High Mileage Engine

[Ste]

I only want a response from anyone whos got some experience with this mainly because im ready to purchase and need sound advice.

If i bought an engine with a higher mileage, say around 70k what would need to be replaced/sorted so i could rag it without worrying about what is grinding away or droppiing off?.

Ive got £1150 budgeted ready and waiting to spend on my engine, i have the intention of changing all gaskets, lubes and getting the fuel system professionally cleaned etc but i dont really know much about engine wear and what needs specific attention?.

Any help appreciated.

[RCD-Performance]

An engine with around 70k on it should be good for many many more miles if its been properly serviced and well looked after.

If you have the intention of stripping it to change gaskets i would also change the water and oil pumps.

Leakdown test (not compression tesT) the engine before buying it to ensure the condition of the valves and pistons rings. Piston rings are not hard or exspensive to replace, but its time consuming and not something you want to do if you can help it.

it would be worth replacing the valve stem oil steals. and obviously the head gasket, and all other major seals.


Alternativly, get the head reconditioned and the valves re ground to ensure the long life of the head.

If you intend to heavily modify it, this should be fine, happy ragging :)

Ross
RCD.

[Ryan]

high milage doesnt mean dead. or in need of repair. a 30K engine could be in worse state than a 80K one.

if you are gonna be fitting it, id deffo do everything i can to make it newer off the car, new bolts and gasgets and new pumps

[Ste]

Whats the most likely failure with an old TU engine?. The engines im looking at are on ebay so im assuming there not in the best nick.

Thanks for the info.

[mikevtr]

Arent the head gaskets known for going on the TU's ??????

[VtsTom]

Only because jebends rag them before the oil is nice and warm.

Oil starvation due to low levels is the most common thing i have come across. To be honest you dont see many fucked TU engines, more the car that got shafted into a bush.

Dont Josh sell rebuild kits at a decent price?

[Colin]

Bought a 90k VTS engine, blew the gasket after 4 days. Replaced that and then stuck some high lift cams in. Changed all pulleys and cambelt, also fully serviced it.

Now done 8k happy miles. Limiter quite often. Dones loads of track and drag days.

Just buy it, break it, fix it lol.

[Mr_X]

i bought my prevoius vtr with 60k on the clock, and sold it with 100k. towards the end of its life it did sound very bad like it was about to die, altho i never had any problems with it.

altho i should add, it was pushed very hard

[AdamH]

as above, the tu engine is a strong little engine and the head gasket isnt common at all, tho, just strip it and rebuild it to have many hassle free miles, you never know how it was treated before hand

[Ryan]

i do find the stigma the TU engines are weak a tad tiresome now.

theyre great little engines.

[jonezy]

its just poor ownership thats gien them a bad name.

saying that im cacking my pants about driving my VTR with VTS conversion from lancaster to RAF halton in may when its nice and hot,

so worried about a head gasket melt down, even tho its been replaced.

replacing just about everything.

[c8james]

Ste, remeber that grey vts I was ragging round donnington park with you. It has 117k on it. It gets ragged all the time. I work on the policy of if it works and is not broken, dont fix it. Also I would not want to buy an engine without hearing it run.

[megabob]

i hate to say this but wouldnt it be much cheaper just to get a low mileage engine and drop that in, ive just managed to get a VTR for £150 inc delevery thats only done 37k, the only thing is that it doesnt have a gearbox but im gonna use my old gearbox and have it reconditioned.
A VTR would be a little harder to get in that milage but sometimes you can be lucky or of your willing to do a little searching

[MaRiO89]

Arent the head gaskets known for going on the TU's ??????

Not at all mate..

Mine is now on 127k and on all original gaskets..:D

[megabob]

Not at all mate..

Mine is now on 127k and on all original gaskets..:D

wow you must have realy looked after that engine

[furio-james]

my cars has 90k on it never driven another saxo so i cant really say much about it feekling like its loosing power but i drove my friends punto 1.2 and the accelerator pedal was way more sensative than mine and felt abit faster mine it takes more travel to rev

but could it be just because there 2 different cars?

ill drive my mates saxo desire tonight and if its slower than that ill have to get a new engine :n:

[Ste]

Ste, remeber that grey vts I was ragging round donnington park with you. It has 117k on it. It gets ragged all the time. I work on the policy of if it works and is not broken, dont fix it. Also I would not want to buy an engine without hearing it run.

Id call that a bit more than ragging..... lol! Aye she went like a little belter.

Ive got my eyes on a couple of engines, i think i know now what needs doing and what to look out for.

Cheers :drink:

[gavbey]

iv gt a tu, i think if you give services regualy and when the milage gets redicluously high start using thiker oil. iv got 108k and i still cant hear any noisy tappets.thrashing a car whil warm doesent do an 8th of the damage of when it is cold. 80% of damage ocors on startup(cold)

[Andy72]

Mines got exactly 70K on it and I use it for sprints and hillclimbs which is pretty much flat out for as much of the time as possible. Ive just replaced the clutch as that was at the end of its life. The only other trait with these is that after a good few track days the tappets will be a bit noisy so need readjusting. I just drop mine into manic motors where Chris does them at the same time as other work on the car. Easy job but I cant be arsed.

When talking about mileage with Chris at Manic, he said their track car ran a 8v black top to start with. They ran it with Nitros and it went well. He wanted an excuse to VTS it so tried to destroy it. In the end he couldn’t so just fitted the VTS engine anyway and put the other one in storage lol. Tough little engines, if a bit old school technology

[baker556]

mileage is sometime good for the car isnt there a golf that adds 10bhp when it gets to 80,000 miles as of the wear.....

[MaRiO89]

wow you must have realy looked after that engine

Yeah, regular oil changes every 5-10k with the best fully syntetic oils etc..

Its also due to the fact that PSA engine's are good engines..

[beardy]

An engine with 100k on it could be just as good as say one with 50k on it,

just depends how well that engine has been looked after for example, Always had good water and oil in, Been well maintained, For example a 100k engine could of been driving nice all it's life, always been serviced etc were as the 50k could have the opp no servies and been driving hard,

[megabob]

Yeah, regular oil changes every 5-10k with the best fully syntetic oils etc..

Its also due to the fact that PSA engine's are good engines..

what oil do you use on your engine?
what gearbox oil do you use also?

haven't had my VTR long so haven't done any oil changes so it would be good to have some options

[AlexB]

if youve got a bit of money strip it completely
skim the cylenders
get some forged high comps
replace the bottom end
add cams ect

should run like a new engine

[Leemc2008]

You got alot of money there..

I bought one VTS engine from breakers yard, inc. gearbox on eBay for £125.00, changing all gaskets etc and buying new belts, filters, water pump, plugs.. everything really.. then bought a new loom and ecu..

Whole lot came to £490.. Do a DIY job.. save on labour.. :p

[AlexB]

it would cost a lot more my way
but i have the whole if your gonna do something go way ott attitude haha

hence my spec on my first car lmao

[Gabbastard]

I had a VTS engine that had been hammered silly, but always serviced with good oil/filters/plugs before it was due, and that hit nearly 160k. My mate ended up buying it off me, and as far as I know, it still runs well.

[andywiddss1]

mine got 111k on now oil changed every 3k iv done track days 1/4 sprints in it for the last 3 years its now running 157.4 bhp an still pulls like a train

dont let high millage put u off

[Ste]

Thanks for the info ppl. Rep dished.

Ive managed to get a 30k engine though!!! Wooooooooooooo Hooooooooooooooooo