3200GTA Engine refurb or replace

[Johhny Alucard]

Hi everyone.

Has anybody got any advice on whether to recondition or replace a seized 3200gta engine. Or any tips?? It's going to be expensive so I might as well do it properly!!

Thanks

Johnny

 

[BennyD]

Replace it with either a 4.2 or a 4.7.

 

[Paulm]

Johhny,
First off....it all depends on the hole you want to blow in your pocket !!!!
Second.....have you any experience with ref to stripping / rebuilding ?
If so I personally would get in there...

What year is car / engine ?
Who's checked it out....prior to you posting" it's seized" ? (Maser Indie ?)
There some good Indies / breakers yards that have recons....who pressure test and set them up prior to sale.
There are also some really good indies that will re-build it (better than Maserati originally built it) out there.
Where abouts are you based ?
Just a few quick questions....I'm sure more will follow.

 

[Johhny Alucard]

Hi Paul

Thanks for your reply.

I wasn't thinking of working on it myself. I have it up at a Mas/Fer/Lam indie who tell me one of the cams has seized. They haven't checked the damage that might have done yet but the problem occurred because of very heavy oil use and subsequently not enough oil in the sump so one way or another the thing needs a complete overhaul!

The car is a 2001 3200GTA

Who are these fabled indies you're thinking of that I may approach them and offer them gold in return for a fully functioning V8?!

I'm in Gloucestershire

Thanks for your help

Johnny

 

[Johhny Alucard]

Replace it with either a 4.2 or a 4.7.

They wouldn't fit would they??

 

[lozcb]

Hi everyone.

Has anybody got any advice on whether to recondition or replace a seized 3200gta engine. Or any tips?? It's going to be expensive so I might as well do it properly!!

Thanks

Johnny

before yougo any further Johnny have a word with David Askew , he probably has an engine sitting on a pallet ready to be shipped , but he also has really good access to engine builders who are very familiar with the 3200 so take his advice either way , he will steer you in the right direction be rest assured


regards loz

 

[conaero]

Yep they rebuilt my engine, top job, all done in Nuneaton via David Askew.

Cost about £2.5k including all new shells, gaskets etc but you should be able to get them cheaper now.

Had the rear chains and timing belt done at the same time.

 

[NickP]

Yep they rebuilt my engine, top job, all done in Nuneaton via David Askew.

Cost about £2.5k including all new shells, gaskets etc but you should be able to get them cheaper now.

Had the rear chains and timing belt done at the same time.

That was a bottom end wasn't it Matt? Did you get the top end rebuilt too?

 

[conaero]

Yep, fully stripped and inspected but nothing had to be done to the heads other than a skim, new seals and gaskets and the chains of course.

I think the parts list I had to supply was:

Full set of bearing shells, big, large and small ends.
Crank seals
Endfload washers
Gudgeon pins
Rings
Chains
Cambelt
Head Gaskets x2
Head sets x2

That lot cost well over a grand and included shipping the lump to them on a pallet for £50 each way, so the labour was about a grand from memory

You can get a new engine for about the same but you don't know what the condition is inside, so my advice would be to have yours rebuilt then you know its all good and inspected.

 

[Emtee]

The problem with the rebuild route is that you won't know the damage and final repair cost until you're committed - engine out and strip down, inspection, etc, and the final prognosis after that could well be an engine swap anyway. If the cam has seized you could be looking at a properly lunched engine and a serious chunk of money to repair. I'd go for the swap from the outset. My advice would be to find yourself a decent donor with known history for about £1.5 - £2K and save yourself the hassle.

 

[lozcb]

The problem with the rebuild route is that you won't know the damage and final repair cost until you're committed - engine out and strip down, inspection, etc, and the final prognosis after that could well be an engine swap anyway. If the cam has seized you could be looking at a properly lunched engine and a serious chunk of money to repair. I'd go for the swap from the outset. My advice would be to find yourself a decent donor with known history for about £1.5 - £2K and save yourself the hassle.

In certain circumstances i would tend to agree with you Miles , if the engine seized/hydrolocked whilst running and rattles and bangs were the result then a definate swap would be the first port of call, if the seisure was the result of standing to long and lack of oil flow i would go for the rebuild everytime , that way you keep the integrity of engine/chassis numbers


regards loz

 

[Emtee]

Yes I agree Loz. If cost isn't the prime driver, then a rebuild keeps the integrity of the car as you say, but if the cam is nakered and has taken out the valves that alone could easily be £1K in parts and ancillaries before labour, and in order to find out one way or another you could easily be looking at the best part of another £K in strip down labour. You'll know that I have some experience of this and I went the re-build route with a final bill similar to Matt's, but mine was also only a bottom end rebuild. I'd say a worst case scenario could be up around £4K.

If you're not fussed about matching numbers, and can find an engine with known history you could be saving potentially up to a couple of grand.

 

[conaero]

Well the engine has to come out anyway, why not send it to DA for him to either repair or replace, your looking at £1-200 to have it stripped and that way you can have the Phosphorous Bronze thrust washers to and you know it's all good and new inside.

It's also best to keep the original engine too.

 

[NickP]

That's very true, he'd probably do a deal for an exchange.

 

[Emtee]

With the greatest of respect to David (he's saved me all sorts of hassle on more than one occasion), he's a parts specialist not a repairer.

 

[Fat Arnie]

Use a borescope down all 8 spark plug holes to assess the damage first. I have once of these. Invaluable in assessing damage and buying any engine you cannot run.

If you have had valve/piston contact, buy a 2nd hand engine.

If there is no valve piston contact, remove the cam and perform a leak down test.