I Want To Rebuild And Engine.....

[Guest woll]

I've always wanted to learn how to rebuild an engine....Firstly, how hard is it really? Secondly what sort of specialist tools are required for the job?

 

I'm thinking of getting hold of a Mi lump and having a go. Seems pretty daunting but i'll have lots of time and hopefully lots of help from u lot.... I assume they'll be bits that I won't be able to do myself but I'd like to be able to do most of it.

 

What do you reckon? I've only picked up basic DIY mechanic skills so far but really wanna learn lots more and I think this might be the way to go about it.

 

Thanks

[petert 554]

Get in and do it. It's never too late to learn. I rebuilt my first engine when I was 18. I didn't have a clue what I was doing. Four years later, when I completed Mechanical Engineering, I understood 10% more. I'm 43 and still learning. There really is heaps involved, that most mechanics have little idea about. Ask lots of questions and buy the special tools you need as you go.

[M@tt 77]

as peter said really

 

i hadn't lifted a spanner in anger in years and so 16 months ago i started to rebuild my 205 from the ground up and i have done pretty much everything myself(partly why it haas taken so long) but with some help from various people off here as well.

 

it included rebuilding my mi16 lump up myself with the exception of some machining which was done by a engine builder. Get yourself a old stylle haynes manual and there is also a mi16 build guide on foldershare and get started. take your time and check on here and the guides for pointers. if i can do it then anyone can

 

Matt

[DaveK 0]

where is foldershare?

[M@tt 77]

http://forum.205gtidrivers.com/index.php?s...&hl=foldershare

[Guest BrainFluid]

You can get a good tool box with spanners, sockets, ratchets screwdrivers, pliers etc from halfords for £50.

 

This will need adding to as you go along, breaker bar, filter chain various extra sockets, extra spanners etc but it is a good starting point for tools...then when it comes to rebuilding you'll need a torque wrench too.

 

A big can of WD40 is a must. You will need a good pot of grease too

 

But you can be expecting to spend at least £200 on tools at the end of the day...but then you will need access to a engine hoist and a good buy would be an engine stand too...not forgeting 4 axel stands for good luck & a decent trolly jack.

 

So you could eaisly be spending £400 on all that together.

 

But like I said the tool box from halfords is a good start and make sure you keep the recipt. For everything!

 

Nate.

[Guest woll]

Thanks guys, I've got a fairly decent set of tools at the moment. Need to add quite a few tho...I'm keeping my 1.6 as it is and going to buy an Mi engine and rebuild with the possiblity of putting it in my 1.6 but as its so nice as it is, might buy a shell and build a trackday car...

 

How many hours go into a rebuild (remebering I'm a novice)?

 

And once I've got the tools (and the engine) should it cost much?

[Guest BrainFluid]

Well it took M@tt 16 months!

 

Price wise your eaisily looking into the hundreds of pounds mark, just the top and bottom kit and head bolts and gasket is a hundred so...

 

And then if you need to start replacing rings and things the cost will start to double.

 

If your going to buy an engine I wouldnt unless you take the head off and check the bores out. Also worth checking that the head will take a / another skimming. On my head there is a cm square hole on the face and that if the face is less than a mil higher than the bottom of this hole then it cant be skimmed any more...

 

hth

 

Nate.

[Bonzai 2]

1. time

2. space

3. money

4. bucketloads of determination

 

my engine reabuild project has been going about 14 months now :|

[Rom 0]

I brought an Mi lump the other week. So far i got it on a stand in my quite large and well equiped shed

Though im a mechanic by day,im still pretty daunted by rebuilding my lump. Ill knock head gaskets out all day long. But ive never ventured into anything remotely close to a full rebuild.

Like petert said, a lot of mechanics dont know the first thing about rebuilding an engine.

It really isnt a common thing for the average mechanic !

 

That link returns an error for me ? Any other way i can access it.

[Alan_M 66 1 Cars]

As they say, there is only one way to learn!

 

I did'nt have a clue about rebuilding engines when I decided to rebuild my Mi16 lump. The engine has now covered 25,000miles in less than a year wthout a hiccup (apart from the odd electrical gremlin ). With the help of this forum, the Mi16 build manual and a copy of the old Haynes manual, its not 'that' difficult.

 

Be prepared to spend a few quid though, not only on tools but the engine itself. Try and decide a budget and stick to it. I spent far too much on my rebuild, something that I wish to avoid on the next build!

 

Good luck with it!

[Dj_mini 7]

The best thing you can do is get stuck in. The first time i had a chance to get involved was helping a mate build a new engine for his tractor puller! He showed me the basics (all be it on a larger scale) two years latter im building engines on my own.

[DaveK 0]

as peter said really

 

i hadn't lifted a spanner in anger in years and so 16 months ago i started to rebuild my 205 from the ground up and i have done pretty much everything myself(partly why it haas taken so long) but with some help from various people off here as well.

 

it included rebuilding my mi16 lump up myself with the exception of some machining which was done by a engine builder. Get yourself a old stylle haynes manual and there is also a mi16 build guide on foldershare and get started. take your time and check on here and the guides for pointers. if i can do it then anyone can

 

Matt

 

anyone got the guide on their pc that could email me it please?

[Guest woll]

anyone got the guide on their pc that could email me it please?

 

Me 2 please!!

 

olin_s@hotmail.com

[chris 417 mi 28 2 Cars]

Thirded

cportland@hotmail.com

[DaveK 0]

davekyle@hotmail.co.uk

 

lol

[pug_life 0]

i'm compiling an amass of photos from the mi16 rebuild i'm currently doing..

done the head now and got to restrip the block but will get more pics..

 

i'm not very good at writing guides and will no doubt miss something out but if someone wants to write one i can provide photos of each part stage etc

 

best thing to do is do an 8v engine first (scrap 1.6gti lump is good) just strip it down in parts and see how everything is at the start (take pics) then strip it and put it back together (don't go spending money on gaskets etc as its wasted....) use the pics to help you

 

i've done 8v and this is my first mi16 rebuild, not too hard just gettin it right and checking a hundred times so you fully understand it all. and never be afraid to ask. (anthony has been bugged a few times lately )

[Veero 1]

Ive taken over 200 pics of my now completed Mi16 rebuild.

 

I had no clue to start with and I've learnt so much about the engine in the process. Loads of help from people on here and having it spare to work on as and when has been fine. I took the plunge and last week finished it off and got it in my car, usual electrical gremlins are trying their best to thwart me but it should be sorted soon.

 

Anyway I have been compiling a guide from start to finish on how to do this, based on what I've done. Ive tried to record as many additional costs as possible, extra fluids, tools etc and compiled a matrix in Excel of the different costs of parts from different places. Obviously prices correct at time of going to print and all but once it's finished I can circulate that to those that want it. I did a complete rebuild including rings, shells, all seals and gaskets so the price list is fairly concise.

 

Tools I've bought are: valve spring compressor, piston ring compressor, magnetic pick ups, more sockets, torque wrench, (dont need a filter chain, brute force and ignorance gets them off easily enough), valve lapping stick, more scrwedrivers, engine crane and stand. Keep an eye on eBay for cranes, I got a (£330 new) Draper 1 ton crane for £70! and a 3 wheel stand at machine mart is only £30.

 

Basically it's not as bad as you think it will be, especially if you have no real time constraint since you won't rush things. Although the danger with that is it gets put off and put off and might take 16 months. I had my Mi16 engine for about 6 months before I took any bits off it, and it wasnt until about the 8th month after that I stripped the head down, another month to rebuild and finally about a year after I got it to actually turning the key for the first time.

 

Oh the guide only covers up to the complete rebuild of the head so far and is already about 7500 words

 

It's really not that bad, but measure everything over and over so you are certain before proceeding. Oh and bucket loads of enthusiasm will help no end

 

Veero

Edited April 20, 2006 by Veero

[Guest woll]

Ive taken over 200 pics of my now completed Mi16 rebuild.

 

I had no clue to start with and I've learnt so much about the engine in the process. Loads of help from people on here and having it spare to work on as and when has been fine. I took the plunge and last week finished it off and got it in my car, usual electrical gremlins are trying their best to thwart me but it should be sorted soon.

 

Anyway I have been compiling a guide from start to finish on how to do this, based on what I've done. Ive tried to record as many additional costs as possible, extra fluids, tools etc and compiled a matrix in Excel of the different costs of parts from different places. Obviously prices correct at time of going to print and all but once it's finished I can circulate that to those that want it. I did a complete rebuild including rings, shells, all seals and gaskets so the price list is fairly concise.

 

Tools I've bought are: valve spring compressor, piston ring compressor, magnetic pick ups, more sockets, torque wrench, (dont need a filter chain, brute force and ignorance gets them off easily enough), valve lapping stick, more scrwedrivers, engine crane and stand. Keep an eye on eBay for cranes, I got a (£330 new) Draper 1 ton crane for £70! and a 3 wheel stand at machine mart is only £30.

 

Basically it's not as bad as you think it will be, especially if you have no real time constraint since you won't rush things. Although the danger with that is it gets put off and put off and might take 16 months. I had my Mi16 engine for about 6 months before I took any bits off it, and it wasnt until about the 8th month after that I stripped the head down, another month to rebuild and finally about a year after I got it to actually turning the key for the first time.

 

Oh the guide only covers up to the complete rebuild of the head so far and is already about 7500 words

 

It's really not that bad, but measure everything over and over so you are certain before proceeding. Oh and bucket loads of enthusiasm will help no end

 

Veero

 

Thanks Veero, thats help build some confidence in me. I'd love a copy of that guide when you're done writing it and I expect that there are lots of others that would like it! Can you let me know when you've finished it.

 

Cheers mate, n good luck finishing the build

 

Oli

olin_s@hotmail.com

[richsmells 2]

I'm going to have a go at building in a few months as i'll have a proper job. Want to find a new house with a garage too. Still undecided on Mi or 8v though.