OPINIONS NEEDED

[b7gud911]

Not having a great deal of mechanical knowledge could any of you clever people advise me on a car i have looked at, its a very late 89 coupe, 90,000 miles which stalls instantly as soon as u remove the oil filler cap regardless of engine temperture, i seem to remember being told this is not a very good sign of the engines condition

 

[twinny]

90K miles and stalling or lower rpm when removing the oil filler cap.....probably needs a top end rebuild. Check the vehicles records to see if any work has been done to the engine. You can get a leak test done to confirm the top end condition. Ordinary compression tests are not always reliable.

 

[b7gud911]

Thanks Twinny, i think i will avoid this one, i have just spoken to Nessie and he is of the same opinion as you, just out of interest what is a ball park figure for a top end rebuild or is that how long is a bit of string material.

 

[bones]

On the other hand before you start handing over huge amounts of cash to the first mechanic who tells you, 'it needs a top end rebuild sir', check for vacuum leaks, if vacuum loss is bad enough the idle speed is raised to compensate and when the oil filler cap is removed the engine then stalls.

 

[b7gud911]

Hello Bones, when i started the car up and it was cold, the engine reved at just over 1000 rpm, however when i got back from an approx 2 mile run it was idling at just over 2000 rpm, the owner said it had just started doing this so perhaps this indicates what u suggest.

 

[b7gud911]

I think i could buy the car for £12,500, do u think as its a very late 89 chassis number and i can do all the bodywork myself, that even if it needs a top end rebuild it, could it still represent a decent investment at that price

 

[bones]

That certainly makes sense with everything I know about these engines, I'm just trying to save you money, check the easy (least expensive ) options first before you get sucked inbto the expensive stuff, could be knackerd too but I doubt it from what you describe

 

[zwhitea]

The idle sticking at 2000 rpm is quite common, normally caused by the linkage on the gear box just needs cleaning and greasing...

As for stalling when you take off the oil cap, this could be a rebuild, a compression & leakdown test would show this.. Or it could be as simple as the valve on the vacuum system as been put in the wrong way round or removed, this can easily happen if someone has been replacing pipes or fitting a cone filter..

If you are looking at a top end rebuild I would expect to pay £3.5k - £4k, as you'll will end up also replacing oil pipes & clutch etc...
I would be more worried about oil leaks from the head & case (not the return tubes) as you have to take it to bits to fix them, and sometime caused by a broken head stud (as with my car now fixed), or any knocking which could mean the main barrings and crank are potenitally knackered and normally means it has been staved of oil.

Adam.

 

[raypollock]

I had a problem like this a while ago, but it was my fault as i had neglected a fit a little insert from my old vacuum pipe to the new one. once i recovered the old pipe from the bin, found and fitted the insert all was well.