Saw an engine once where the valve had snapped off. The valve had then turned 90 degrees and the piston had put two flat spots on the circumference of the valve. Then on the next stroke it had turned a further 90 to leave it "growing" out of the top of the piston like a mushroom.
True. But when the drums are off, the car is on the ramp, and they're claiming they can't reassemble the drums as the cylinders have 'exploded', there's little I can do short of getting another garage to pick it up - but they'd still need to reassemble the rear wheels.
I also was silly enough to put it in when I needed it to the next day - which meant I didn't have the time to get another garage to pick up and fix. That'll be the last time I go for a "oh, I'll take it in during lunch for a quick check..." type jobs. ;)
I've learnt my lesson I hope. These 'free brake tests' aren't for real, they're an excuse to get your car on a ramp, take it apart, and then hold you to ransom.
D
With 2 wheels off, 2 drums missing and 2 'exploded' rear cylinders, and up on a ramp, I wasn't about to just drive off with it. They claimed it would be impossible to put it back together safely as the fluid had leaked onto the shoes. Whether they could stop me is another matter, but without 2 rear wheels, I wasn't going anywhere.
D
Look on google groups for Renault Automatic. They really do break a *lot*.
David Hearn ( snipped-for-privacy@NOswampieSPAM.org.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
Couple of scaffold poles under the back bumper, and imagine it's a wheelbarrow...
National just got back to me - =A31600 !!!
Bit steep methinks !
If you get a head from a breakers then generally they are complete with valvetrain etc but you need to make sure. ..and you need to make sure the reason the car isn't in the breakers is because of a knackered head. Most places will offer a guarantee which only means that once you've found that the item is faulty they'll give you another one. Usually if you just specify "a head" then that's all you'll get - no valvetrain etc.
In my younger days I used to pull and replace heads and it would take between half and hour and a few hours depending on the car. I would guess that if you sourced a repalcement head then it might cost maybe
300-400 quid for a more backstreet garage to fit it. Probably same price for an engine/tranny in out job.Look on ebay there's bound to be several renaults on there with good engine's but knackered gearboxes :-)
Incidentally, my dad "fixed" his gearbox by using some lucas "auto gearbox rejuvinator" after flushing the oil several times.
Or open the sunroof. It's a skip.
National just got back to me - £1600 !!!
Bit steep methinks !
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National are wankers. Wouldn't trust those spanner monkeys with an alarm clock. Find a small independant, they'll be alot cheaper!
I've now found an independent engine specialist not too far from me that will supply and fit a whole recon engine for =A3745 + VAT.
Sounds like a better deal than =A31600 to 'repair' the old engine !!!
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