Clio 16V engine rebuild

[Will16V]

My 16V has just under 88k on the clock - had a timing belt change at 70k and seems ok.

I cahecked the spark plugs the other week and noticed in two of the chambers, oil was leaking in and one of the plugs was covered at both ends in black oil.

Looked in the haynes manual and this said that it meant that the engine was pretty worn. I cleaned up the spark plug point so they were nice and clean again and the car runs/sounds smother when idling now.

Could the oil just be a knackered gasket? - if so is it hard to fit a new lot of gaskets on the 16V engine? Or is it new engine time?

Can someone please advise, cos everytime i get in my car i have visions of a piston flying through the bonnet at warp factor 9.....

 

[Ben H]

88k is a bit low mileage for a new F7P (16v) engine. Sounds like a gasket to me. Bottom end is solid - good for 150k-250k.

 

[Will16V]

Your joking?!?!? fekkin ell - thought i would be off road for a bit....if i got a new head gasket set, do ya reckon this would be a pain 2 do meself?

Never attempted anything like it b4, but my dads pretty clued up with motors and engines especially....

If im gonna do this do you reckon it would be a good time to replace the cams and followers with fast road ones? and if i did, would i need to chip the engine(standard at the mo)?

 

[Ben H]

Cams etc will be an engine-out job. 10 hours labour at a garage or lots of effing and blinding in your garage! I think you have to chip it with new cams - or your settings will be all over the shop. Thats definitely not a home mechanics job - unless you have a rolling road

Head gasket alone is an engine-in job, but youll have to take off the bonnet for starters. Just seems strange that youd need a new head gasket only 18k after the rebuild at 70k miles.

Haynes seems to cover most jobs fairly well.

 

[Will16V]

Didnt have the engine rebuilt at 70K! - just the timing belt changed - wanted to know if i NEEDED an engine rebuild......cos of the oil leakage....or if it just needs a head gasket of something...

 

[Red16]

To change came is NOT an engine out job, as you only have to take the rocker cover, timing belt and the toip half of the shells that the cam runs in to get them out, only a couple of hours work there.

If ya planning on doing a head gasket, you might as well overhaul the head while its off, wont cost much either and is pretty simple to do. Buy a head gasket set, cost ya about 40-70 quid, get valve stem seals, inlet & exhaust manifold gaskets, head gasket, and camshaft oil seals. Then to replace the valve stem seals u need to get hold of a valve spring compressor, hire em from your local tool hire shop, for about 6 quid a week! Just get the head skimmed be4 u put it back on, cost ya bout 25 quid from an engineering place.

Doing the timing is pretty straight forward, but when the engines in the car u cant see the mark on the crankshaft pulley to set it up, so take the spark plug out of of cylinder number 1 (the one nearest the battery), put a rod of sum desription in and turn the engine (with an 18mm socket on a ratchet on the crankshaft pulley, itll be much easier to turn without the spark plugs in!) until the stick is at its highest possible position, this means that cylinder one is at top dead centre (TDC), this is where the mark on the crankshaft pulley is lined up correctly. Now slip on the timing belt, ensuring the marks on the cam pulleys are lined up correctly with the marks on the cylinder head, tension up the timing belt.

Once the belt is on and tensioned up, turn the engine by hand a few times as described earlier , to check that nothing catches and that everything is healthy and correct!

 

[Red16]

I cahecked the spark plugs the other week and noticed in two of the chambers, oil was leaking in and one of the plugs was covered at both ends in black oil.

Looked in the haynes manual and this said that it meant that the engine was pretty worn. I cleaned up the spark plug point so they were nice and clean again and the car runs/sounds smother when idling now.



The oil leak could be a few things.

for starters the oil on the top of the plugs will probably be because of spilt oil when filling up the engine, as any ooil that misses the filler hole, runs straight down and onto the plugs and leads, causing a bit of a dodgy idle sometimes, which is what u experienced.

Oil could be leaking past your piston rings, which on an engine of your age shouldnt be happening unless it hasnt been very well looked after. if it was these rings your engine would smoke whenever the engine was running.

if the head gasket was damaged this could cause the same kind of symptoms as the piston rings.

it could also be leaking past your valve stem seals, in which case it would smoke worst off all when u started it from cold, and smoke when u were booting it.

 

[Ben H]

Whoops - sorry! Thought cams were an engine out job - obviously not!

 

[Will16V]

Ben H - no worries - by the sounds of it dont think i would like to attempt myself....

Red16 - i do remember when topping up the oil, that i have spilt a bit on a few occasions....could be it - need to check TWknd... - the only smoke that comes out on start up is normal smoke - not blue or anything...when i boot it, or of late - i do notice a lot of smoke, when i get chance to look out the rear view mirror, but it could be steam from water hitting the manifold/cat etc....

Thanks for your help and advice guys....

 

[Red16]

Anytime mate

 

[N.D.Hill]

Your problem might not be a serious as you think When you say that there is oil on both ends of the plug as Red16 has said this indicates the problem is not inside the cylinder. We have seen many 16v engines like this and have found the problem to be simply the rocker cover gasket leaking or not tight. (there are 16 bolts holding the rocker cover on 8 of these are hidden by your plug lead tray). If the oil above the plugs is dirty this will definately be the cause as its the only place oil can leak into the spark plug well. Before you go stripping your engine I would get the compressions checked and a cylinder leakeage test done as this will indicate wether or not you have an internal sealing problem.

 

[Will16V]

Many thanks for that - i will check the rocker cover gasket and replace within the week....see if that cures the leak....let u know what happens

Thanks again tho!

 

[N.D.Hill]

After you have replaced the gasket give it 2 weeks then nip it up again after it has settled in a bit. This should stop iot leaking in the future.