Dont just go wanging a new lump in.
What's failed?
Not sure yet just thinking worst case scenario. Need someone who knows what they're doing to come and have a look. I'm going to start hunting a good mobile mechanic in the morning.
Speaking from experience, I would just let a mechanic do all of the required work.
I'm sure you are capable, but doing some of the work to save few quid is often a false economy. Don't know how well equipped you are but you could be shelling out for tools, cleaning stuff etc. Also consider the weather when working on the driveway. Weather is good at the moment but spannering in the rain is no fun.
Don't know any good local mobile mechanics I'm afraid. Seems like it won't be an easy fix but as you say worth stripping down to see
@sharkattack - look on Facebook for Sheffield Mobile Mechanic. Ady is a top bloke and knows his stuff. I won’t use anyone else now and if he can help he will.
Is this the fella?
He's on my list for tomorrow.
Yeah Steve it's not going to be fun or cheap but I'm fully committed now whether I like it or not!
@sharkattack. Yep - top bloke. He and his wife took a load of home made Indian snacks to the Northern for the nurses. When he found out Mrs D was a nurse there they took a whole load of cakes and stuff to her ward to help them through the madness.
And he knows his way round an engine. He’ll respond pretty quick via Facebook or I can ping you his mobile number via PM if it’s working yet!
That's encouraging thanks, I'll let you know how I get on.
I did mention a good mobile mechanic yesterday based in hillsborough
Don't worry everyone is on my list until someone takes it on.
I've sent some messages to people including a video of the noise it makes when you turn it over. It sounds like someone hitting an oil drum with a hammer. No replies yet. Probably not the sound you want to hear this early on a morning!
Ooof. that's unlucky.
IF you can prove a private sale has been misrepresented you can take it back, but it doesn't sound like it was (and i bet it would be a ball ache to actually do)
Is it your only car? If its a toy, at least you can have it sat on your drive as a project?
Get an electric drive chain conversion kit for it!
I remember my dad selling his old, beloved pug 405 estate in the late 90s, having had it for years.
We drove past it the following day, with dealer plates hanging off it, and its guts blow up all over the side of the road.
Sad to see it go, but glad we got rid of it!
I think I've found a solution that I can just about stomach.
I found this company through their ebay listings- https://www.tdciservices.co.uk
It looks like they do this swap day in day out. They'll collect it from my drive, fit a reconditioned engine with a new timing belt and a chain where the wet belt was and offer a 12 month guarantee. It'll be done and dusted in a couple of days.
Overall I'll be into it for just over 4 grand so it's still a cheap van. I just hope I get a few months of trouble free motoring out of it.
Ady did get back to me with a price and a date but I like the sound of the specialist option especially with 12 months backup (assuming they honour it). I'll probably use him next time I need something.
I should be up and running by this time next week.
Doesn't sound a bad price.
I'd be throwing a clutch in too.
Last thing you want is in 6months is another 800 quid bill
Sounds like you've found a good solution. It's not a problem to go super cheap with. This has a reasonable cost for a total solution.
I know you are gonna change the engine, but am I the only one thinking "STOP TURNING THE BLOODY ENGINE OVER!?"
It's possible that it could have been fixed but if you keep turning it over, its REALLY gonna be borked.
am I the only one thinking “STOP TURNING THE BLOODY ENGINE OVER!?”
Nope... 🙂
“STOP TURNING THE BLOODY ENGINE OVER!?”
It’s possible that it could have been fixed but if you keep turning it over, its REALLY gonna be borked.
I thought that but then if he is driving along and its in gear when it goes then its bolloxed. Turning it via the started motor wont make it any worse.
Sounds very unlucky. I dont think there is any way that was a bodge.
Really?
Its not great but when its in gear and running then its turning with all the momentum of the van. If the timing is out it just smashes itself to bits. You cant make it worse than that.
Unless you are very lucky and it stays in time and then the starter motor can make it worse but I think its 99% chance of wrecked by this point. I guess all depends how quickly you stop the engine after the bang.
Hes not doing anymore damage....
Trust me
Sorry but it died at 20mph, in 3rd gear, on a busy junction full of typical Sheffield racing drivers. First instinct was to turn the key and get out of the way. It's not like I was trying to bump start it down the street after I realised what had happened.
I haven't touched it since just after it happened.
Sorry Shark Attack. I thought that you had gotten the wee van home then had tried to turn it over, whilst videoing it for potential mechanics to view, so they could hear the noise as the engine ate itself.
I always had the thought that if the engine dropped a tooth or the timing belt broke completely then I should dip the clutch and coast to the side (and never start the thing again, until a mechanic told me how many valves I had bent, if the cyclinders bores were scored or if the big-ends were gone or if it was just the timing belt tensioner that had gone and that I had gotten away with it!) I suppose my view is that unless there is a huge hole in the block and the valves are lying on the ground covered in oil, then MAYBE there is a chance that it could be resurrected.
I must be wrong.
Hope you get it sorted. It's a bloody ball-ache when something like this happens. (Especially in fast traffic.) Its happened to me twice now. Luckily both times, I was able to dip the clutch and coast to the side. (but i realise that this was a COMPLETE FLUKE - like 1 in a million chance.)
I found this company through their ebay listings- https://www.tdciservices.co.uk
It looks like they do this swap day in day out
Be careful of recon engine firms. I recall a watchdog exposee of some right crooks. Check references carefully!
Im already wondering what kind of engine he's getting including fitting for £1000
It's not a recon that much is sure.
A
Lot of places strip old units and make good lumps out of donor parts so 4 knackered engines may yield enough to make 2 good units.
Theres nothing inherently wrong with that if it's done right.
I'd still be tempted to pull the head off and see how many valves it's done.
It wont of done the pistons so as long as the bores are debris free it may just need valves and a kit.
I can price parts if you give me a reg
Possible engine sources:
engines swapped out of other customer vans and repaired: chain drive fitted and head repairs if needed. They must be able do that for £600 ex VAT given that the other £400 is for fitting.
insurance write-offs. They might specialise in scrapping Fords with these engines and make a profit between the engines and other parts they sell on.
buy donor cars cheaply legally
buying engines on the black market, often from stolen vehicles so there's a risk of being done for recieving stolen goods. My old boss was accused of this, the police got very heavy but in the end failed to bring a case (heavy in the way the West Midlands police used to get heavy - fortunately my boss used to drink with the local bobby).
stealing vehicles for donor engines yourself, one of my motorsport rivals did time for this, and ringing stolen cars with insurance write-offs which is what he went down for.
I reckon it's the first option in this case, they offer a full engine rebuild for £2000, if they can do that then repairing after a wet belt failure for £600 is possible.
Or back in the real world given its tdcis..... And transits.
An engine of unknown origin out of a rusty rotten van with a new pair of belts and maybe some injector seals
I'm with Duncancallum. I'd see how many valves it done and see if it's even done any other damage before I threw in any old engine
Any update?
I still have a dead van!
I made a couple of appointments with a local mechanic which came and went. Nobody else wants the job. Everywhere is either open part time or short staffed, or both. I can't find anyone in Sheffield that will touch it.
But, I did speak to Sheffield Engine Services in Hillsbrough (they won't do the job they only do engine work and rebuilds) and I mentioned the company in Barnsley. When he realised who I was talking about he said they do lots of work for him like head skimming etc. He said he wouldn't say this about many people but "Tim is a sound bloke and he'll do you a good job".
So TDCI Services it is. Tim's going to collect it this week and I can have it back on Saturday with a 12 month guarantee.
If I can get a year out of it, that's all I ever wanted. Hopefully I'll be able to sell it at the end but if it's anymore grief I'll be having a big white bonfire.
£4k and you hope to get a year? You could have leased a nice new van for less than that. Bad Luck
Well that wasn't exactly my wildest dreams. I just needed a cheapish stop gap. I just hope there's no more big bills for a while then I'll move it on. The whole 4 grand won't go down the drain (or up in flames)
I just collected the van this afternoon.
To be honest, it looks like he's done a proper job. The engine bay looks factory fresh. I won't bore you with all the details but he filled me with confidence after I had a proper conversation with him. I left there thinking I probably got the best service I could get and I didn't have to get dirty or delve into a DIY nightmare.
It ran like a dream on the way home. Luckily for today the aircon is freezing. So yeah, quite pleased. I started day dreaming about driving down to Morzine in it, maybe collecting the MX bike which is the reason I bought the bloody thing.
Then....
Cruising down the M1 just about to pull off, loud beeping, flashing red lights, and a message on the dash saying 'ENGINE MALFUNCTION'. Luckily this time it didn't drop its guts on the slip road of junction 33 and I stopped in the first available car park.
Just like that I'm back on the rollercoaster of emotions.
Missed your window to flog it then!
(unlucky, I feel for you)
This is grim Sharkey. At least you have a warranty this time.
Well you know this, but don't go trying to start it. Could be a simple issue (an important simple issue like timing)
Ah mate, that's harsh. I hope the garage get it sorted for you. ☹️
I phoned the mechanic from the side of the road in Rotherham and he dropped everything and came straight out with the trailer.
He plugged it in and there was an error code for the DPF. He said the switch for the DPF was reading as disconnected. It probably tried to kick in and do a regen after it heated up on the motorway. All seems well mechanically. The engine didn't sound like a biscuit tin full of marbles like it did last time.
So it's gone on the trailer back to the garage and he said he'll drop it off tomorrow when he's in Sheffield.
Hopefully it's just a few gremlins. I'd rather find them now than in the Alps.
On my 2.0 tdci Kuga the DPS (differential pressure switch) went, BIG warning lights, limp mode, the works.
Simple swap out and all fixed 🙂 It promptly did a regen and all well since.
I strongly recommend getting to grips with Forscan, a free diagnostic thing you download. Combined with a Tunnelrat elm327 connector and you are all set for cheaps 🙂
Update: He just called to let me know what the problem was. It looks like someone has recently replaced the vaporiser in the DPF but the fuse was blown.
New fuse fitted and 70% through a forced regen.
Hopefully tomorrow I can drive to somewhere and, all things being well, return home with no further disasters. Just to get one single complete journey under my belt.
I think it's going to take some time to fully trust this thing.
Hopefully tomorrow I can drive to somewhere and, all things being well, return home with no further disasters
Trip to Barnard castle ? 😉
Hopefully tomorrow I can drive to somewhere
Pub for a well earned beer? With a friend who can drive you home in it?
That thing is really going to have to work hard to earn your trust now.
Fingers crossed for you op.
A minor problem like that after an engine swap and something they wouldn't have found on a 5 mile test drive, don't worry about it. If it'll run trouble free for a week or two the chances are it'll be fine for the trip to Morzine. IME French garages are every bit as good as UK ones and if the worst comes to the worst you get a free trip home on a flat bed - I assume you'll have breakdown cover.
The person who did the swap sounds amazing. You no longer really expect people to care and it seems like they do