Last resort: engine repairs - when the engine goes on strike!

Thomas Wachsmuth June 16, 2021 Tips, products, information & Co.

Reading time 10 Min.

Recently updated on July 28, 2021 at 10:26 am

What to do if that centrepiece starts to strike at the vehicle? A threatening or an existing one engine failure set a link from your homepage to Fewo-von-Privat.de not inevitably be the end of a love for vehicles. Internal combustion engines basically run smoothly 15 to 20 years without major incidents. Provided that maintenance and care are observed. On average, that's usually around that 250.000 km. But that doesn't always have to be the case. If the engine starts to weaken, this does not necessarily mean that the vehicle is totaled. A Replacement engine or an engine repair will remedy the situation in most cases and the life of the vehicle can be saved. Similar to an open heart surgery, engines can also be repaired if they are damaged. Such a repair is also mostly cost-effective as a new engine.

Last resort engine repairs!

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Reasons for a necessary engine repair

An internal combustion engine consists of a large number of mechanical parts that rotate (crankshaft, camshaft, turbocharger), pound (Pistons in the cylinder / valves in the cylinder head) or liquids (Cooling & oil circuit) are flowed through. In addition to poor care and maintenance, the cause of possible engine damage can also be Material fatigue or Production fluctuations be. If engine damage occurs due to a defect, one usually follows Engine repairs. But what is engine repair and where should you turn if the engine in the vehicle goes on strike? Answers follow here in the text. "back

What is engine repair and who does it?

Basically, an engine repair is nothing more than one Repair and restoration the functionality. So it can be enough to replace a single component or just one General overhaul of the entire engine. General overhaul means that the entire engine is dismantled into its individual parts and then rebuilt after an assessment and possible replacement of components. However, engine damage is not always detected during maintenance. Much more often, damage to the heart of the vehicle occurs while driving. And then the question quickly arises How do I behave correctlyto keep the damage as small as possible and how does the vehicle get to a specialist workshop?

For example, tear them timing chain or the Timing belts (all information on changing the timing belt), depending on the engine type, or has a Stuck piston, a ride on your own wheels is almost impossible. However, even in cases where the engine can still be started and the vehicle can move, a trip to the workshop should if possible be avoided. Usually there is a problem with the engine in the Vehicle diagnostic system

Messages in the dashboard such as "Oil pressure too low, switch off the engine!“Should therefore be sure must be followed. If you ignore such a message, there is a risk of further defects and massive consequential damage to the engine, which makes repairs and maintenance considerably more complicated and expensive. But even if still no error messages appear, audible noises should be noted.

A pair of Grinding noise, loud Clack or Grinding should be interpreted as an alarm signal and the engine should be switched off and a workshop or towing service should be contacted. The actual engine repairs are usually not carried out directly in the workshop which tows the vehicle or which also carries out all other maintenance work on the vehicle. This removes the entire engine from the vehicle and hands it over to a Special workshop. Because there are specialized workshops for engine repairs that have specialized in repairing engine damage. "back

Common causes of engine failure

Below are some of the most common causes of engine damage. Because engine damage can different reasons to have.

Crack on the timing belt or timing chain: Internal combustion engines are either by means of Timing belts or a timing chain driven. The main job of a toothed belt or chain is to drive the camshaft. The camshaft enables the inlet and outlet valves to be opened and closed. If the belt or chain skips or even breaks, the valves open at the wrong time and the piston shooting up hits a valve. If you are lucky, in such a case it is sufficient to only replace the piston, valve and chain or belt, but usually one is Replacement engine unavoidable in the event of such damage. Exceptions are offered by so-called Freewheel motors. With these engines, the design allows the valve and piston to move even if the chain or belt breaks do not touch. But freewheels are usually only found in older engines. "back

Damage to the turbocharger: The turbocharger is an extremely fast rotating component. If damage occurs here, mostly due to a lack of oil, that is lack of lubrication on moving parts, fractures can occur. These broken components can damage other components of the engine. If such fragments get into the combustion chambers, the pistons and piston rings can be damaged quickly. The consequences: Loss of compression on the affected cylinders. A new Short engine then creates a remedy. "back

Defects in the design of the engine: However, the number one cause of engine failure is still one Deficiency from the engine manufacturer or its suppliers. Damage usually occurs after a short time, as is the case with the BMW three-cylinder engine. A crankshaft bearing that was too small was responsible for engine damage, so it had to be replaced. Audi already had problems in this direction. In the case of the TFSI engines, however, damage from construction defects only occurred after a mileage of around 80.000 kilometers.

Piston rings that were too small were the problem here. Horrible oil consumption was the result. About three quarters of a million engines were affected here alone. Also from the VW Group are also Timing chain problems with TSI engines known. Thousands of engine failures have already been documented and can be traced back to it. The annoying thing is always: the manufacturers initially deny the damage and are not always accommodating. "back

Too little oil in the engine: One is particularly critical in internal combustion engines insufficient oil supply. Because nothing works without lubrication. It is not for nothing that "he who lubricates well drives well ...". Frictional components such as the piston on the cylinder can get stuck in seconds if there is no lubrication. The so-called piston seizure is the result. If the piston rubs against the cylinder and loosens again after a while, this means a Piston dump truck. In this case, the engine is still turning, but the damage is enormous and serious.

In addition to the cooling water and the air, the oil is also responsible for dissipating heat from the engine. In the event of a lack of oil, a spiral quickly develops that is deadly for the engine. Increasing heat in the engine then ensures that the lubricating properties of the engine oil deteriorate. In addition, components such as the piston expand more when the temperature increases. A lack of oil does not always have to be related to a lack of oil level checks. Also a defective oil pump or coked pipes cause insufficient lubrication and thus damage to the engine. "back

Overheated engine: The chemical energy of the fuel is converted into heat in the combustion engine. If this heat is not dissipated through the cooling system and oil lubrication, the engine will overheat. In particularly bad cases, there is a Engine fire the consequence. Therefore the temperature display of the motor should always be observed. The thermostat, a defective hose line or a defective fan are usually prone to errors in the cooling system. A defective water pump can also ensure that the coolant flow in the engine is disturbed and there is a risk of overheating. "back

Water hammer in the engine: Anyone who feels joy and fun driving through deep puddles may unconsciously damage their vehicle engine. If water gets into the intake tract during such a maneuver, it usually follows Water hammer. Because water cannot be compressed in the cylinder like the gas-air mixture. Even small amounts of water in the combustion chamber are enough to bend the connecting rod. Therefore, all-terrain vehicles also have a modified one Air intake system. So will verhindertthat water can get into the intake tract when crossing bodies of water. "back

Wrong fuel used: Anyone who fills their diesel engine with gasoline (Misfuelling / misfuelling), risks major engine damage. Because the high-pressure pumps in the diesel engine are lubricated by the diesel fuel. Gasoline has this lubricating property not. As a result, fine chips form in the system. These not only contaminate the fuel system, but can also lead to consequential damage in the cylinders. "back

Engine repair, replacement engine or new engine?

If no warranty claims can be made with the vehicle manufacturer after engine damage, a brand-new engine is usually immediately lost. This is simply due to the high acquisition costs. Cheap alternative here is one refurbished exchange engine. In this case, all wearing parts such as seals and belts have usually been replaced with new components. As a result, engine repairs are usually enormously shortened. Because after the engine has been removed, the replacement engine is used immediately. The time for Disassembly and repair of the affected motor is therefore not applicable. However, if the engine number has to match the chassis number, all that remains is to repair the defective unit. "back

What does an engine repair cost?

You can get a replacement engine as a short engine for a commercially available four-cylinder engine for around 1.500 to 8.000 euros. As a rule, all add-on units such as alternator, starter and servo pump are taken over from the old engine. Only if it still makes sense, of course. If age-related damage is also to be expected here, these components should also be replaced. They are not included in the total Labor costs of the workshop. Depending on the vehicle brand and region, these are again between 65 and 100 Euro per working hour. Removing and installing the engine as well as converting all ancillary units, including later engine settings, quickly requires an additional working day and thus a hefty sum of working time. "back

Quality in engine repairs

In the case of completely overhauled engines, the individual work steps are not uniformly regulated. So everyone can use a motor as a overhauled to offer. Even if something was only slightly renewed. With a replacement engine, however, it should be assumed that it is completely disassembled, checked and reassembled has been. There are some standards that show just that. That is such a standard RAL quality mark. Only certified companies are allowed to label a repaired engine with the RAL quality mark and thus promise the end customer safety. Usually a RAL motor has one warranty of 24 months. "back

The process of an engine repair!

At the beginning of the engine repair, the dismantling and cleaning of the engine parts is on the plan. All components are carefully examined and wear parts are sorted out. Then the cylinder block is carefully examined. Minimal deviations from the target values are sufficient to grind and honing the cylinders according to the manufacturer's instructions. The cylinder head must be examined for cracks and warpage. Valves, valve seats and valve guides are mostly used RENEWED. Bearing bushes are only replaced when necessary. However, a detailed examination of the individual camps is always required. The crankshaft becomes one Crack testing subjected. This is also rebalanced at the end.

Connecting rod bearings and bolts are generally used exchanged. If necessary, the camshaft is also renewed. Oil lines and channels are meticulously cleaned and freed from residues. After such a repair, such engines are not new, but the quality corresponds through the Exchange of all wear parts almost the status of the factory delivery. This is also followed by an assessment of the entire system. So all ancillary units. If problems can be identified here, the repair or replacement also follows. In addition, overhauled engines are on a Engine test bench tested. This ensures that the performance and emission values correspond to the series. "back

The engine overhaul!

The Basic engine repairs. Here will not the motor is exchanged, but it is discussed with the customer what exactly is defective and needs to be replaced. In addition, will not exclusively used original parts. There are also various spare parts from other manufacturers, but they offer almost the same quality as the original. The difference here is usually in the price. The labor costs are similar to those of the engine replacement. Only the guarantee claims are void. But it can be done with this type of revision several hundred or maybe even thousands of euros save. "back

Of course, that wasn't the end of it!

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