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After purchasing a Haynes manual for my Skoda Octavia I have noticed that you cannot strip down the 1.4 16V engine as the crankshaft main bearings can't be removed, the modern light weight block will warp (not that I need to yet). You have to purchase a replacement - Ouch!. Is this a sign of modern times, are their any other engines designed this way?
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Couldn't tell you what bits but the Ford 1.25 Zetec has certain throwaway bits.
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Im pretty sure on the Zetec SE ( Ford / Yamaha )engine you are not ment to take the crankshaft out, Ford say use a new short motor.
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I have a vague recollection (no doubt someone here will put me right) that during WWII, US army jeeps had their engines welded in.
And that the driver sat on the fuel tank, to minimise the vulnerable target area(s)!
If either of these is true, that must set some kind of sick record for throwawayability.
Zebra
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the "north star" american engine is fit and forget as far as i am alert (no comment on that bit :) )
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Zebra
Having done a few jobs on a 1943 Willys Jeep I can assure you the engine and just about everything else is removeable! Typical design of the period - everything can be maintained - and incredibly important in battlefield conditions.
Can't recall fuel tank location, but you may be right. Jeeps are soft skin vehicles. If it explodes, fuel tank location isn't that important - the damage is done.
JS
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I've fitted a couple of Iveco Daily engines recently. The main dealer supplied one's come complete and ready to fit. There's only the alternator and a few bits and bobs to change over. The oil filter's fitted, sump filled, the fuel system is filled and primed and ready to go. Just as it came off the test bed. Plug and play !
It works out a lot cheaper than the traditional engine overhaul, plus you get the manufacturers warranty.
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John S said: "Having done a few jobs on a 1943 Willys Jeep I can assure you the engine and just about everything else is removeable!"
Excellent first-hand info, John S, even if it does dispose of yet another of my cherished myths...
Zebra
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Nobody strips down a modern engine, There is no need. With proper maintenance the main lump will do you 200k miles or more. Why would you need to strip it down the crankshaft bearings?
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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The crankshaft bearings are the first thing to fail after some sort of oil pressure issue such as low oil, oil pump, oil filter etc. The bearings failed on my Ford Capri 2.0 (well I liked it!) a few (err.. a lot of years ago) caused by the failure of the hex shaft driving the oil pump.
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The pinto engine then, you would have chaged 50 camshafts in that time....
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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The cams on Pintos were fine with very regular oil changes and careful (very clean) servicing procedures. Pobably went through 50 brake disks though....
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i was going to pick up on this but the "big john" thought ........ stopped me ;)...........the cams were made of chocolate by the way until ford had them improved with tuftriding or icing sugar i cant remember which??????
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I drove mine for about 70000 miles without replacing the cam. The car wasn't new so it may have been fitted with a modified replacement before my ownership. The cam belt did fail though , fortunately no damage was done to the valves etc..
I also had a 1.6 Pinto Cortina that was also fine "cam" wise, you could hear it rusting though.
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The problem on the Pinto engine was the cam oil drip feed pipe, one bit of dirt and a cam lobe dies.
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>> The problem on the Pinto engine was the cam oil dripfeed pipe, one bit of dirt and a cam lobe dies.
You could avoid this with regular oil and filter changes. My old 1.6 Sierra did 235k on its original cam, but it had oil changes every 4k religiously and only ever with an OEM filter. It was actually oil pump failure that killed it in the end.
According to the Haynes manual on our Fiesta, the main bearing cap ladder on the Zetec-SE unit "cannot be refitted accurately using conventional tools", and Ford don't even supply torque settings for the bolts. It does indeed recommend a new short motor if you have any problems with the main bearings. The cam bearings are also integral with the cylinder head and cannot be renewed separately. In short, it's a disposable engine.
Thankfully they do seem to be tough. Our 1.4 is on 90k and still sweet and very lively.
Cheers
DP
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The problem on the Pinto engine was the cam oil drip feed pipe, one bit of dirt and a cam lobe dies.
I remember this well, and when they did go it sounded as though someone was hitting the engine as hard as possible with a ball pein hammer !
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My dad had a '74 2000E which suffered cam problems at 12000 miles though went on to do 80000 in his ownership, since then he has had, amongst others, a Sierra and two Granadasall 2.0 Pinto engined, the last of which, an '88 Granada, has done nearly 200k which incidentaly is being retired today in favour of a 2002 Focus 2.0 Ghia estate.
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From what I remember, the 2CV flat 2 has crank bearings which are very difficult to change because of the way the engine is assembled and sealed (sorry, can't recall the specifics). It is thus easier just to exchange it.
I think rebuilding is a dying thing these days. Not only is TVM right about engines lasting far far longer thus not requiring major work, but its more convenient/cheaper/faster just to hump out the worn unit and replace it. Therefore it seems irrelevant at the present time, that the bottom end isn't easily repaired by the home mechanic. In 30 years time when these cars in the hands of enthusiasts though, things might be different.
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I think rebuilding is a dying thing these days. Not only is TVM right about engines lasting far far longer thus not requiring major work, ...
Yes, this is what makes me laugh when I hear about people putting exotic oil in to engines in standard use - needless to say, I prefer to invest my money in bottles of real ale and red wine!
I think there's a computing parallel too. Years ago, computers were extremely expensive, and people's time was cheap by comparison. Now, computers are cheap, and the people to program them, expensive.
Years ago, cars were expensive, and even small assemlies were routinely overhauled, because the labour to do so was cheap when compared to the cost of replacement. Now, that certainly isn't true today.
Number_Cruncher
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Back in the 1960's most engines (A-Series, etc) typicaly lasted about 80,000 miles before they needed a complete rebuild.
Modern engines usually last for around 120-140,000 miles. They might be disposable but they still last longer.
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"Modern engines usually last for around 120-140,000 miles."
More. Any decent engine which has been correctly serviced and driven sensibly will do 200K, especially if it's a bigger engine, say a 1.8
There are of course exceptions...
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