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Car Engine Repair Checklist by Techpally

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Car Engine Repair Checklist by Techpally
 

First point of contact after the engine failure

If the engine failure doesn't come to the workshop has been diagnosed, how can the vehicle get there for repair? 

A crack in the timing chain or the toothed belt or stuck pistons makes it impossible to drive to the workshop on your own axis.

 But even if the engine can still be started, car owners should take the warnings of the on-board diagnostic system seriously: Messages such as "Oil pressure too low, please switch off the engine" must not be ignored under any circumstances. 

Such a warning can occur after a turbocharger failure, for example. The charger may no longer be salvageable and the engine may still run with reduced power. 

However, apart from the risk of insufficient oil supply, broken parts of the turbocharger can get into the combustion chamber and cause further serious damage there. 

Even if you hear clearly audible noises (grinding, loud clacking, or grinding) from the engine: Park the car immediately and consult the workshop or towing service. 

Most of the time, engine repairs are carried out in a different workshop. 

After the engine has been removed, the in-house workshop delivers it to a specialist who mainly takes care of engine repairs. 

Most of the time, engine repairs are carried out in a different workshop. 

After the engine has been removed, the in-house workshop delivers it to a specialist who mainly takes care of engine repairs.

 Most of the time, engine repairs are carried out in a different workshop.

 After the engine has been removed, the in-house workshop delivers it to a specialist who mainly takes care of engine repairs.

 

New engine, replacement engine, or engine repair

Cleaning, dismantling, and measuring: If the cylinder receives a new bore, oversize pistons are necessary.

If the owner cannot enforce any warranty claims after discovering engine damage from the manufacturer, they will rarely opt for a brand-new engine. 

This is due to the very high price that manufacturers call for a new unit. A completely overhauled engine is much cheaper, in which not only all defective components but also several wearing parts (seals, belt drives) are replaced with new or appropriately reworked parts as a precaution. 

The engine repair does not have to be done on your own engine. In many cases, specialized companies have already repaired exchange engines that are identical to their own defective engine. 

So if the vehicle does not depend on "matching numbers", the correct association of the engine number with the chassis number, nothing speaks against a properly repaired exchange engine. 

On the contrary, after all, the repair time can be drastically reduced. 

The thorough repair of an engine can take well over a week, while the removal and installation of an engine usually take little more than two working days.

 

Engine repair: costs

A replacement engine as a short engine costs for a commercially available four-cylinder usually between 2,000 and 6,000 euros. 
 
The alternator (generator), starter, and many other assemblies are taken over from the old engine, as far as this still makes sense. 
 
This does not include the working hours of the workshop, which, depending on the location and brand, costs between 65 and more than 100 euros per hour. 
 
The engine removal and reinstallation as well as the conversion of the ancillary units and the carrying out of all adjustment work require at least one further working day. 
 
Means: again a hefty sum for working hours Compared to a replacement engine, the repair costs of a completely overhauled engine according to RAL-GZ 797 are approx. 20 - 40 percent lower than those of an AT engine.

 

Quality standards in engine repair

The quality association of the engine repair companies guarantees uniform quality in the repair of internal combustion engines.

The work steps that lead to a completely overhauled engine are not uniformly regulated. 

Therefore, in principle, anyone can describe an engine as completely overhauled, even if the scope of the repair was very small. 

With a completely overhauled engine, it can be assumed that the engine has been completely dismantled and reassembled. 

However, some standards also stipulate specific requirements for the quality of the work to be carried out. 

One such standard is the RAL quality mark for engine repairs (RAL-GZ 797) from the Gütegemeinschaft der Motoreninstandsetzungbetriebe e. V. (GMI). 

Only member companies of this quality association are allowed to label their repaired motors with the RAL quality mark. 

Incidentally, the quality mark applies to all combustion engines, i.e. not only car and truck engines, but also marine diesel engines, construction, forestry, agricultural, and railway machines.

Quality assurance specifies precisely which technical and personnel requirements must be met. 

In addition, the components to be revised and replaced, the assembly, the test run, and the final inspection of the repaired engine are precisely defined. 

Many companies that carry out engine repairs following the guideline (RAL-GZ 797) give a warranty of 24 months.

 
End of the engine repair

A check of the crankshaft is mandatory for engine repair If necessary, reworking is carried out here to guarantee a proper run in the long term.

The engine repair begins with the dismantling and cleaning of the engine parts. All components are examined and the wearing parts are sorted out. 

The next step is to test the cylinder block. The smallest deviations from the setpoint are sufficient to initiate grinding and honing of the cylinders according to the manufacturer's specifications, for example. 

The cylinder head is examined for cracks and warpage. If it is flawless, it is refined and used for repairs. 

Valves, valve seats, and valve guides are always renewed. Other components such as bearing bushes are checked and replaced as necessary. 

High-tech is used in the crankshaft check. The shaft is assessed using an electromagnetic crack test, re-hardened if necessary and the bearing journals polished. 

The crankshaft is rebalanced at the end so that a clean turning is ensured. Connecting rod bearings and bolts are generally replaced. 

The camshaft is also renewed if necessary. In addition, the oil channels are meticulously cleaned so that a permanent oil supply is guaranteed after reassembly.

The overhauled engines - regardless of whether they are complete engines with all ancillary units or short engines, are not new after the treatment. 

But they were dismantled, checked, professionally refurbished, and put back together according to exact criteria. 

All wear parts are replaced by new parts of the best quality that correspond to the status of the factory delivery.

All ancillary units such as pumps and coolers, the ignition system, and any turbochargers are also examined. 

If they are frail, they will be repaired or replaced. The engines overhauled by a GMI member can be recognized by the stickers and embossing that are attached to the individual components. 

The overhauled and reassembled engine is ultimately tested on an engine test bench to ensure that performance and emissions values at least correspond to the series.

 

Basic engine repairs

There is another possibility of engine revision. During the basic engine overhaul, the customer usually discusses what needs to be replaced, what can still be used and how you can save one or two euros on spare parts since it does not always have to be OEM quality. 
 
Here, profitability takes priority over faithfulness to the original, which doesn't have to be bad.
 
The work involved can be similar to that of a completely overhauled engine. And this method can usually save a few hundred euros.
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