VR6 serious engine trouble

[Mikesp8 0]

Ok, just been informed that the noise my corrado is making was not the tensioners but actually a destroyed bottom end.

 

My question is what should i do next. Rebuild? Re-con or scrap and start again? and where best to get it done?

 

My first quote has come back at £3500 which is a little to much for me.

 

Any direction muchly appreciated.

[veeDuB_Rado 0]

Could try look for a new Vr6 engine, can get them for not a lot now.

 

Fitting them shouldn't be too much nowadays..

[steve @ 0]

Coxylad has one for sale on here (for sale froum) for £400 I believe.

[veeDuB_Rado 0]

http://www.the-corrado.net/.archive/forum/viewto ... 293#417293

 

Yup.

[Mikesp8 0]

cheers but i think i want to stick to a manual. I've been phoning around and have been quoted £700 for the engine refit so if i can find a warrantied vr engine for under £1500 i'll be well on my way

Next stop German and Swedish.

[steve @ 0]

cheers but i think i want to stick to a manual. I've been phoning around and have been quoted £700 for the engine refit so if i can find a warrantied vr engine for under £1500 i'll be well on my way

Next stop German and Swedish.

 

Engines are the same though?

[2cc 0]

speaking unasked on his behalf as I know that bigpants baby has one, if not more, vr6 engines

[matth76 0]

Make sure you get a second opinion on your engine 'noise' mate as some garages are better than others (I hope it wasn't a VW main dealer that told you that! - VW recently gave my car a 'full' service and neglected to tighten up every single one of my 6 spark plugs!!). Take it to a specialist if you haven't done so already - they will be half the price of VW and far far better. Otherwise if you do actually have a bad bottom end a rebuild would be the safest option as you have no assurance of what condition the new second hand engine's condition really is in. With a rebuild - if done by a specialist like Stealth or The Phirm, and I think you will have a car that feels as good as when it came from the factory - should be around £1.5-2k for a rebuild. Good luck.

[VEEDUBBED 0]

VEEDUBBED also has a 15000mile VR mill up for grabs...,totally dismanteled,all photos ready...

[Dutch24V 0]

R32 engine, ECU, loom, gearbox etc etc went for £1800 on ebay yesterday :wink:

 

Dutch

[Mikesp8 0]

Cheers matth76 thats exactly what i wanted to hear. 1.5 -2k is pretty much the figure is was prepared to spend so sounds like the way forward

[dr_mat 0]

Errrmm... Full VR6 engine recon at Stealth including head, crank bearings, rebore and piston fettling is more like £2700-£3k ...

Ok you might be able to save £500 if you stick with your old top end, but is it worth it?

TBH the only people who can consider doing jobs like this without worrying about the costs are the people who do it themselves.

 

Even if you source another engine; 1- it's an unknown quantity till it's in the car, at which point you don't know what you're going to find and 2 - it'll still cost you an arm and a leg to get someone to swap an engine for you. (Though at least if you stick to exactly the same type it's less ridiculously expensive - anything that avoids rewiring, see...)

[Mikesp8 0]

So dr_mat if thats the case what do you recommend? Is there no way of getting it back on the road for less than the cost of the car and if not does that mean it's now worth 10% of jack sh1t?

[dr_mat 0]

How bad is it? I mean, does it go?

You've not really given us any info about that. A bit of piston slap when cold and a bit of oil use can go on some time before it gets urgent.

Look, why don't you talk to someone who can put real figures on this - everyone here can only give you conjecture about prices, and there's not that many people even on this (big) forum that are au fait with what's involved (myself included). Ring Stealth or someone like that for the real price and real advice.

 

You might also be able to get hold of a recon engine from other sources. Bare engines go for not too much money, and if you have confidence in their reliability then fine, go for it. But still. If I was going through this loop, I'd be talking to Stealth for ideas.

[Mikesp8 0]

Fair play just wanted to get as much info as poss before jumping in and spending 3k.

 

The cars still running and quite well (no loss of power) but it sounds like a train when it accelerates. Have taken it in and that’s how I know the bottom end is shot. Originally thought it might be tensioners or tappets but turned out to be other side of engine.

[GIXXERUK 0]

whats the mileage / condition/year of the car ? i dont think i would spend 3k on mine , i would probably just go and buy another and rape mine for spare parts

ok theres no guarantee the new one wont die but if you spend 3k theres no guarantee your gearbox wont die next week

 

with the value of these cars being so low they just cant sensibly warrant a big cash investment

[Mikesp8 0]

Its a k-reg, 80 thou on clock with full vw service history and all reciepts for work done. Owned last 8 years by same guy (a 45 year old teacher if i remember correctly) and i've had it just 5 months with this being my first problem other than the door handle snapping.

[dazzyvr6 0]

id take it elsewhere for a second opinion,isnt yash motorsport around oxford?you can pick up recon engines for around £1500

[Jim 1]

I'm very surprised to hear that something like this has happened on a car with only 80k on the clock and a 'mature' previous owner for that length of time!

 

Very strange.

[oxfordpaul 0]

Hi mate, I'm in Oxford too, where did u take it? I've had a local garage tell me I needed a new engine following a bad misfire as the compressions were down. I didn't believe them and took it to AMD who diagnosed a faulty speed sensor and it's been perfect ever since (last 14 months!). And at 80k that seems ridiculous, mines done 128k and never been looked at....

[Mikesp8 0]

I was a little concerned as well. Just unlucky i guess or didn't have a good enough look round the car when i got it, but how do you see or test for something like this?

 

Anyway i thank you all for your advice and help, but if i could ask one more favour.

 

I could ring round all the local vw machanics in the area and i'm sure someone would take the project on but if i'm going to get it done i'd like to know its going to be done properly. So if anyone has a number/web address of anywhere that they trust and would recommend that would be a great help.

E.g Stealth etc

[dr_mat 0]

The only way you might wind up killing the bottom end on an 80k VR is by running it dry on oil!!

Stealth are at http://www.stealthracing.co.uk btw.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I'm very surprised to hear that something like this has happened on a car with only 80k on the clock and a 'mature' previous owner for that length of time!

 

Very strange.

 

Don't forget the VW dealers in the Isle of Man f'cked up Graeme's (xbones) engine, and it only had 70ish K on it IIRC. A day after the warranty aswell....bummer....receipts for £3K from Stealth to put that right.

 

IMO, good job the 12V is dead....fit a 24V lump :-)

 

Or what's wrong with the £400 one Coxylaaad is selling? For that price you can't go wrong and the fact it's from an auto means nothing.

[Jim 1]

I was wondering if it was oil starvation that might of done it.

 

As has been said, a lot of us here are big fans of Stealth Racing and the work they do. I'd argue that they know the VR6 engine better than anyone in the country quite frankly.

 

The work won't be cheap to get it sorted but you know it'll be done right.

[Mikesp8 0]

Oil is what most people have said to me but to be honest i must have checked it at least once a week as well as the water because i thought it was running way to hot all the time. I only found out from this site that you can expect it to hit above the 100/110 running temp and not be to concerned.

 

Cheers for the link by the way.