Hi guys,

 

Just wondering if there are any ways of checking the condition of an engine. Apart from a compression test, what can be done to check if an engine is in tip top condition?

 

Cheers

 

Vijay

Cylinder leakage test will give the most reliable results. What do you want to know about though? Apart from stripping it down and measuring tolerances there's not much else you can do.... Emissions test will show up a few problems but nothing that a leakage test won't show really.

oil analysis may highlight some problems also if you can find someone to do it.

Send the time team round :D they'll do a carbon dating for you ;)

well basically my engine sounds very sweet (no knocking or anything) but I get the occasional smoking at idle and have been looking at replacing turbos. The problem is that it only does it sometimes. I've left my car idling for nearly an hour and nothing, no smoke at all. But it's been so bad in the past, it's embarrising, I'm talking about it bellowing out but only on idle. If I boot it, it's fine, there's no smoke. I've replaced the PCV valves and am using RS10/60 oil. The turbos have only done about 15k on them and are only a few years old. The thing is I'd be gutted if I pulled the engine, replaced the turbos and then it still smoked, so I just want to try and make sure I'm not wasting my time and money.

 

Vijay

Whereabouts are you Vijay? I'm working in Staples Corner at the moment - not that I know too much but might swop a few words for your opinion on my boostleak!

 

My car used to do this too. It's coming up to 100,000 miles and the turbos are the original ones. Still got cats. I first noticed the smokey idle when it was being MOT'ed a few years back - let it rumble for a few minutes and then blue smoke.

 

Touch wood it has eased off now after PCV valves last year (better but not 100% cure - happened less often) and I think it has maybe got better still after all the work just done. While replacing the knock sensor, they found that the rubberised inlet pipes to the turbos were contaminated with oil - dunno from where, maybe just age. Replaced these with a secondhand pair slightly less grubby from Mr F and so far, the problem is less - but it's only been a couple of weeks.

You sure you replaced the ventilation hoses from the rocker covers to the turbo inlet pipes Vijay? Simply replacing the valves isn't enough ;)

 

Gio, thats a good point re the contamination! Although simply cleaning them would have been cheaper LOL. Thats why it usually takes a few hundred miles after the PCV swap for the smoke to clear ;)

Hi Andy,

 

Yep, changed the front hoses to. The only one I didn't change was the one that is hard to reach at the back of the engine.

 

Vijay

Yeah you can leave that one well alone anyway. Its only a pipe - no restrictors etc. I suppose another test would be to pull the dipstick with the engine running and check for excessive crank case pressure....

how do I know it's excessive?

If there's a gust of wind coming out its ****ed :D Actually that gives me an idea. I must put my car back together in the state its in and film the 3rd exhaust its developed (dipstick tube :D). It really is quite amusing :D Well I don't have any tits to grope at the moment so thats about the highlight of my life :rolleyes: lol

well I've just checked the dipstick and nothings coming out at all, so I take it that's good?

 

Vijay

Have you done a compression test mate?

 

Ivan

no, on my list to do..............

 

Vijay