(Home) How to recognise a good 2ct engine

i am replacing my 2ct engine and here in oz we have the option of purchasing a used, so-called 'low kilometer' japanese engine which includes the essential engine accessories including pump, turbo etc. i have narrowed the field to two possibles and am having trouble deciding which way to go.

1. the first engine is one of a container load just imported from japan (apparently sourced at the japanese wreckers) by an engine specialist. it is the older looking one but is very quiet in operation (starting from cold) - and quieter than my original. the inside of the oil filler cap is spotless and looking 'down the hole' there is no carbon stain whatever on the plate - super clean - almost too good to be true. there is no apparent 'blow back'. the oil was added for the demo so there is no oil condition indication to go by. there seems no way to tell how old the engine is and certainly no history with it. it has a 2wd auto gearbox attached at present.

2. the second engine is in situ in a 1992 townie 2wd auto which was imported whole for spares, by a townie dealer. it (the engine) looks newer and the speedo reads 83,000klms which looks genuine from the appearance of the vehicle. it is noisier in operation (starting from cold), more in keeping with the usual td engine noise at cold - and maybe slightly noisier than my original. even so, i would not describe the 'diesel' noise as excessive. there seems to be an oil leak at the sump gasket at right front (turbo side) which would have to be put right. the oil condition seems average and it looks a bit black 'down the hole' with slight blow back. i reckon its had pretty average maintenance in its shortish working life to date.

on both engines the deal includes replacement of the cam belt and oil seals.

if the first engine were in the 92 townie i would jump at it because i would know where it came from! but it's possible that the first engine received 'special attention' for the demo because my visit was scheduled in advance and i know these guys are capable of putting on a show.

the second engine guy says (surprise, surprise) that a quiet td engine at low revs can mean carbonation of the injectors, which could translate into increasing noise at higher revs and he offered a 'carbon clean' of his engine thrown in for free.

q1. has anyone heard this before about a quiet diesel engine?

q2. can the (naturally occurring i presume) carbon stain on the steel plate visible just below the oil filler hole be easily wiped clean to the metal? or should i, in fact, expect a well maintained diesel engine to have no black stain inside the rocker cover?

any comments on q1 and q2 above would be greatly appreciated.



- (#5971) Noel Mullee, 29 Oct 02

Q1, quiet could mean bad injectors, retarded injection timing,low compression... Or just GOOD...

Q2 Any chance the cam cover has been off and in the parts washer? Sooty gunge is pretty normal. BUT it does rather depend on history. My father's Citroen has absolutely no black sludge at 60k miles, but it runs a fair bit cooler than the townie.

The leak from the second engine would worry me more- if the seal is broken, WHY? The sump is stuck on with silicone seal, no gasket. It takes a hammer and knife to break the seal normally. Has the sump been off??

I'd probably go for the first, but have a compression test first, get the injectors cleaned and check the pump timing (you'd be doing all that anyway...)

- (#5972) david miller, 29 Oct 02

Thanks for the insights David. I have gone for the first. As well as potentially the better engine, the dealer is closer, cheaper and gives a 3mth/5000km warranty. Will post the outcome in about 10 days (these guys don't like to be rushed) for anyone interested.

- (#5973) Noel Mullee, 30 Oct 02

Finally got my vehicle back on Wednesday. The engine sounds quiet. No smoke of any kind out back. But the power is down and the gearbox takes forever (at least 3500rpm) to change up and when it does so it jerks. Under power whilst driving the turbo cuts in at 2000rpm, but when in neutral or parked it doesn't cut in until over 3000rpm. On my previous engine the turbo cut in by 2000 irrespective.

Also I think it is using more fuel.

I am going to drive it for a tankful of fuel or so to assess the consumption and generally shake it down before handing it back for tuning.

Then I plan to instruct them to tweak up the power and lower the change-up revs to 3000. Is that a reasonable thing to ask? Can the turbo cut-in speed be adjusted?

The suppliers have said that you shouldn't leave the vehicle in 'overdrive' permanently because it would strain the engine, but I remember being told by the dealer it was OK when I got it 4 years ago and it was fine on my previous engine (there was plenty of power to drive it). Any other drivers have an opinion on that?

The compression readouts I have been given all read between 410 and 420. Does anyone know the 'new' compressions.

The serial number of the engine is 0935870. Can its date of manufacture be deduced by this or any other way?

I notice that the pipe which crosses the cam cover from the air filter to the turbo is aluminium and slightly narrower than the black 'plastic' one on my original engine. Is this an age indicator? I asked for my original pipe to be transferred but they said that I would have to transfer the turbo itself too if I wanted that.

Overall, I am optimistic that this engine looks like it will work out but would like to build my knowledge base with the help of the BOK'rs. Thanks in advance to any contributors.

- (#6113) Noel Mullee, 15 Nov 02

the engine you've got is pre -89. the turbo, and inlet ducts changed at that time (older turbos have a flange that the outlet pipe bolts on to, newer ones a spigot for a hose). spec for compressions is 356- 427psi, so that's fine.
to sort out the gearchange, slacken the kickdown cable so there's a little play in it, don't go by the mark and rubber sleeve.
are you using the new engine's fuel pump or your own? sounds like the the pump is turned down a little. it's impossible to control the turbo's cut-in speed, but optimisation of the fuelling will lower it as far as possible.
injection timing should also be checked.

oh, and leave the o/d on...

hth

- (#6114) david miller, 15 Nov 02