HELP DISASTER ADVICE NEEDED!!!!

[318isPMK]

No Im at the point we need to decide to shell out for it all.

I want to keep the engine but cant spend 1600 on it!

Max budget is around a grand to 1200 I started with 700 and pushed to top it up to that mark.

Im not happy but i cant keep letting it get to me.

Why so much???

Buy a second hand engine!

I know you don't know for sure that its going to be ok but, You could buy 5 secondhand engines for £1600

Thatsa the plan

[skipunda]

Bit of a shock to the fiancée, going from no e30 to one in bits and a breaker on the driveway!

[318isPMK]

Buy an engine to get you motoring again, get married and in a year or twos time sort the old one out.

With u on that!

[Dezzy]

The two Team members are to be trusted!

Listen to good advice mate. You've wasted enough money (you don't have) already.

[snakebrain]

The two Team members are to be trusted!

Listen to good advice mate. You've wasted enough money (you don't have) already.

+1

Both decent guys..

[318isPMK]

its okay she's not on the forum it needs a 300 repair

[318isPMK]

Im going second hand. If theres a good engine to be had 1600 is just a leap too far.

I'll consider 2k for a coversion in the years to come

[Rtaylor2208]

Boyd had a good 2.5 M20 for sale a while back, would he able to do that conversion for you and keep it in budget.

[Grrrmachine]

While there's plenty of good engines to be had, I'd recommend keeping it as an iS if you ever want to recoup the money you've put into it.

[adit]

how about an E36 318iS engine? early ones had the same 18/4S1 engines and later the 19/4S1 version. are they compatible for an E30? different inlet/exhaust mani, etc?

[Andyboy]

It already has an E36 engine by the look of it, a post 9/93 motor.

A used head, new chain tensioner and the bare minimum sound better however. It probably won't need sprockets and the chain is probably okay as well.

[snakebrain]

It already has an E36 engine by the look of it, a post 9/93 motor.

The plot thickens! So you reckon it's already had a swap?

[318isPMK]

Option 1 Full Repair new clyanders x8”“ Won’t exceed £1500 + new clutch 105

Option 2 Repair engine used cylander head”“ Won’t exceed £1350

Option 3 - Unlikely to exceed £1000 ”“ but could be much cheaper ”“ depending on the cost of the engine and whether or not to put a clutch in. We could just put your existing clutch in and it’d be the same ”aclutch risk”a as option 1.

Prices put up by £150 labour already spent stripping down the engine to diagnose

What do you's think??

[richard300]

[Morat]

The cheapest option, and tell her the truth.

[cecotto479]

1. Option one doesn’t need a new clutch ”“ that’s only a suggestion if you go for the second hand engine.
2. Labour so far is included in all options - and would be required in options 1 and 2 anyway, though quite why I'm explaining this to you in public, I have no idea.

[gooner1]

Bit of a shock to the fiancée, going from no e30 to one in bits and a breaker on the driveway!

Honeymoon over before the Wedding.

[snakebrain]

Option 5 - buy a good used cylinder head from Andyboy and take the car somewhere reputable to have the work done.

[Cloggy Saint]

Option 4 makes the most sense, too late now though.

[kieran325]

It already has an E36 engine by the look of it, a post 9/93 motor.

The plot thickens! So you reckon it's already had a swap?

Is this right ??

[snakebrain]

Would imagine so if Andy says it is..

Might be a handy way to force the dealer to take it back?

[cecotto479]

It has the later bottom idler rail rather than the wheel. The rail is £10 rather than £100 for the wheel. It looks like earlier single valve springs rather than the later double ones though, but I’m not certain as once I took the head off I just left it ”“ I haven’t stripped it further.

Andy's E36 info is based on me telling him about the bottom idler rail as opposed to anything that he noticed looking at the photos of the car.

I'm sure the guide rail on the inlet side has broken down allowing the chain to go slack on the inlet side and bounce off the inlet cam sprocket.  All 8 inlet valves are bent. All 8 exhaust appear fine.
 
The profile gasket looked very new.

[pacerpete]

On a positive note, the OP has had £350 (I think ?) back from the seller

[Morat]

That should cover the cost of.....

[pac1982]

Perhaps I’m just way out of touch with the cost of labour these days and the fact that me and my mate fitted my replacement engine for free in my 318is don’t help, so I apologize in advance if I’m treading on anyone’s toes here, But where are all these costs coming from, over a grand to throw another engine in a car that’s not even an engine conversion seems very high to me.

I got my replacement engine for £200 took me and my mate day to fit it job done.

Because it was the same engine we used the same mounts, no need to make a custom exhaust no messing around with wires just bosh the old one out and bosh the new one

I understand it costing you more than this if you have to pay someone to fit the engine but not over a grand!

[pacerpete]

Bit of a shock to the fiancée, going from no e30 to a 5k breaker on the driveway!

Nasty mod !

[cecotto479]

..........
I got my replacement engine for £200 took me and my mate day to fit it job done.

So it took two of you a day?

What's a fair commercial rate for two day's labour then?

[snakebrain]

So it took two of you a day?

What's a fair commercial rate for two day's labour then?

How long should it take a professional mechanic who's not larking about with his mate might be a better question..

[cecotto479]

Fair point. What's a fair commercial rate for one day's labour then? 8 hours @£30?

[bodger]

So it took two of you a day?

What's a fair coomercial rate for two day's labour then?

its not two days commercial though is it, a 'professional' would do it in 1 day, theres a difference between doing an engine change in a workshop and doing it at home on a driveway

[cecotto479]

See above.

[bodger]

£200

[318isPMK]

Right u lot this isnt helping, I was asking for advice about clutch no clutch and what option you's would plump for Not for you to have a pop at my Mechanic if you have an agenda please take it elsewhere!

This may well be my fault for posting prices up here but it wasnt meant to used for this purpose simply to give an idea of cost when waying up each option!

[318isPMK]

I have requested to have the thread closed

[bodger]

Right u lot this isnt helping, I was asking for advice about clutch no clutch

was the clutch slipping? no point throwing money away if it was ok