I did a search and found only one thread about a VE rebuild kit but it did not share onfo on cost for it.

I found one kit on the internet for it but it was 655 for an average rebuilt kit, I have already got my moter almost pulled, I will get it pulled and seperated from the tranny on thursday. Then next tuesday i will break it down and start cleaning the block and the heads, But i will soon need to buy a rebuild kit, and I want to just get an inexpensive one so that I can throw it back together and sell it for a 240 sx. I want to turbocharge a Ka becuase it will be much cheaper than turbocharging my max, and It's rear wheel drive so I don't have to worry about going through drive shafts so often.

Any body that knows of a relatively cheap basic rebuilt kit give me your 2 cents i would appreciate it. And somebody please talk me out of selling the max for a 240 I would love to be reassured that the VE turbocharged would stomp tha KA turbocharged. And if you do so give me some reasons why and pros and cons to turbocharging these engines. I have a brother that driver a 350 1992 Z28 and I want to show him that his engine is a waste of space, and that even though it is huge it doesn't use the displacement too efficiently. Hit me with some facts. Sorry my thread is so general. I hope to get alot of info out of it. Thanks everyone.

 

what parts do you need to rebuilt? the gasket kit for all of that is "only" a couple hundred bucks.
new pistons, rings, lifters, etc etc etc can get very expensive.... but they shouldn't really be needed. rings, yes. everything else depends on what's wrong with the engine.

 

I know I'm rebuilding the cams other than that I have a crankshaft seal leak, which i know is cheap but as far as the rest I have 170,000 and I run it hard constantly, so I won't know exactly what i need untill i crack it open, but I'm sure it will be more than that, I will just hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. Can you buy kits through any auto parts stores like advanced auto, and if so do you think it would be wise to buy it, or a poor decision,(poor product)?

 

stick with a good brand like Fel-Pro and you'll be okay.


as for the other parts, I doubt you'll need a whole lot. hone the cylinders and replace the rings, but I doubt if you even need that. have you done a compression test on it?

before you start tearing things down, you might want to know how the engine actually is.

why are you rebuilding it anyway? mine's got 185k on it and the last 35k have been HARD miles... mine still meets factory compression specs and only smokes a tad at startup (valve stem seals). no point in rebuilding it if it doesn't need it.

 

I am taking auto classes at the college accross the street from me and i am in engine rebuilding this semester, and i have the crankshaft seal that is leaking onto my passanger side lower controll arm, which has caused my control arm bushing to go bad again(I just replaced it 2 months ago), then it broke the bolt that holds the rotors and **** on which ruined my rotors and my wheel bearings, so I figure instead of taking it to a shop and having them fix the leak alone for $400+ it's time I rebuild it for close to the same price, that way I can clean everything up nicely (we have a Hottank, a solvent tank, and a sandblaster) and, rebuild the cams fix the seal and port and polish my intake manifold. Basically if for nothing else for more experience.

 

WTF? bah...

replacing the seal on a VE only takes about an hour. remove the crank pulley and it's right there. replace the belts while they're off, and you might as well install a UDP. that's all you need.

So it broke the front axle shaft, or it broke the wheel studs on the front hub? I have a hard time understanding how an oil leak could cause any of that, other than possibly ruining a control arm bushing...

 

It broke the castle nut loose (the big bolt between the wheel and the rotor. I can;t think of the name of it right now it's 2:00 A.M.

 

if you had the cotter pin in it, it shouldn't have made too big of a deal other than the nut coming loose. it still might ruin the wheel bearing over time, but shouldn't have messed up anything else.

 

Other than compression check, how does one determine what needs to be done to "fix" a sick engine? My computer gives no engine codes and only Soleniod B for tranny. But I do have oil in the intake as I saw a small pool of motor oil in the plastic/ rubber tubing coming from the airbox, which explains the burning of oil. I also have a valve cover gasket leak, evidenced by dirt and oil around the seal.
What does it mean to "hone" the cylinder?

 

leak down test, also you can listen for blow by, but i think your getting hyped up for nothing. I dont blame you, im doing the exact same thing you are with my 289ci V8 from my 68 mustang, rebuilds get expensive when you dont need them, but I know what its like, youve already determined that you need a rebuild and you'll have that feeling if you dont.

anyway, seriously, I would listen to Matt. He knows what hes talking about, and hes got experience with this. I understand its for a class, hell ive got a VE in the shop at school that ive been meaning to rebuild, but with no car for it to go into, its really hard to justify it, it doesnt even need it.

also what about downtime? why not just buy another VE?
MrGone

oh yeah, stick with max

 

also what about downtime? why not just buy another VE?
MrGone

My girlfriends parents are giving me a 1990 dodge caravan, it's purple, and big. but it just sits in the street out by there house and so I'll take it, I'll look like a dork, but I will be a dork on the move, I was going to buy a VE for $500 that had no problems but after I pulled my engine which took me about 11 hours I decided I don't want to swap another ve in there while I rebuild mine and then finish rebuilding mine and take the used one out and swap again. I'll just hop in the van, roll down the windows, put in Jayz's Big Pimpin and hit the road in style baby.

 

REbuild engine, send to Les. Done.

 

What's a leakdown test? How would I determine how extensive of a rebuild I would need? How much is a new engine?

 

Oil in the air intake?? I'm not sure but that might be something simple like the PCV valve not working, its cheap like $6. Just make sure you use anti seaze compound when installing the new one. If its never been done, then it should be done anyway.