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grantyswilly2
17-11-2009, 14:51
Hi all, my Clio Williams 2 has 129,500 on the clock and i am looking into the costs involved with rebuilding the engine as it is sounding rather knackered!!

My understanding is that at around 130,000ish miles, these engines tend to need a lot of attention and is a good time to have them stripped and rebuilt. My engine has developed an ugly/nasty noise and i am pretty sure it is age/mileage related. I'm a novice when it comes to engines but am keen to give it a go myself.

I have owned my Williams for the past 6 years and have learned some basic mechanical knowledge (vital if you own a Williams and don't have much spare cash as you will all know). My experiences to date include replacing the clutch, alternator, steering column, brakes, exhaust system and general maintenance. Engines tho are a different matter, i am sure i can handle taking the engine out ok but am not so sure about the rebuilding stage!??

Any thoughts and ideas of costs (carrying out the labour myself) would be very appreciated... :P

Wobba
17-11-2009, 14:57
In what way does it sound knackered?

Coops
17-11-2009, 15:58
if you can get and engine out you can strip it and rebuild it mate, easy as pie really! 8) sounds to me like you have a decent amount of knowledge so i'd have no qualms about getting stuck in!

i'd be guessing it sounds tappety on cold start and maybe blowing a bit of blue on over-run?

grantyswilly2
17-11-2009, 16:31
Yeah it started a while back as a quiet tappety sound on startup, and has developed since to being noisey even when warmed up, and is more of a grindy kinda sound in the cylinder head (its 'orrible) but no smoke!

Ideally i should have taken her off the road when it began but due to lack of spare cash and having to use her to get to work and back i couldn't.

But now my circumstances have recently changed and i can get away with getting around on a mountain-bike as i dont have to travel so far for work, i can take her off the road now and make a plan of action. Just dreading the cost of parts

grantyswilly2
17-11-2009, 16:41
I say grindy but i should've described it as more of a knocking/grinding kinda sound. :(

Coops
17-11-2009, 16:53
grinding doesnt sound good? sure its top end? could be worn cam lobes if the tappets have been knackered for a while, or even bearing surfaces on the head itself

busterhymes
17-11-2009, 17:12
bottom end :?:

MatBrown
17-11-2009, 18:13
My understanding is that at around 130,000ish miles, these engines tend to need a lot of attention and is a good time to have them stripped and rebuilt.


Not really mate, if they are looked after they will keep going for a long time.


Mat.

grantyswilly2
17-11-2009, 19:35
Well i have done my best to look after my car over the last 6 years. I have always kept it regularly serviced ie oil, filters etc and i haven't ragged the hell out of it like some, well maybe a little, just to blow off the cobwebs you know.

In the first year of owning it; when the oil level went down due to everyday use, i discovered that there was a rattle/tapping noise in the top of the engine, i soon found out that was the tappets. I had those replaced at a local Renault garage. Renault suggested that the previous owner may have been well aware of the tappets and sneakily had the oil topped right up to the top to cover up the tapping. I did knock the previous owners valuation down at the time from £5000 to £3800 and looking back that was probably why he came down so much. I was and still am pleased with my purchase none the less, the Willy has been a very reliable and fun car to drive.

What is the average mileage on a Williams that you would expect an engine to require refurbishment then m8? How many miles is a long time?

16v_paddy
17-11-2009, 19:53
I've read somewhere that they're good for well over 200k before a rebuild.

Labour cost for a rebuild wont be as much as you'd expect :wink: Best thing to do is get it taken to bits then get it all measured up by an engine builder/engineer/machinist, the bores & crank as that will determine what parts & what work is needed to rebuild it.

If the measurements are within tolerances the minimum you'll need is the crank to be polished and the bores re-honed for new piston rings. I got a quote from a local engine builder for £95, that was to polish the crank, re-bore to fit bigger pistons and to rebuild the bottom end up. Obviously that was minus parts as I had already got most of them myself

hope that helps