Recon van engine

[surfergirl]

Hi there, Im looking into putting a recon 1100 engine into my 62 morris minor van, and wondered if anybody had any wisdom on the pro and cons of reconning the old engine or getting one from Bull motif or similar. I would be interested in what members had to say as the engine will possibly out live the van!

Thanks

[billlobban]

If you are contemplating doind the work yourself (or as much as possible) then I would go down the self-reconditioning route. Dismanteling and assembly is not difficult. I would however consider Bull Motifs exchange crank which includes shells and thrusts for an exceptional price

[DAVIDMCCULLOUGH]

Does the van already have a 1098 or is it still fitted with a 948 as there are slight differences when changing to the bigger engine.

[bmcecosse]

We can guide you on that reconditioning - no fears there. As Bill says - that crank from Bull Motif is an absolute steal !

[surfergirl]

Thanks for the replies, the van has the 1098 fitted so its a straight swop. Its getting slow on the hills around this end of Cornwall, the cove where we surf is a real long pull in second with two 10 ft boards on the lid ! Its not blowing any smoke so i think the rings/bores must be ok.
Ive got a couple of spare 1098 engines that I could make one good one out of, but the strip down and rebuild is slightly off putting, if i make a mess of it it could be expensive. Would the crank and what not be a straight swap, no regrinding?

Cheers

[linearaudio]

Are you sure you need a rebuild if the engine isn't smoking? I'd get a compression check done first- unless it's dramatically low it may well be that it's down to something simple like timing/ advance seized etc

[bmcecosse]

Worn bores/rings etc = smoking. Nasty rattles and oil pressure light on = worn bearings. If it doesn't have either of these challenges - then the problem is likely to be relatively 'Minor' (ho ho) - maybe burned valve/valve gaps needing set - or simply (as already mentioned) timing adjusted and carb tuned in with a new air filter fitted!

[billlobban]

Surfgirl have a word with pistnbroke he just rebuilt his 1098 with a little help from the forum. He had never done it before and now its finished. If you are about to mix and match bits from different engines you need to take care. Crankshaft - check or have it checked for wear. Even if its in good nick it may be worth changing the bearings. If your buying one from BM it comes complete you just need to assemble it. Pistons again as above check that the bores are not worn and fit a set of rings at least - unless your spare engine is in really good nick then do nothing just fit it.

Like linearaudio I'm not convinced that your problem is a worn engine please bear in mind that your van could have a 'low compression' engine as standard - someone will be along soon to tell you what the cylinder pressure should be

[mike.perry]

If your van has the original engine then it will probably be low compression. You might want to consider fitting high compression pistons which will give a little more grunt up the hills.

[surfergirl]

thanx for all the info guys its realy helpful. I've owned the van for 20 years now so when i say its lost some grunt I don't just mean that it feels slow generaly ( it is nearly 50 after all ) i just mean of late its not pulling like it used to, however with the lack of smoke etc it will be worth me checking the other bits that you mentioned before I go down the re-con route . Will bear in mind the BM crank tho and look into it as it has got a bit of a rattle in there as well . Cheers as always and keep the help and sudjestions coming.

[alainmoran]

If you are in the market for a rebuilt engine, there is a lovely example in the for-sale section at the moment (if I didn't already have three engines I would buy it myself)

[surfergirl]

Thinking about the replies to the recon engine, it seems it would be a good idea to do a compression test on the old engine, would anyone be able to explain how this is done? A fine way to spend a bank holiday!

[alainmoran]

take the plugs out, screw the compression tester in, switch the ignition on, press the button on top of the solenoid until the needle on the compression tester doesnt go any higher .. note the value, press the button on the side of the compression tester to release the pressure, unscrew the tester from the plug-hole and screw it into the next one ... repeat for each cylinder.

Next squirt some oil down the bores and repeat.

It'll take you all of ten minutes! ... well, maybe 20 if you count making the brew to go with it

[surfergirl]

Thanks for that, ill give it a go over the weekend and post the results if I can get hold of a tester.

[billlobban]

As above but with the throttle wide open

[bmcecosse]

Yes - it should be a HOT engine - with the battery fully charged, the ignition OFF, and throttle jammed open - a brick works well. And - it's a good idea to set the valve gaps first, just to avoid any funny readings.

[MarkyB]

While you are under the bonnet check that the vacuum tube to the advance/retard unit on the distributor is in good condition.
A leak there will adversely affect the engines performance.

If you are keen you can test the advance/retard unit by sucking on the pipe and seeing if the points plate moves a bit.

[surfergirl]

Thanks for all the info on compression testing the engine, Ive managed to borrow a tester from Tim whos just restored a traveler down the road. So Im all set for tomorrow, weather permitting. The van passed its M.O.T test today, needed a track rod end and a tyre which is great.[frame][/frame]

[bmcecosse]

Well done on the MOT!

[surfergirl]

Cheers, rather chuffed ourselves .