Advice Please - new engine or new (used) car?

Wayne3765

Ask the garage to take the throttle body off ( only 4 bolts so 5 minutes work ) and see if there is any sign of oil inside the inlet manifold.

I had exactly the same problem with a Mondeo burning oil , failed the MOT badly on the emissions test and I was told it needed a reconditioned enginge.

I heard about the oil in the inlet manifold on the Mondeo forums -

http://www.fordmondeo.org/index.php?

and decided to look into the problem further.

I removed the inlet manifold and cleaned it out with degreaser , behind the manifold there is an oil seperator which has a PCV valve ( crancase ventilation) which is part of the emissions control , I cleaned out the oil seperator and changed the PCV valve ( around £12 for Fords ) and tried it again.

First off it was very smokey as I was still burning some of the gunk off but after a few miles I put a bottle of Cataclean in it which claims to clean the valves etc and drove it for a few more miles and it was a lot better.

I took it back for a retest and it didn't just pass it flew it as it was a fraction of the maximum figures allowed.

Total sum spent was under £30 , not bad when compared to the quotes of £800 + I was getting for recon engines.

Edit : - Here's the before and after emissions test results

Original test -
CO level 3.33% Maximum allowed is 0.3%
HC level 1085ppm Maximum allowed is 200 ppm

Re test
CO level 0.16%
HC level 18ppm

Volcano

AdrianHi wrote: »

I would want to be rid of it personally as it sounds like a liability now.

I disagree.

With the engine and clutch replaced (as well as the other bits that's been done previously) it's far less likely to go expensively wrong.

Get more than one quote for the engine before you make a decision.

AdrianHi

Volcano wrote: »

I disagree.

With the engine and clutch replaced (as well as the other bits that's been done previously) it's far less likely to go expensively wrong.

Get more than one quote for the engine before you make a decision.

I have in mind a longer list of cheaper parts to go rather than one big thing. Like things made of rubber that are going to be getting old and perished, brake disks, shock absorbers. They could need doing next month next year or 2 years from now. At this age enough of them pile up in a year to start making a higher depreciation bill for lower maintenance costs more appealing.
Does depend to some extend on how many miles you do, low mileage and you will at least get more time if not more miles out of the car at reasonable maintenenace cost.

Doodles22

Wayne3765 wrote: »

Ask the garage to take the throttle body off ( only 4 bolts so 5 minutes work ) and see if there is any sign of oil inside the inlet manifold.

I had exactly the same problem with a Mondeo burning oil , failed the MOT badly on the emissions test and I was told it needed a reconditioned enginge.

I heard about the oil in the inlet manifold on the Mondeo forums -

http://www.fordmondeo.org/index.php?

and decided to look into the problem further.

I removed the inlet manifold and cleaned it out with degreaser , behind the manifold there is an oil seperator which has a PCV valve ( crancase ventilation) which is part of the emissions control , I cleaned out the oil seperator and changed the PCV valve ( around £12 for Fords ) and tried it again.

First off it was very smokey as I was still burning some of the gunk off but after a few miles I put a bottle of Cataclean in it which claims to clean the valves etc and drove it for a few more miles and it was a lot better.

I took it back for a retest and it didn't just pass it flew it as it was a fraction of the maximum figures allowed.

Total sum spent was under £30 , not bad when compared to the quotes of £800 + I was getting for recon engines.

Edit : - Here's the before and after emissions test results

Original test -
CO level 3.33% Maximum allowed is 0.3%
HC level 1085ppm Maximum allowed is 200 ppm

Re test
CO level 0.16%
HC level 18ppm

How much is Cataclean?:o

KeithP

Doodles22 wrote: »

How much is Cataclean?:o

Google found the answer easily...

Cataclean on ebay

Doodles22

KeithP wrote: »

Google found the answer easily...

Cataclean on ebay

Thank's

Volcano

Cataclean sounds like another of the standard additive scams, certainly the Advertising Standards Authority thinks so and told the company to withdraw its adverts:

The expert advised that catalyst efficiency was established by analysing the exhaust gases entering and exiting the catalyst. He noted the submitted tests did not use that method. The expert advised that the product was extremely unlikely to survive the combustion process and reach the exhaust catalyst. We considered that the claim was misleading.

http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/Public/TF_ADJ_41571

It's much more likely that's Wayne3765's mondeo suffered from a well documented case of oil seeping into the inlet manifold and he cured that, than some miraculous snake oil cleaning his catalyst by mysterious and unexplained means.