Dillema

[SurreyPaul]

Hi all,

 

My dear old Elise S1 from 1997 (it has clocked up 98,000 miles) suffered a broken starter belt last Friday. I was driving at 35mph when it snapped. In order to assess the damage the garage will have to strip the cylinder head. This will cost a lot of money and it's quite possible that after removing the head I'll be told that the engine is not repairable. +£500 seems a lot of money to be told that the damage cannot be repaired.  Am I flogging a dead horse here? Also, is the scrap value of the car - otherwise in good condition - likely to equal the cost of removing the cylinder head?

[Bibs]

Who's the specialist? What's a starter belt? I assume they mean the timing belt. Would you like to take it to a garage that know what they're talking about with these cars? Let me know and I'll offer you some local recommendations.

Worse case you can get a replacement engine fitted for about 10-15% of the value of the car, there's absolutely no way this would or should lead to you scrapping the car mate. It's the same engine as the MGF and they're available used from £150 upwards and fully refurbed for about £1k. Fitting isn't a big deal either.

[theelanman]

as Bibs mentioned the engine is just a standard rover 'k' series......

theyre cheap......

I reckon you could get a recon unit for about £500 and get someone to fit it for £250......

Id refuse to pay £500 for an engine strip down.........that's rubbish......

you could take the head off and work this out in under an hour.......

unless your garage charges £500 per hour that is........

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lotus-Elise-K-Series-Engine-Gearbox-K-series-Engine-Elise-Engine-/281923427800?hash=item41a3f21dd8:g:JO0AAOSwT6pVv046

quick search finds theres one on ebay at the minute....£424

from a breaker.....

 

[SurreyPaul]

Thank you for your replies. The cambelt is broken. The garage in question is Bell & Colvill based in Horsley in Surrey.

http://www.bellandcolvill.co.uk/lotus/#/introduction

The cost of removing the cylinder head is based on what it cost me to have done in 2003. Knowing nothing about mechanical matters I appreciate having second opinions. After the depressing feedback from the garage I felt tempted to have done with the car - especially as my livelihood is dependent on wheels, but now I'm having second thoughts. It also seems likely that the garage is charging way beyond what they should.

 

 

 

 

[SurreyPaul]

Can anyone say what is the statistical likelihood of an old engine being successfully repaired? I was informed by the garage that fitting new parts can cause stress on older parts, leading to yet more problems. The AA man also seemed dubious about repair.

[theelanman]

depends whats happened to the engine really.....

usually if the cam belt goes then it will have bent pistons as they all meet in the middle as there is nothing left to turn them in and out....

this with then depend on how hard they've crunched........then depending on what else they contacted with......head?....pistons?......

generally you should be able to take the head off and see most of the damage.......if you cant see too much then further exploration will be required........

Im guessing they've pulled your engine....and basically stripped it down to its component parts.....

ask if you can see it....you'll see what I mean if that's whats happened...

as for a rebuild......don't know the price because depends on what needs replacing......

probably easy enough to source another if its toast.....

ask for a quote to rebuild and refit the existing engine....

then ask for a price to just fit a recon/used unit....

 

just a thought

[Bibs]

While B&C are a great garage, they are a main dealer so their hourly rate will be higher. Please give Jez a call at Back on Track on 01483 456030 and he'll be very happy to help.

[SurreyPaul]

The garage has done nothing yet except to tell me what I already knew from the AA. This morning  I gave permission for them to strip the engine looking for damage, but was warned that this will cost me money (£468.75 when this was done in 2003). I guess that what I am digging for is whether I'm going to be paying money to be told that the engine is not repairable when that money could be used to buy a new car. Obviously the damage won't be known until it's stripped, but I wonder what the statistical likelihood of repair is, based on experience.  My Elise is my only car and I rely on it for my income so can't afford to wait months or even weeks while a suitable replacement engine is found.

1 minute ago, Bibs said:

While B&C are a great garage, they are a main dealer so their hourly rate will be higher. Please give Jez a call at Back on Track on 01483 456030 and he'll be very happy to help.

Thank you. I will call immediately.

[Bibs]

Jez has a very good relationship with B&C and it won't be the first time he's picked up an older car from them for work. It's more his line of work, B&C are ideally placed for new cars like the Evora/Exige etc.

[theelanman]

I cant see them ripping you off.......if they take the head off and its toast they'll tell you from there.....

as Bibs has said....give Jez a ring.....a guy whos put lots of Elises back together after 'incidents'....

[SurreyPaul]

19 minutes ago, Bibs said:

While B&C are a great garage, they are a main dealer so their hourly rate will be higher. Please give Jez a call at Back on Track on 01483 456030 and he'll be very happy to help.

Yes B&C are very good which is why I've used them for 17 years. (Andy even gave me a lift back home on Friday evening, which was a nice gesture). However, I have spoken to Jez at Back on Track (never heard of them before now) and can now rely on a second opinion. Provided that the valves are bent and have not punctured the top of the piston, the engine is repairable. So, there is hope.

[ramjet]

I'd look at another complete 2nd hand engine. Keep your old one and see if anyone will buy that from you for parts or repair.

Other than that, welcome to TLF.

You should duck over to the Introductions thread and say hi in there as well. 

[SurreyPaul]

On ‎26‎/‎03‎/‎2016 at 06:33, ramjet said:

I'd look at another complete 2nd hand engine. Keep your old one and see if anyone will buy that from you for parts or repair.

Other than that, welcome to TLF.

You should duck over to the Introductions thread and say hi in there as well. 

I had conflicting advice. After removing the cylinder head, pictures were taken which I sent to an advisor with the AA. He seemed to think that as there was no visible rupture the engine was repairable. However the cost of repair, including sixteen new valves, wasn’t a great deal less than having a replacement engine – and there was no guarantee that the repaired engine would be sound. I therefore opted for a remanufactured engine by Ivor Searle which comes with a twelve month warranty. With a new engine, clutch, cooling fan, radiator and catalytic convertor my old Elise is practically a new car.