My old van has a 1.9 engine which is fine for plodding along, and while I don't want to go any faster than plodding along I could do with a shade more accelermeration for joining motorways, it's when in Europe this becomes a real problem what with being confused by the whole foreigness of it all and the way they actually use lane 1. So I bought an old engine a whole 200cc bigger.

I reckon this will work in a similar way to the big bore kit I put on my moped when I were a lad. The story with this engine is 80K, good runner but ongoing oil pressure problems, a few attempts to fix and the fault would always return later, this led the guy to swap it for a Subaru lump. Taken with a pinch of salt as you do, so I reckoned on doing the crank and whatever else it might need hopefully shouldn't get too expensive, WCPGW.

 

One Kraut cadaver.

 

Got splitting, heads look to have been done before, but the bottom end was virgin, just how I likes them.

 

 

The internal organs all appear reasonably clean, better than expected for the mileage quoted, nothing obvious to explain low oil pressure while pulling it apart, so got cleaning for a close examination, soon found something.

 

 

One end shell just giving us a provocative glimpse of the copper, others on their way, but I'm not sure they're quite bad enough to cause a complete loss of oil pressure, probably are but In the real world we don't get to see what a worn but not completely spankered bearing looks like. Looking elsewhere, the mains look good but the cam is on its way to that great rockerbox in the sky. Knickers.

 

 

Being a flat 4 engine, each cam lobe works 2 tappets, one each side so twice as much wear, hydraulic lifters as well the bastard, so more £xpense. I take a quick look at the pressure relief valve, nothing untoward, I suppose it's all down to the big ends, later I'll carefully measure the journals and con rods for the out of roundness, bores look a little shiny but again I'll have a good old look at them as to determine re-ring or replace. Then I picked up the heads for a clean and noticed some very sooty exhaust ports.

 

 

That's a thick layer of black shit there, now I know what's happened, that engine was getting way too much fuel it's diluted the oil thinning it to buggery, and probably caused most of the wear and tear it now shows, I'm happy now that cause of demise is determined. I'll have to do a nice shopping list, at least bearings cam / lifters and gaskets, If I'm very lucky and don't need any machining it's looking like maybe just shy of £500, the reality will likely be barrels / pistons with some bump n grind to push it just over the grand, although that would leave me a very nice engine that should outlive me.

What's interesting is that if my name was something like 'Diamond Engines Ltd Slough' I could murder this back together with just a set of shells, some silicon out of a mastic gun, 5 wheel silver and an air ratchet before punting it as reconditioned for 1 1/2 bags, it would probably even last the warranty period and if it didn't then I'd just feck them off out of it with the small print.

 

 

 

[Asimo]

Isn't there a problem with cylinder head studs corroding on these, 'cause they are in the coolant?

 

Or is it liner sink?