I've been off the forums lately, cos I've been overseas, and when I got back. I noticed my car was spluttering oil on the garage floor. I took it back to the dealer who fixed the problem, but then they noticed a lack of oil pressure. Apparently my oil pump wasn't working properly, and it may have been like that for quite some time, and it has done some serious damage. here is the report Piston rings are worn conrod bearing for the main crank shaft making noise hydrolic lifters blocked rocket cover gas-kit leaking oil blown off turbo housing from piston rings engine rear main seal leaking. They've quoted $3200 for a replacement engine fitted. is this reasonable? Is a rebuild a better option for reliability? and what sort of prices would I be looking at?
If it's still under warranty, try to get a rebuild (by a reputable builder). Cost is around $5K (from what I've read on the forum) If you replace the engine, you have no idea what you are getting, could be a good one, could also have it's own issues (unless of course they want to spring for a NEW engine ) The price they quote is reasonable for a used engine, but IMO is a little on the cheap side if it includes fitting.
How long was the Zed laid up and where was the oil coming from? Nissan dealer or 2nd hand yard? How did they diagnose lack of oil pressure? If via OEM gauge then maybe no problem other than whatever caused the oil loss. Piston rings worn(?) what were the compression readings? Lifters blocked or ticking can be remedied with an oil flush. Not an unreasonable quote if diagnosis is kosher but would be a 2nd hand engine. Suggest getting a 2nd opinion.
Is this exactly what the report says: "rocket cover gas-kit leaking oil blown off turbo housing from piston rings" ??? My interpretation is: Exhaust cam covers & PCV's leaking oil - burning off on turbo's.
I was overseas for 7 Weeks, The car got moved a couple of times while I was away. Its just a weekend car, I only drive it once a week, sometimes I don't drive it for 3 weeks at a time. It's from a second hand yard. It's an 89 TT 2+2 manual. I don't know if they've done a compression test. There's 3 years warranty covered by a 3rd party company, and we submitted a claim. However their assessor says they won't cover it because all the damage was caused by a lack of lubrication. the dealer is trying to look after me with the price because I've had issues with the car in the past. That's the exact wording, I'm assuming the mechanic wrote that up, he's got a thick accent. So english is obviously not his first language. So can someone recommend me a reputable mechanic that can rebuild my engine? How long does a rebuild take? The weather is heating up and I'm really missing the Zed now.
I'm happy for you that the dealer is trying to look after you. So often you get left stranded high and dry by car dealers not backing their product. Give 'em a plug! Madame Tellfortuna says: "Mmmmmm! You are about to get very friendly with Joe Imbesi at Dontek." She has no idea how long it will take... coupla weeks or so?
I'd be getting that 2nd opinion as suggested by Rob. It could save you a lot of money and won't cost much just to be sure.
an engine rebuild would be alot better, atleast you know what your paying for and in the long run may/will run longer than your swap, not to mention it can alter your insurance price!!