Attempt an engine rebuild with no prior experience Y/N

[senn]

ok to start with this is a should i/shouldn't I thread. I have no mechanical training, and am worried that if i attempt an engine rebuild on my own, i could fudge it, and end up costing myself more than paying a workshop to do it.

Should i even consider doing this, or just take it to a pro?

[sbfoot]

to do it yourself you'll need a CLEAN assembly area,good tools plenty of time for a first timer,get a good workshop manual and read it,get someone that knows what they're doing(preferably a mechanic) to help you along the way and ask lots of questions.
or pay some one to do it and have peace of mind if anything fails you'll have a warranty.
Scott

[thechuckster]

do it your self, find friends who have done same thing to ask them questions (later, you'll realise most of their answers are crap). buy an engine stand and borrow a crane when required. Will need a workshop to do any machining.

Is a good excuse to buy tools you'll rarely use.

[Omegaman]

What consists of a re-built for you?
rings, bearings, a clean internal and out, new gaskets?
with the right tools, go for it.
If the motor sounds like it has other problems, noises, stutters, smoke.
Still try it, but be financially prepared to send it to a shop for machining or some sort of assembly.
Go for it, i did ages ago. now its easy to freshen up most engines, or replace the more technical items. eg injectors, cams etc.

[punkture]

go for it mate, no one has ever progressed by not attempting it..whats the harm you could do if you follow the manual? as said above ask heaps of quests, but toymods are a wealth of info as well =)

[Dangerous Beans]

I am doing an engine rebuild having never done one before.

It might not be the most sensible idea, but it is an interesting project. So far there has been nothing too hard, but it has been pretty time consuming.

My advice is that if your only goal is an engine that works, get someone else to rebuild it. If you want an interesting project, something to do in your spare time, and an engine that should work, then give it a go yourself.
Also, find and read a few books on the subject (sadly most seem to relate to American pushrod engines).

So I vote yes, give it a go.

[TERRA Operative]

Get an official engine manual for your engine and follow it to the letter.

Also, ask lots of questions here (maybe start a thread for your rebuild) and get all the machining done by a pro.

[SillyCarS]

fuck yeah man just do it

buy a manual, have a big clean space, label everything and take shit loads of photos

mark timing on components with a scribe or paint marker depending on what it is

if you get stuck there's tons of people on here and you prob have friends as well

oh and if you put it back to gether and you got bits left over. THEN you start to worry

[jonathan yee]

thing about the engine manuals, is things change with clearance etc if your not doin a standard rebuild to factory specs/parts.

if for instance your using forged pistons' the piston/bore clearance will be different to what the manual states etc.

what engine and what are the goals for said engine?

[mookschank]

If you're interested in wanting to know, then do it and it will also help your general mechanical knowledge, if not, take it to a shop. Everyone on this forum started once with 0 knowledge about cars.

Gregorys ACL Engine Manual is pretty good reading.

[trdee]

as above, will require a few expensive tools. i recommend having a friend who knows their shit close to hand at all times.

but yeah give it a go if you're willing to spend the cash on buying the right tools. if you aren't, then dont. you will be wasting your time.

[allencr]

...I have no mechanical training,
Should i even consider doing this,

Well then what do you have? If you've got a background with repairing bicycles lawnmowers motorcycles airplanes or machine tools you probably have a good chance, also a place to work & tools & double whatever you've estimated for cost & no time limit, otherwise don't do it.
Get a short or long block and then you can only fuck up the R & R & accessories, much less potential there to be a costly learning experience .

http://www.circletrack.com/tipstrick...ine/index.html

[RHINO145]

i would recoment buying a cheap engine to get some practice, thats what im doing i have a 4K-C i picked up for free that i am about to strip down and attempt to rebuild.

[KENut]

Going by senn's sig its a 4AGE. Pretty simple and easy to work on.

Find a engine builder buddy, ask them to show you a few things

[jwebb2876]

^+1
Did the same thing with a cooked 4G63 from an L300 Express van

EDIT: got it for free and ripped it apart to see how it went together that is