M52 check

[randomspeedfreak]

ive taken a risk and bought an m52 on ebay, im going to collect it tuesday

dead cheap, but my fingers are crossed at the moment.

how can i check its a 2.8 from the engine number?

what reading should i be getting on the compression tester?

anything else i can check to avoid finding out its a shitter right at the end when its sitting in my e30?

cheers,
Matt

[randomspeedfreak]

anyone?

[gudgeon]

I'll just say this, when I compression tested my M50 (static leak down) the results were horrible. Basicly 100% leakage at the valves. The probable reason is carbon deposits swollen by moisture. The engine started for the first time yesterday and seems fine. I'll have to wait until I can run it in a bit before I re-test.

Anyway the moral is, I think a leak down test is pretty unreliable on a cold engine that has stood for a while without running.

[craigieeb]

Is it still in the car?
if so drive it, and see if it's ok..?

if not,
take some tools with you, whip the cover off and have a look at the cams,
see if the heads gunky etc etc
turn it over by hand, well spanner/ratchet on the end of the crank, to see if the compression seems ok,
check the condition of the plugs,
check water,
has it got a plastic or metal impeller water pump
check the oil,
see if there is any leaks anywhere,
Any service history with it?
is it a naskil (sp) or not
if it's been recalled and had steel liners put in, how many miles has it done..

erm.....

you should be able to just look at it and say, yep it's a 2.8 by the thinness of the inlet and the vanos..?

you got the ebay link?

[randomspeedfreak]

ok thanks boys ill bear those in mind...unfortunatley its not in a car no...hance why im a nervous wreck! haha

here she is
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 500wt_1156

[craigieeb]

Take the torque converter off,
might make it a bit lighter for you to lift

[DanThe]

Leak down test is crap, compression test is the best way to do it, but for an engine out of the car you will need a gearbox and starter fitted and have it strapped down pretty well so it doesnt roll itself over. No way I would be going to the trouble of fitting it to a car to find out its fcked

The 2.8 ID is at the start of the engine code which is above the engine number stamped into a flat on the inlet side of the block just above the sump joint at the rear of the engine.
For an M52B28 it would be 28 6S something something the 28 is the capacity, if it was a 2.5 it would be 25 6S etc etc

[randomspeedfreak]

Take the torque converter off,
might make it a bit lighter for you to lift

i thought that looked a bit weird for a clutch housing! haha

ok cheers again danthe

recon i could run a compression test if we strap it down and turn it over by hand? with a big lever i mean

[gudgeon]

Standard compression test requires rapid turnover, has to be done on starter really.

[craigieeb]

Battery....... Jump leads........connect to the starter

[Jozi]

I might look into doing this with mine as well. I have the engine in the car with box but no fly wheel Any safe way of doing this out of the car, I imagine it will twist when started?

For an engine that hasn't ran in about a year, occasional turning over by hand, whats the routine before letting it turn over on the starter? Change of oil enough? What value's are you looking for from the pressure test?

[randomspeedfreak]

didnt prepare for that. in the end ive just risked it.

im pretty pissed for a few reasons -

blokey said it had all ancilleries - off the top of my head, it dosent have - the mass flow meter, any rad work or piping, a key (hoping its not ews now) and a pas pipe has been cut.

all of this while this :

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 500wt_1156

has come up on ebay which is a much better engine to start from with way less miles.

not a great start to the conversion