Which is better: engine overhaul or contract engine?
Today, at almost any service station, instead of overhauling the engine or even eliminating the wear of some elements, they offer to pick up a “contract” motor. The arguments are simple: faster, cheaper, guaranteed. Benefit? But in practice the situation is quite different.
So, the syndromes are disappointing: blue smoke from the chimney, power is lost, soot forms on the candles, fuel and oil consumption “stepped over” all conceivable and unthinkable limits. Master's verdict: Khan's engine. In confirmation of the words of the mechanic - low compression in the cylinders and a knock when working "at idle". It's time for the engine to rest.
The solution will be offered immediately: why get your hands dirty and spend extra money when you can quickly and technically install a new engine? Well, like new: used, but in good condition. Warranty! The engine is under contract. Papers, seals, signatures - everything is available.
The reason for such an addiction is simply explained: this is a financially attractive operation not only for the "victim" - a contract motor will cost less than a bulkhead and, moreover, a "capital" - but also for the service. Indeed, in a successful scenario, the car will occupy the precious lift no more than two or three days, and a mechanical genius for such work will not be required at all.
It was the lack of strong minders that became the root cause of the craze for contract spare parts: you can’t find a good specialist in the afternoon with fire, and for his work he will ask many times more than a “mechan”, languidly chewing cookies on a salary. Simple arithmetic, she is a tit in her hands. Just business.
The arguments “for” that will lead a disgruntled car owner are approximately the same everywhere: a contract motor is cheaper, it is available, the engine, according to the law, now we have an unnumbered spare part, the work will take less time. Of all of the above, only the last is true: a bulkhead or, God forbid, an engine overhaul takes a very long time. After all, a tired power unit needs to be disassembled, defective, pick up and find the necessary spare parts, repair those components that are subject to restoration, and only then assemble.
The bike about the “numberless part” will go sideways to the next owner: nothing is so carefully examined by traffic cops on a used car when going through the registration procedure, like a motor. Slowly, accurately and punctually, the employees check the numbers, and any discrepancy automatically sends you “knocked out”. That is, for examination.
However, even this argument stops a few, they say, it's not my problem. But the story about "cheap" is always a success! Nothing captivates a domestic motorist like the opportunity to save money. Everyone has already forgotten about the priest and cheapness, but, for sure, they remember about the cheese in the mousetrap.
A really good contract engine, with low mileage from a country of high quality gasoline, will be expensive. Not much cheaper than the "capital", which ultimately guarantees you the best engine: your own according to existing documents and structurally completely new.
Here it is worth dotting all the “i”: explain the difference between a bulkhead and an overhaul of the engine. It is customary to call a bulkhead a partial intervention, when worn parts are replaced by nodes: such as replacing valve guides, valve stem seals and a camshaft. During the bulkhead, the cylinder head is ground and the gaskets are changed.
If the motor is close to the full development of its resource, then it will need a major overhaul: the engine will be completely disassembled, the degree of destruction of each element will be assessed, the block and head will be checked for cracks and other signs of operation, and all gaps will be carefully measured. The cylinder head will be washed and polished, if necessary, the cracks will be restored and welded, the camshaft will be restored or replaced with a new one, the valves will be changed, new hydraulic lifters and valve stem seals will be installed. They will restore the original operation of the crank mechanism - the most important element of the operation of the internal combustion engine. The block will be bored out to install new pistons and piston rings, liners will be installed if necessary, cracks will be repaired, liners will be changed.
Yes, at the output it will be a completely new engine in its condition and parameters, which still needs to be assembled correctly, and, importantly, correctly launched for the first time by adjusting the ignition and fuel mixture supply systems. There is so much to do that no professional can immediately name the exact cost of such repairs.
Both bulkhead and overhaul are expensive operations that can be avoided or, more likely, delayed. Proper operation and timely maintenance, careful handling and constant monitoring will allow even fragile high-powered modern engines to please their owners for many thousands of kilometers.
Well, if you “remove it from control”, then even the legendary motors of the past - “millionaires” - will not be able to oppose anything to the frantic rhythm of the big city with its traffic jams and abrupt starts from traffic lights, the lack of proper heating and cooling, constant operation at high speeds and sudden stops . Iron wears out too. But in skillful hands, it can do this extremely slowly.
