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?

I'm writing with the assumption you've done a full overhaul, not a top-overhaul.

The engine needs to be run in a little before you see any significant difference. I presume the mechanic had advised you to hold you foot for the 1st 1000KM or so, and send the car back for an engine oil change after that? If not, please do so. After that, the engine should begin to perform at it's peak. Usually, the mechanic would use cheaper oil for the 1st 1000KM and then switch to semi/fully synthetic. THEN you can see the difference

Until the, just bear with it. If you've done the 1000KM service & adjustments and STILL have bad FC, you might need to consider a carburettor service and some PROPER tuning (AFR, timing, compression, the works).

BTW, I drive an '88 Saga powered by a 1.5 Megavalve So I feel your pain too bro...

This is what I was told !
I never rev beyond 3k rpm since overhaul. Now only clocked 500++ km nia.
Btw, I am also quite concerned with the feasibility of putting 15w-40 in my Corolla XL (1986).

as the title says, yes it is a full overhaul

my engine is already 1.5k km post overhaul. in fact, i asked the mechanic do i have to go light on the foot, keep below 3k rpm and so on. he said no need, in fact cars are built to run, regardless of new/overhaul, which i strongly agree along since you know, it would be quite suffering to me if i had to go light under 3k rpm all the while especially i have a penang trip within that 1k km period.

during the penang trip also, i was going some ~4k rpm, 110-130km/h speeds. not engine noise is kinda high pitched, probably cuz of the lack of tuning and using mineral oil post overhaul. FC is obviously still in the gutter, didnt really recover that much (seems like it did, though very minimal differences)

post penang trip (~1.2-1.3k ady, overshot the 1k >_<) , did some carb tuning, distributor tuning and perhaps some other minor tunings i may not have noticed, poured in lube guard platinum for my ATF, and using liqui moly semi syn. performance is leaps and bounds beyond what i've experienced. just that its still a little early to gauge on FC. and again, with my foot getting heavier thanks to the added exhilaration from that smooth revving, and acceleration, im not really expecting much lol. just being realistic here ^^;

of course, it depends on how bad the FC is. the mechanic also tell me to come back again if the FC is still bad so he may check on the carbs. (previously he said the carb is still in good condition, probably thanks to the clean outlook from the 3bond throttle cleaning and what not ^^

Carburetor was cleaned??
For Carb., add the air leak device for more power and better FC.....

i would assume they didnt clean the carb since they mentioned that they didnt do anything to it

and mind elaborating on this "air leak device"?

You may want to clean the carb., since it is pretty long ago...

Air leak device is like the surbo unit, but not all cars will benefit from it. Will be good if car is a guzzler, like my wife's Sonata III. Even though fuel injected, have to by pass the air flow sensor to cheat the ECU. I am getting better power and better FC.
For carb., so far we found it worked well in the Iswara. Connection is between PCV valve and inlet manifold, T joint and air flow controlled by another device.
There are also the air compressor thing but don't joint to vacuum hose of brake servo, which many people do....

surbo? or it was typo'd from turbo?
personally im not too keen on modding the car. kinda want to keep it stock until i can change my car ^^;

unless of course theres further information for me to read up, most importantly it is proven to improve performance/FC, and without side effects/drawbacks etc.

Yes, it is surbo, I think is the brand name. Same as some other air leak device as they called it.
Mine was DIY with my mechanic. Did in 2008....Read about it here....
http://forum.autoworld.com.my/index.php?showtopic=3788

still need rm150 or so? (from what i read on the thread) or now maybe in the 200's?

this year my finance are totally tied up thanks to the overhaul. so want to do also, maybe next year >_<

Price I think not much difference.
Anyway, just share info only.....

no prob, thanks for the info sharing

foo yoh
time for iswara overhaul since 2000
that's so long ago ...

My 1996 car still running fine....

lol after overhaul, performance really nice, just having some troubles on the top end, as i guess exhaust pipes all clogged up with 11-12 years of carbon? lol

only manage to top around 150-155km/h with everything still stock

and oops, just reminded me i havent posted pictures LOL

Off the air con when testing high speed......

that kinda speed is more than enough for my fully stock car, in terms of safety, 150 for a stock iswara is quite dangerous already, unless i change to 15" rims with better tires ^^;

i thought iswara highway cruising speed is 150kmh??..
that one is top speed already ah??...

if you mod your engine, or think that flooring the car as cruising, sure lol

my car stock standard only mar

Just mentioning off the air con you have better power and also less strain on the air con compressor.....

MT? because i dont recall iswara AT can cruise 150km/h without flooring the pedal or with minor/heavy modifications, ever lol.

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Added on November 6, 2011, 4:07 pmnoted on that

This post has been edited by Quazacolt: Nov 6 2011, 04:07 PM

ya... manual transmission...

ok lo

On A/T, power lost at torque converter......

Damn long thread, damn good info's. Need to make conclusion for my 7 year old oil drinking monster.

So if engine makan minyak and high fc must do overhaul la? Although no leaks or no smoke whatsoever from the exhaust? Top overhaul no point?

engine makan minyak hitam (engine oil) need to do overhaul...
engine makan minyak (high fuel consumption) dont need to do overhaul...
change whatever that is needed (wear and tear parts) and retune whatever that is needed (efi or carbie)....

thanks for the reply, i have few questions bout it and since this is for iswara, decided to post them on another thread as general overhaul questions. Do have a look there. Thanks.

http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/422180

Can do compression test before opening....