1.2 8v help

[leec24]

Hi all, I have got a V reg clio 1.2 8v (bought it knowing it had problems for cheap) and after checking it all out and replacing a few bits I have come to the conclusion either it needs a new coilpack or the headgasket has gone.
So today I took the car to a local garage to get them to have a look and he said exactly what I thought..so I asked for a price and he told me if it is the headgasket it would be cheaper to drop a new engine in rather than fix it (didnt give me a price).

Ive been looking for an engine and im stuggling to find many 8v's for sale however I can find alot of 16v engines and there cheaper, would the 16v drop straight in or would it be alot more of a pain?

Could anyone give me a rough price on an 8v engine so I know what kind of condition it should be in or if im getting ripped off.
I have found 3 in total for sale, one for £300 inc fitting, one for £200 to my door on a pallet, and the other was £240 on a pallet to my door.
I dont mind trying to do the work myself im just trying to get a rough idea how much it should set me back.

Also how much should it set me back to buy a 172 lump and all other bits needed to do the work myself? I actually bought the car for this reason but if its going to cost too much I will just sell on once fixed to make a small profit. I cant find any 172 engines for sale at all so totally unsure on how much it will set me back and im not 100% sure on what will be needed.

Thanks
Lee

 

[Struggler]

er, sounds abit odd,

imo its much harder and more costly to drop a new engine in it!

my cambelt snapped on my 1.2 8v,

4 new valves, steam seals, water pump, new headgasket, headbolts, and all other gaskets, and cambelt,

did the work myself came to £200

 

[leec24]

ive never done any work like this before tbh but i dont mind giving stuff a go, what sort of time scale did it take you to do it all? and how much should a garage charge to do it?

 

[Struggler]

lol i had never done it before either,
armed with a haynes manual and all the tools i jst gave it a go,

took me a while as i had to wait for parts, and buy new tools (torx socket) for the headbolts, took around 3 days, including head scratching time, and the fact i was under strict light constraints doing it on my driveway

but just the headgasket could be done in a day easily,

only problem is, if the headgaskets gone, you may need to get it skimmed,
hopefully another CS cronie will be able to tell you more about that.
either way that doesnt cost too much, and doesnt take too long either,

can imagine a garage would charge 120labour, and 80 parts,
so about 200,

youll need a new headgasket (might as well get a set)
and a new set of headbolts

 

[leec24]

yeah i dont mind giving it a shot but im like you, on the driveway with limited light and weather permitting when i can do it, plus ive just started working nights so miss alot of daylight lol.
what parts are needed apart from the headgasket kit? might aswell do cambelt whilst at it aswell? doesnt cost much to get it skimmed does it? i want to do it as cheap as poss without cutting corners so my thoughts was if costs was over £300 i will just get that engine supplied & fitted, or attempt myself depending if i can find a cheaper engine.

 

[Struggler]

erm, what milage is your car on,
and has it been done recently??
i can imagine it would have been done, so i wouldnt bother,

tools:
jack,
axle stand,
socket set,
torque wrench,
torx sockets,
a long thing 10mm socket, (on the end of a screwdriver preferably)

new bits:
headgasket set, (inlet and exhaust may as well be replaced)
new headbolts,

would be good to know whats how old on your car lol,
water pump is much further than headgasket,
same as aux and cam belts,

however if the cars been serviced, the belts will have been done,
as long as i u know what your doing, it wont take an entire day tbh.

 

[leec24]

im not sure on the history of the car because i bought it from a lad at work when he broke down for £80. ive since put alternator and fan belt on, changed the cat and middle pipe, rear wiper motor and linkage arm and a new battery.

as for tools i am pretty stocked up so should be fine, how much and where did you get the headbolts and gasket set from?

 

[davebem]

What are the symptoms? Although if its the D7F, headgaskets are common on high milers. Its a fairly straight forward job on that engine.

 

[leec24]

misfiring, fair amount of white smoke coming out of the exhaust, and when i bought it home it had no coolant/water in. i toped up and its not leaking but also has no oil mixed in with it? the mileage is 90 odd thousand.
i have cleaned all the plugs up because they was black and its still misfiring.
cheers lee

 

[How15]

the white smoke and no leaks is a good indication of gasket failure. if it's "minor" than oil may not be leaking yet and you've caught it early, which is good, if oil gets into your coolant you need it stripping and cleaning. that's part of the reason why it's often so expensive when the headgasket is pennies. you can take the head to certain places to be skimmed, i know the place my garage uses charges £35, and can do it in a day. it's relatively easy armed with the knowledge, you just need to fork out for the tools, and the parts. you'll need renault timing tools for your belts too. i find doing it yourself is the best way, ther's a chance you'll do it wrong, but tbh there's a chance a dodgy garage will and you won't even know!!!

 

[leec24]

how much is a renault timing tools? and what parts will i need to do the job? and is it worth changing anything else whilst im at it? ive got next couple of days off from work so could go out and get the bits and crack on whilst its dry lol

 

[How15]

i dunno, i borrowed them off a friend of a friend! cambelt is the obvious one, plus all the tensioners, maybe water pump? full service really. but having all those bits off is a good opportunity for a really good check of everything, i've not done much to my clio yet, but swapped an engine in my focus and went mad, cleaned everything, new earths, clean terminals, covers for looms that are often left just in the open, etc. if you love the car do it all!!

 

[leec24]

I want it running well and in sellable condition but want to do it as quick as poss for as cheap as poss as the car has only set me back £300ish atm.
Im going to price some bits up today and depending on cost I will either order them or get booked in for replacment engine (basically if im only saving £50 in total and I have to do the work myself, I may aswell get a lower mileaged engine supplied and fitted for £300)