Hi all,

i'm going to be undergoing my first complete car engine overhaul, and since im undertaking what is considered the biggest deal to one can do with their car (longest down time too lol), i might as well get everything else done 1 shot. So below is a check list, and within them i have a number of inquiries i hope you guys could help me out with:

engine overhaul
- whats the typical price range for a complete overhaul (includes everything like labor charges/overhaul kits)?
- whats the typical time (days/week) needed to perform this?
- whats the general expectation of an overhaul? eg: my FC is 7-8km/litre, what should i expect after an overhaul? 10-12 give/take? (i used to be getting 10+ max btw, as the years go by, that number obviously get lower)

air cond servicing
- if no part changing (major ones, like the cooling coil), what is the expected cost for a complete service? (everything, cooling coil cleaning, filter change, re-gas etc)
- if need to change cooling coil, what is the going price for it? (please provide original part/3rd party/re-cond prices if possible)
my main issue with the air-cond is that sometimes, can smell engine fumes inside cabin (probably worn out filters), its a little loud (fan noise, probably have to replace), and the in cabin air pressure is a little low and takes a bit to cool down, after driving a while it'll be cool enough to my liking and ill turn it down. not a critical issue, just something id like to get done since im doing this overhaul.

engine starter
- what is the going price for it? (please provide original part/3rd party/re-cond prices if possible)
- my issue with this is that after driving my car for long periods (say, 2 hours?) or driving long distance (KL -> Singapore), and if i stop my car completely (off engine) to refill petrol or whatever, most likely i can never start back my car until i give it 10mins to 1 hour rest/cooling down period. when i try to start my engine back again, there wont be any reaction (no cranking etc) at all. other than the mentioned conditions, the starter is fine, good clean starts everytime.

so question is: my starter still ok or not? need to change/service?

alternator
- what is the going price for it? (please provide original part/3rd party/re-cond prices if possible)
- is there any serviceable parts? i heard can replace the carbon rod or something inside? if so, how much?
- main issue with this is that my car battery may be weak during cold starts or after a certain period (few days at least) of not driving my car. everytime i test the battery at shops its all positive, alternator reading is also positive. atm its a mere suspicion of my alternator's wear and tear condition as the car is after all 11-12 years old, and there was no service done ever for the alternator. this is also only an issue because i have car audio system installed which does draw quite a lot from the alternator/battery. which i suspect if that its drawing more than what the alternator can provide for the audio system AND keeping the battery properly charged, then it needs fixing.

anyways really appreciate if you guys can help me out on the above, will be sending the car in tomorrow night (thursday 15-09-2011) right away to minimize downtime of my car (they will be working on malaysia day, and weekends too, and also pulling night job to try and get it done by weekend or latest monday/tuesday)

recently my sis do the top overhaul on iswara also..iswara 1.3 a/b year 2000

type :top overhaul : depends on shop...some maybe expensive..some maybe cheap..but since my sis cars got black smoke and the carburetor also got serviced, the total time taken 1day if not mistaken to do top overhaul....
total damage/cost around rm700+..no leaking found after all but still i think the price abit expensive but maybe the tokey took some money seems he like middle person bcuz at that time my sis car also want to be painted...so he get his friend to do top overhaul bcuz his major only do paint job..the result from top overhaul?? my sis claim the engine more responsive...no more vibration on the engine...many type of overhaul...top overhaul...major overhaul(this expensive more than top overhaul cause do overhaul for whole engine)..u can google about type of overhaul to find the answer..

this one based on my experience

air cond : recently also..not too long time ago...maybe a few months back..my aircond system just fine but i feel the its
not cold enuf..soo i service the aircond at aircond specialist..not expensive just rm80 with cleaning cooling coil,
service, refill back gas etc etc...the result..impressive...im buying my car from second hand dealer soo when the aircond man service it, he told me that the aircond never been service since the car roll out from factory...im just sharing my experience to you..better do the aircond service at aircond specialist only..or what i mean at shop that doing aircond
job only...

engine starter : this happen to me like everyday.. ..happen to my hyundai atos...just let it cool for few minutes then i can crank it and start it...if when hot, the sound like "ketakk ketakk"..soo its the mechanic found out the
starter prob...u can try survey at automotive garage for price for the starter bro..

alternator : sorry cannot give review so far bcuz so far no prob..


just sharing my experience..wut important is to get the right shop to do the best workmanship at average cost...

This post has been edited by conan1: Sep 15 2011, 12:29 AM

I was too lazy to read, but...


1. Why are you going to overhaul?

2. I thought you planned to sell the car?

My corolla just finish overhauled and it cost me RM2k++.
This is the first overhaul since it was born 26 years ago, after clocking 330,000 km.
It took 1 whole week to complete, provided the sifu spends the whole day's time to do the job.
FC-wise, my car has always been able to achieve >11km/L. I can't tell the new FC coz the car was just discharged from workshop recently, but I'll update you if I remember.
After overhaul, the most noticeable difference is, the engine is super quiet, no vibration, no leaking, no black/white smoke. I also had the radiator system checked thoroughly. Changed some pipings and refill new coolant.

" if i stop my car completely (off engine) to refill petrol or whatever, most likely i can never start back my car until i give it 10mins to 1 hour rest/cooling down period. " Of course this is a problem. That could be due to flat battery or faulty alternator or etc.
How many amperes does your audio system draw from battery? Make sure the wiring job is done properly, otherwise it can lead to fire.

My sifu asked me to treat my car like NEW car, make sure RPM < 3000 until 1000km. What a torture ! makes me so sleepy to keep at 90kph (5th gear, RPM 2600).

thanks for your reply! and yea i agree with you, as the quoted price for complete engine overhaul is around/between 1k-1.4k. (depending on how many parts i need to replace after opening everything up)

i dont have black/white smoke, however 1 (only 1 out of 4 :/) of my spark plugs burn out way too early, and the FC is getting worse by the day despite done primers/throttle body cleaning/using good semi syn oil.

having 11-12 years, and almost 250k km mileage on the car (i've been told typically around 200k km you would do at least a top overhaul) i guess its time i do it ^^;

as for aircond, i think mine never been service too, not too sure though.
that said, recently changed the air cond fan (external radiator one) as it sorta died, and the car was a living microwave owen especially on traffic jams

his rate isnt that expensive, if just service (clean cooling coil/gas/filter etc), he said expect around rm150, and it looks like that shop have the machinery to do the job (looks quite new and high tech so that kinda gave off some confidence for me lol) thats why i decided to 1 shot everything there.

for starter, if/when the problem occurs, theres no sound at all when you turn the keys fully, no cranking no engine response whatever. just... yea not starting
however if i dont drive for long hours/long distance, the problem does not show up at all. so im confused :/

and yes, totally agree on "the right shop to do the best workmanship at average cost"

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Added on September 15, 2011, 12:44 am1) really really terrible FC, (i just spent around rm500 for fuel for last month's credit card bill :/) that burning out spark plug is getting annoying.

2) thats happening 2-3 years later (which i didnt say sell, only changing car. the current car may be inherited by my sis, or keep around as backup. the resale value is already shit compared to what i've already spent on it) , i cant be dealing with all these headaches (considering the long post) for that long of a period.

besides, think of it as "your first car" deal, and i kinda took a liking to my current car regardless if im selling/changing car etc

This post has been edited by Quazacolt: Sep 15 2011, 12:44 AM

ok then do it .

Make sure the overhaul is thorough huhu. It's unlikely tht the cooling coil will be changed, but only be washed by chemicals and put back, along with the receiver drier aka filter and expansion replaced.

There isnt a guarantee that ur FC will improve after overhaul. If it doesn;t, try servicing the carb witha repair kit

over 11km/l despite being a 26 years old car? now im jealous lol. mine's doing 7-8km/l as mentioned
could also be my heavy footing, but still, 7-8 is just painful to my wallet >_<

heres the thing with the batt/altenator: every time i bring to workshops/mechanics and they use their voltmeter to measure, its always positive (~12v for batt only, ~14v with car on running on alternator)

so its still to me.
as for exactly how many amperes my audio system draws, i wouldnt know, if you would know via a complete setup (component set/headunit/4channel amplifier/subwoofer) description, that would be great
wiring *should* be done properly as there are proper fuse/groundings and it was done at a reputable accessory shop that also goes to car audio competitions which have much stricter rules/checkings on wirings

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Added on September 15, 2011, 12:56 am
thanks! will definitely consider the carburetor if the FC is still shit after the overhauling

im still thinking what other "possibilities" assuming i do the carburetor, cuz like, seriously almost ever corner of my car has been serviced/replaced LOL!

This post has been edited by Quazacolt: Sep 15 2011, 12:56 AM

>11km/L may be due to less traffic jam ?

Previously my car was also difficult to start when it was warmed up and turned off, but not to the extent of cannot start at all. It just needs to "cough" longer to start the engine

Aha, so you don't need to worry about wirings. Trust the professional

well as i said, if i have the engine starting issue happen, my engine doesnt even "cough" (i believe cranking's the word XD) at all. it just says "NOPE" at your face.

at times i even start to think if the car is having emotions and throwing me a fit for working it too much (long periods/distance driving) and just wanted to catch a break.

i guess im just thinking too damn much lol

Sorry for poor English . Yeah the correct word is "crank".
Yeah you really think too much already.
How much is your budget? I hope the bill won't scare you.

steeling up myself for a ~rm2k bill >_<

Engine overhaul, depends on what needs to be changed. But not too expensive, I think about 500-600 for top overhaul and 1.5-2.5k for full overhaul for your engine.

Regarding spark plugs fouling, this could mean your car is out of tuned, send it to someone to tune your car after the overhaul.

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Added on September 15, 2011, 5:54 amAnd typical time for a full overhaul is like 1-2 weeks.

This post has been edited by GEFORCEXTREME: Sep 15 2011, 05:54 AM

regarding the engine tuning thing, what kind of tuning can be done for it? it only happens to a single spark plug though, i thought when you tune or do w/e, it involves all the plugs?

if tuning is an issue, all the plugs are affected. If it's fouling on one plug, problem lies within the mechanical parts of the engine itself, be it a sticking valve or compression loss or oil leak into the combustion chamber.

Carb can be tuned by sifoos around the forum, aka fstrader to name one of em.

thanks, will definitely look into the carbs if there are still further problems after this overhaul. maybe then i can ask you on potential sifus

updates:

- de greaser also cant do much, some of those carbon stains, need sand paper/knife to scrape. like, omfg weih lol

- assembly should be complete on sunday, all the parts etc has arrived. standby cooling coil too in case tomorrow during service need to replace.

- replacing starter, supposedly a recond perdana hi speed starter, using bearing based? should be a lot more durable, and smoother starting. and hopefully, get rid of that dead startup after long distance/period driving.

- replacing air cond pump/compressor, ports all got stains/pitch black inside, dont think can service it also, and even can, cost will prolly be close to replacing a recond set.

- alternator no need replace, they say condition still ok

- engine valves all replace, all burnt/worn out

- engine mounting replace, despite just changed 2-3? years ago, its showing signs of wear and tear, and since overhauling engine, might as well replace despite it is still in "working" condition

so monday can collect car i hope.

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Added on September 28, 2011, 4:22 pmyo elton, may need to get more coolant from you again since my radiator was serviced (flush and painted lawl) included in the overhauling.

will get revo too at the same time to really try out the engine. now past 1k km post overhaul and done post 1k km tuning and mineral oil flush (replaced with semi syn liqui moly from you lulz) and the speed, throttle lightness, and acceleration with just the semi syn oil/tuning is already giving me a lot of thrills LOL!

gonna update this thread once i got the time to post up the pictures lol

This post has been edited by Quazacolt: Sep 28 2011, 04:22 PM

Quazacolt bro,

After more than 1month observation, my engine does not consume engine oil anymore. No more embarrassing white smoke when stuck in traffic jam.
The dipstick shows same level everytime I check.
However, FC is still the same as before overhaul.

heh i overhauled despite not having white/black smoke issue or abnormal engine oil reduction (after using liqui moly/done carbon cleaning etc, prior that after 2-3k km i need to top up.)

after overhaul, my fc didnt really improve much, maybe got minor improvement. still a bit too early to tell at this point.

however, i think the result will be as it is, as you know, after overhaul, car rev damn light, and they tightened/realigned the throttle cable, so yeah, performance/pickup is a TON better. and i guess my right foot also increased a few kg's worth of weight

i guess this is human nature >.>
spent so much money, in the end still spending more. lol

What car you drive doing 7km/l?
My 2.0 turbo doing the same, and have to use RON 97 some more......

proton iswara 11-12 years.
its kinda in the thread details.

if you dont mind, you could perhaps read through this thread, and perhaps provide some of your insights?