Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Garage => Topic started by: Grumblebuns on Wednesday,April 09, 2025, 04:01:15 PM
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When buying a used engine, expect the worse case unless you know the past history of the engine. I'm considering buying a TC big valve engine that has been stored in a garage for at least 10 years. According to the seller, the TCS with the engine installed caught on fire inside a garage and the body work was destroyed. He managed to save most of the non flammable parts including the frame, engine and most associated metal parts. The engine was rebuilt by the owner previous to this one by an automotive machine shop in a small remote Central California town. He has all of the paper work of the work done by the shop and it details all of the expected steps done on a rebuild including balancing the entire rotating assembly.
I took a look at the engine this morning and I don't see any evidence that it had been in a fire. According to the owner, the engine rotates freely. He is asking $7000 for the engine. Since a compression test is out of the question, I've asked him to do a leak down test. This should give me a good idea of the state of the bores and valve seating. The engine was on the road for about a year after the rebuild and before it was sold to the current owner. Are there any other checks that I can do to confirm the condition of the engine besides the leak down test?
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Well, you know a lot more about building engines than I do. But one thing you could do is confirm the seller’s claim that the engine rotates freely. Pull all of the plugs and spin it, noting how it feels to turn it round. If the starter can be used, spin that, and listen to the engine. ( Now I’m sounding like Racer X, or Speed)
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Thinking that the most sensitive parts to fire are the cork gaskets of the cam cover and the sump, the dizzy cap and rotor, and the carbs with rubber gaskets and plastic parts. If those parts were not replaced and still serviceable, then I think it's unlikely that the engine would have been damaged.
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Pull the pan and look at a rod and a main bearing. Scope the bores. Look at the can chain tensioner and see how far the bolt is in. After that, sacrifice any handy small animal or child and hope for the best...
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Yes, a lot of unknowns with this engine but I haven't given up on it yet. I've asked him to perform a leak down test. I'll even pay a mobile mechanic to come over and do the test if he's unwilling. The motor is sitting on the garage floor. There is no room in his filled with junk garage for an engine stand. I'll see if he will allow me to pull the oil pan for a bearing and crank journal inspection. Thanks JB for items to check.
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If an engine sits and it's humid, it "could" have some cylinder rust. You can get a nice bore scope for under $40 on Amazon. Turn the crank to get a piston down to see the cylinder wall. I have this one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091L6L1GV?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1
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I have no experience with the TC’s but corrosion in the water passages. Without proper addititives in the antifreeze aluminum rots. I’ve seen it in aluminum manifold on GM products and Hyundai.
What I’m getting at is inspect everything, pull a hose, a sensor and look inside.
I could post a pick of a wedge engine that sat for years without water in block if you want to see., but they are posted on my S1 thread. Really ugly stuff.
Dakazman
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I'm definitely not paying the sellers $7000 asking price Although I believe that the engine was rebuilt in the distant past, the biggest question is he current condition of the engine and the quality of the rebuild that the seller can justify his asking price. Over a five year period, I had my current TC motor slowly rebuilt by a TC expert for an approximate cost of around $10K, "just" $3K more than the motor in question. I'll pass on this motor at least for now unless the price drops considerably.
I've seen the effects of salt air on cars for people living on the coast. The seller lives a couple of blocks from the beach where it get a lot of fog. Unless he's prepped the cylinder bores during storage, I expect a lot of corrosion if I ever get a chance to do a closer inspection. Thanks for all of the input.
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Hi
Just for information, over on Lotuselan.net a chap by the name of Rohan has very kindly compiled a guide on how to assess Twincam heads. Link below......
https://forums.lotuselan.net/t/assessing-a-lotus-twincam-head-for-rebuilding/56086/4
All the best
Berni