Advice on Engine rebuild + Gearbox @176K Vr6

[jenks 0]

Ok everyone due to starting a buisness with my old man and being rushed off my feet ive sold my track car project. Should have around a £1000 to spend on my corrado which is off the road this winter while i sort out heaters,paint,etc

 

Now i was going to go for a full leather retrim and go a bit mad but decided to play it wise and put the money towards an engine rebuild aswell as maybe a gearbox rebuild with a bit of extra cash thrown in.

 

My corrado is a 93 (coilpack) Vr6 with 176K with full VW service history, previous owner was a lawyer for the owner of the VW&Porsche dealership in Liverpool so was well looked after (received over 4ks worth of receipts since 2000!) however when shes fired up the chains can be a little rattly for a few seconds but then quickly go away, apart form using a bit of oil from a leaking gasket thats all i can complain about the engine however theres no history of chain work being done? so at 176K is it wise to get them done along with clutch?

 

What price am i looking at for parts and labour?

 

Also what price would it be for a top end rebuild with copper headgasket? Blew a water pipe going round the ring this summer,had to drive a few miles to get back to the hotel beside the circuit so i feel a headgasket failure on the way! :roll:

 

 

Only gearbox complaints i have is 1st gear gets a bit notchy, is there a bush or selector overhaul kit you can get like the mk2 golf?

 

I know I should be using the search bit i feel with my high milage would be good to get opinions!

 

cheers

[steve @ 0]

Stealth charge ~$800 + vat for clutch and chains. And I think £1500 for a full head over haul,( head rebuild, new tappets etc) including clutch and chains.

[Niges16V 0]

the noise you hear on startup is more likely to be the tappets untill they get up to pressure (filled with oil), this is normal! If you are going to spend on the engine then it would be sensible to include chains as a matter of course.

[dr_mat 0]

I would say there's probably nothing much wrong with your car. The chains clatter in a very distinctive way, and it gets worse at 1200rpm. At 176k it's an unusual car that doesn't have chain clatter, but yours may be one of the exceptions.

As for a little bit of notchiness on 1st gear, well yeah, they get like that. But I don't think that sounds too bad, to be honest.

That £1k isn't going to go very far on overhauling a VR6, so best to make certain you need it done before you commit ...

[jenks 0]

Ok so if the chains get worse or should i say louder it'l be worthwile spending the £800 odd on chains and clutch? Top end and bottom end are solid on the Vr6 so not much point in an overhaul if i dont need it right?

 

Thanks for the replies

[dr_mat 0]

From what you've said I don't know if there IS anything wrong with your chains. If it's the chains clattering, it doesn't "go away" after a few seconds or a few minutes. It clatters all the time ..

Meanwhile, it's quite possible for them to be badly worn without hearing anything much. After that kind of mileage, with no evidence of them having been already replaced, it would be wise to inspect the top tensioner before judging.

But if you inspect it, and they look ok, then it ain't broke so don't fix it ... !

 

As for the gearbox overhaul, you certainly don't have to buy a whole new box, but tbh it might work out cheaper than the labour required to recondition one .. !

[double-6s 0]

I thought my gearbox was totally shagged mate, and was going to save up for a recon gearbox after having the engine done.

 

But now the new engine and clutch are in, the box feels far better. I think the new clutch and it all being aligned again makes a huge difference.

 

Good luck :)

[jenks 0]

ok thanks very much! especially Dr_Mat

Cheers

[mr_fusion 0]

I paid £904 + vat (£1066 inc) for all the above work this week (head rebuild, gaskets, clutch and chains at a v.friendly engineers in shrewsbury.

 

Let me know if you need their details and I will pass them on.

[Trig 0]

That sounds like quite a reasonable price. When you're doing a job like that though there are so many 'oh while i'm at it' jobs that you can add on!

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Took my head off last night and at 140K, the block isn't looking too clever. It doesn't smoke at all, but it's going to need doing within a year tbh.

 

The head is fine though, but that and the chains were done by stealth at 93K.

 

Good news on the MK4 solid upper tensioner pad (replaces the Corrado metal backed one), after nearly 50K, there is no wear on it! :lol:

[dr_mat 0]

Took my head off last night

 

Why? Or do you mean in the worzel gummage style .. ? :)

[Kevin Bacon 5]

To fit the stainless 9:1 spacer gasket and ARP head studs in preperation for Mr Turbine ;-)

 

Actually I lie, I just like lifting random heads to inspect people's bores :lol: