Sep 2015 to Jan 2016
After getting the car painted the next stop in the line was obviously the engine. However I was frustrated and kept waiting for a long period as the mechanic's workshop was busy and he could not give my car much time.
In September the car was rolled into his workshop again after a gap of almost 5 months (the painter's was a different workshop) and he began engine disassemble.
I was a bit nervous and there were questions going through my mind. I was hoping for a few things. First, I or the mechanic will be able to arrange for all the parts, genuine ones at that. Two, I will not find any signs of catastrophic failure or neglect which will threaten the rebuild outcomes.
Once we opened the engine we found that head gasket was still in good shape even after almost 3,00,000 Km. The crack journals and even the crank bearings were in good shape and did not need grinding/oversized bearings. Even the tensioner and chain were in really good condition. So much for the good news.
The bad news was that sleeves had worn out and cylinder 1 showed the most clearance (this was expected). Engine small end showed some wear and my mechanic told me the pistons showed some taper. Well to be honest I was hoping that I could keep the old pistons to keep the rebuild cost down. Conventional wisdom floating around suggests that it is not very wise to reuse pistons in these engines and they need a full rebuild....no half measures.
I discussed with my mechanic who said the piston may be just within specs and can be reused. But it will never have even compression and he would suggest against it. I spent some days pondering over this question and finally told him to go ahead with all new parts, pistons included.
I was careful in personally examining the parts when they arrived. I satisfied myself...Elring gaskets, Goetze pistons and sleeves, Kolbenschmidt bearings...I couldn't be happier. We could not find OEM duplex chain and tensioner and had to use Rolon. This delayed the rebuild for a month before we finally went for non OEM. I repeatedly stressed the importance of being through to my mechanic during this stage....make sure you clean and oil the head bolts, keep this print out of the workshop manual with you, observe torque settings to the letter, make sure your torque wrench is calibrated (on this one I got a really funny expression from him
). It was my plan to even be personally present the day the head was to be assembled but at the last moment I decided it would be unwise.
It was in early January that my engine was finally completed. I will leave you with some pictures.
In the meanwhile we were also searching how to source other parts like body trim, seals etc. After some futile attempts at Delhi and Mumbai I decided I will order all these online. I ordered at
www.autohausaz.com and got delivery within a week of ordering. Here is the list of new parts.
1150720450 Accelerator Linkage Bushing; White Plastic
1232420413 Auto Trans Mount; Rear; Square Type With Oval Center Hole
1405401217 Brake Pad Wear Sensor
55422617 Coolant Temperature Switch; For Temperature Gauge
1233511142 Differential Mount; Rear Subframe to Frame
1237201578 Door Seal; Front Left Door Seal
1237201678 Door Seal; Front Right Door Seal
1237300178 Door Seal; Rear Left Door Seal
1237300278 Door Seal; Rear Right Door Seal
1267250365 Door Window Seal; Front Door Window Brush, Outer
1234101081 Drive Shaft Center Support; Driveshaft Center Support with Bearing
1234100015 Drive Shaft Flex Disc/Joint Kit
15425319 Engine Cooling Fan Motor Relay; With 6 Pin Connector
65453924 Engine Cooling Fan Sensor; Auxiliary Fan Switch; 212 Degree F
1232411213 Engine Mount
1124920282 Exhaust System Hanger; Hard Rubber Donut
1236900380 Fender Trim; Front Left Fender Moulding
1236900480 Fender Trim; Front Right Fender Moulding
1238800220 Hood Release Handle; Plastic Pull at Grille
9920510 Manual Trans Shift Lever Bushing; At Shift Lever on Side;
1159920110 Manual Trans Shift Lever Bushing; Gear Shift Bushing, Shift Rod to Transmission
6161841380 Oil Filter Flange Gasket; Flange Gasket for Oil Pressure Switch Cover at Bottom of Oil Filter Housing
6161840780 Oil Filter Gasket; Oil Filter Housing to Engine Block
6160140122 Oil Pan Gasket; Oil Sump Pan Gasket
4662104 Power Steering Filter; Late Style Metal Encased
EZ-1236900980 Quarter Panel Molding
EZ-1236901080 Quarter Panel Molding
1235010215 Radiator Cap/Expansion Tank Cap; 1.2 Bar; Metal
1235011882 Radiator Coolant Hose; Lower
1235010082 Radiator Coolant Hose; Upper
1235000012 Radiator Mount Kit
6162030280 Thermostat Housing Gasket; Thermostat Housing to Cylinder Head
6172001815 Thermostat; 80 Degree C; With Seal Ring
1237580098 Trunk Lid Seal
1236900580 Weatherstripping/Moulding; Front Left Door Moulding
1236900680 Weatherstripping/Moulding; Front Right Door Moulding
1236900780 Weatherstripping/Moulding; Rear Left Door Moulding
1236900880 Weatherstripping/Moulding; Rear Right Door Moulding