Rebuild or Scrap
 

Not a good day today, I've been told my engine rebuild is going to cost £3000 having only purchased the car a few months back for less than this. Since purchasing it's going to have had the following if I go ahead with the rebuild:

Complete engine rebuild with forged pistons, new head gasket, bearings etc etc
New cambelt and tensioner
New clutch
Reconditioned TD05 turbo
Fresh remap

Already on the car:
Decat downpipe
K & N Filter
3.5" (I think) Decat exhaust

Car is in great condition for year (Silver 2001 WRX UK) with just a few stonechips on the bonnet, has done 87,000 miles (largely irrelevant after rebuild assuming gearbox is ok I guess), serviced every 6000 miles from new, otherwise perfect, so I'm trying to workout what the car would be worth after the work was done and based on that I can decide on whether to go ahead or not.

Any advice would be very welcome

after you spent 3k on the rebuild it would be worth about 3k you will never see the money back.
rebuild and enjoy or break and get another running version

you can get a cheaper engine second hand from a good breakers for 1000 if you have a good shell and gearbox keep your car becuase the next car you get could have the same problem if it was me save up and rebuild you know where you stand then but 3k is expensive you should be able to rebuild for 2k

Really, thought it might at least be worth 4 but perhaps not...

Yeh I guess it would make more sense than scrapping it as the rest of the car is good. I'm getting the guy to email me exactly what they're doing for that figure and will post it up once I've got it.

Sorry to hear that bud.Do you know what caused it?Was it the bottom end that let go or something else?



Danny.

there is a risk on buying a 2nd hand engine too, you wont know the history of the engine so you could end up being in the same situation in 6 months.

Previous owner had a manual boost controller fitted to counteract overboost caused by decat and it caused engine to run lean. Resulted in some nasty detonation, pistons buggered etc. I'm no expert on engines but that's the gist of it I think.

If anyone else has got any idea what the car would be worth after rebuild and/or for breaking now, please let me know.

get a cheap runaround to get you about then get the engine out the sub strip it down and see exactly what the damage is then you know what your lookin at..decide after that..will give you time to think as well

i can give you some good advice here matey as ive been in the exact same boat :( a few months after i got my 02 wrx i had smoke out of exhaust and a mechanic told me 100% it needed a new turbo ? so i got a brand new vf34 turbo £800 and thought now's a good time to do the other mods, injectors etc plus a £700 ecutek remap ! then literally 3 days later more smoke :eek: this time piston ring failure :cry: had it off road for a year and a half . in that time i had been spending a bucket load on ebay and saving for the rebuild !! ive just had it rebuilt by api with sti internalls and another remap , oil pump and a few other bits which totalled 4.5k :eek: i was thinking of selling him for about 6k ? only to find out id get 4k if i was lucky ?? i now kick myself that i never got rid when it popped and should of got an sti in the first place ? trust me mate , get an sti :thumb::thumb::thumb:

Call me on Friday and l'll talk you through some economic options. I am at Autosport NEC on Thursday.

David APi

01926 614522

Because of a fresh engine build by a reputable engine builder I would say 3.5K and if ita mint and tasteful , 4K max
In the end if you do the engine you know what you have and you will be happy with it.
Get it stripped, see what the damage is first.

Thanks mate, appreciate you taking the time to share. I too am gutted I didn't get an STI to start with.

Will call you tomorrow, thanks.

Thanks. I've now found out what they've quoted me for:

Cosworth Stopper Head Gaskets
ACL Race Bearing Set
Engine Seals/Gaskets
Rocker Cover Gasket Set
Pistons 92.5mm RCM Omega
Rebore
Oil Filter and Sump Washer
Spark Plugs
Engine Oil
Anti Freeze
Clutch Kit 230mm Exedy (this also needs doing and was included which I didn't realise at first)

Total Inc Vat and Parts - £2900.

I'm not saying that's a bad price but if I were doing that lot I would want a crank & rods as well,that way if up power you know you've got a strong enough engine to take it. Speak to API Dave before making a decision.

Thanks for the advice, I'll be speaking to Dave tomorrow, fingers crossed can sort something out :thumb:

I had the same problem with my 2000. The standard engine gave up so I found a breaker locally who had an engine in a car that I could hear running. It had decent history plus reciepts for an RCM oil and water pump so I paid £450 for the engine, and £150 to a mate to fit it.

Still going strong 6 months later and making decent power.

I dont see the problem in using a 2nd hand engine if you cant afford a rebuild. Its often the most cost effective way to save a car worth 2-3k. As long as you hear it running and get it inspected, and theres a decent history/mileage on it then whats the problem? Theres just as many people on here who've had problems after a rebuild as there are people who've blown a replacement engine.

Not everyone has 2k to pay for a rebuild so you have to do what suits your budget best.

This could be the best way forward if you're lucky enough to find a second hand lump you can hear running.

Yeh, certainly something to consider as I don't have unlimited funds and it's not like it's a really valuable car.

At the moment I'm weighing up:

1. Full forged rebuild
2. Replacement engine out of running motor
3. Forged/STI engine
4. Get a cheap run around, break the car to sell on eBay then buy an STI with the money I would of spent on a rebuild/engine. Although I guess the STI's still have engine issues, just not as frequent.

Thanks again for all the advice everyone, this forum has been extremely useful.

I think it all comes down to budget and how much this car means to you.
Forged re-build could be 3k
secondhand engine.. You pay your money and take your chances
Forged sti lump. Lovely but now your taking in more money
Break the car. Money to be made but it will take time ,effort and space.

If i were you i would first look for an engine you can hear or get a guarantee.
If not just repair the lump you have as cheap as poss then shine the car on.
Or bust the bank and forge it.

I would get an 2nd hand STI lump and gearbox fitted.

i second this thinking :)

Any idea what the cost is for an sti gearbox, just a rough guide?

is there any on fleabay ?

that will be expensive , might as well get an sti ?

Seem to be quite sparse, at least newage, and ones on their are 2K plus, unless I'm missing something. I'll keep searching as there may well be one I've missed.

to get that done will be at least 3-3.5 grand !!! and then you only have second hand anyway !

you have missed nothing mate. my advice, break it. start again !

If I'd need a gearbox too, that looks like it might be the case. There are some bargains on here at the moment for STI's. 5K for a nice newage STI making it a hard thing to choose between spending out on a rebuild or just getting something like that and breaking this. Only thing is that the engine has already been stripped so already around 500 in labour charges :mad:

My dad had an STI and although my WRX is very nice, it's not the same beast so I'm loathed to spend too much on it...

Just going around in circles really but will report back after I speak to David at API tomorrow. Need to sleep on it I think.

are you talking 5 or 6 speed?

You should be able to pick up an sti cdb engine for around £500 with £250 for the gearbox. Problem is that the 5 speed 752 box isnt as strong as the 754 in the bugeye and is geared differently so you'd need the rear diff as well.

I'd look for a cdb engine that runs perfectly then fit your heads to it to create a stronger standard engine that will fit your car.