Whether as a companion for years, an heirloom, out of a sense of nostalgia or the pride of a collector - the car is often not just a commodity, but an affair of the heart. Collectibles and vintage cars in particular are often lovingly cared for. As an eye-catcher, they attract many admiring glances or even serve as an investment. But time also gnaws at the engine. Georg Barton, Managing Director of ATM Tornau Motoren GmbH, will show what signs of aging occur in collector's and classic car engines and what options there are for breathing new life into them.
Patina is the new trend – but not with the engine
It is true that the term patina is part of the new trend if you can clearly see the traces of its long life on a classic car. But what contributes to the external charm can mean the decisive end for the engine. Before you take the classic car onto the road, you should first check whether the engine has suffered damage over time. In addition to corroded areas, it is also important to pay attention to fluid losses that occur due to leaks in hoses, seals or other components. In the event of a loss of coolant, effective engine cooling is no longer guaranteed, so that the engine overheats while driving and suffers lasting damage. If there is not enough oil left, the moving components in the engine are no longer adequately lubricated. "If there is no lubrication, the metal components in the engine will rub directly against each other, which can lead to material wear, cracking or overheating.' Barton warns.
Porous and cracked straps
In old engines, the drive belts are often a problem. Toothed belts and V-belts become cracked and porous over time and threaten to tear. Extreme heat, drought and disuse make them age even faster. They should therefore be replaced at regular intervals - depending on age, vehicle and mileage. If the toothed belt tears, it can no longer ensure that the valves in the engine open and close at the right moment. If they are not closed in time, they hit the rocketing pistons with full force. This leads to damage to pistons, valves, cylinder heads and other components and, in the worst case, to major engine damage.
The engine no longer runs because the connection between the individual, interacting components is missing. If it squeaks under the hood, the cause is a slipping V-belt. As he gets older, he no longer sits properly. If a tear occurs, the V-belt can no longer drive important ancillary units such as the alternator, power steering, air conditioning compressor and water pump. The car battery is no longer charged, electrical systems, heating, air conditioning and power steering fail. “Without the water pump drive, the coolant can no longer circulate in the engine, which quickly leads to overheating. The heat warps the cylinder heads, the pistons and head gaskets are damaged and even the engine block is deformed. This sometimes leads to engine death,” warns Barton.
Increased oil consumption
"Another typical problem with old engines is the increased oil consumption. This is an indicator that the engine is slowly reaching its wear limit," explains Barton. The main causes include worn piston rings, but also brittle valve stem and cylinder head seals that have become leaky. As a result, too much oil gets past the seals and into the combustion chamber. “Here it is important to react in time. Replacing worn piston rings at an early stage again significantly extends the life of the engine,” explains Barton. However, if car owners miss this point and continue to drive with excessive oil consumption, sooting occurs. In the process, too much oil is burned, which means that residues accumulate on the outlet side in the exhaust system and clog it.
Similar to sludge, these deposits steadily clog the exhaust pipe, causing a back pressure in the exhaust system. In order to discharge the exhaust fumes, the engine must constantly press against the clogged exhaust pipe. “If the engine is the heart of the car, you can think of this process as hardening of the arteries. To a certain extent, the heart constantly works in the overload range and later an infarction occurs,” the expert describes. Then the engine has already suffered enormous damage. Driving with excessive oil consumption also means that one day there will not be enough oil to lubricate all the metal parts in the engine. This is followed by the rubbing described above and the resulting engine damage. Regular checks of the oil level and oil change intervals prevent this.
The search for spare parts
Every oldtimer or classic car will later need spare parts. Ideally, owners use original parts in order to preserve the original substance of the vehicle as much as possible and to have excellent quality and a perfect fit. But the spare parts situation is getting worse and worse: long delivery times, counterfeit, cheap replicas or out-of-stock parts are among the causes. Georg Barton knows the difficulties that enthusiasts have to struggle with when looking for wearing parts or entire engines. The expert emphasizes: Before a completely new engine has to be bought, used engines from H vehicles can be repaired or replaced with replacement engines.
“At ATM we have an inventory of over 2.500 engines and over 20.000 engine parts and components. In this way, we can supply many engine parts as originals or even replace entire engines.” Be it for everyday classics or tried-and-tested collector's models - Barton and his team often have the right engine in stock and only have to prepare it. “We have permanently built up a large stock of used parts and old parts, which we carefully prepare for reuse. As a result, we are able to respond flexibly to individual customer requests and also to be a reliable contact for special inquiries and special requests," reports Barton. More information at www.tornau-motoren.de
