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ENGINE OPTIONS

7th November 1991, Page 104
7th November 1991
Page 104
Page 104, 7th November 1991 — ENGINE OPTIONS
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Ailing engines will always cause scheduling problems in the workshop — but they need not cause excessive financial stress.

When Prince Transport's Scania 142 started pushing a lot of blow-by out of the crankcase breather (see page 17) ii was evident that some drastic action was needed. But what action?

The engine was evidently worn out and that left three options: an exchange engine from Scan ia: a rebuilt engine from a reconditioner; or an in-frame overhaul in the company's workshop.

When considering these options it is Unportanl to know if the engine has good oil pressure. If it has, the crankshaft will be serviceable and an in-frame overhaul will he possible: if not, the engine has to come out.

In Prince's case the oil pressure was good so all three options were on the table.

An exchange vee-eight engine from Scania costs £12,611.54. including water pump, compressor. flywheel and housing, manifolds and turbocharger, oil cooler and all injection equipment.

On the other hand you could haul the engine out of the truck and take it to Price Brothers at Avonmouth which sets the cost of a reconditioned engine 20% below that of the main agent: "Everything that they include, we include," says Price's Steve Price.

This includes pistons, liners, reground crank and camshaft, reground or replaced cam followers, and new bearings throughout. New valves, springs, oil and water pump also come as part of the deal. Price has the costs of the various components from various suppliers on a computer system. If there is not a substantial difference in cost, Price will choose OE specification parts. For instance, the pistons and liners for the Scania came from KS Winston. These were not the cheapest hut they are from an OE supplier that Scania uses.

Price, like other remanufacturers, reconditions operators' own blocks and says seven days should be allowed for the job, to cover any unforeseen difficulties.

In the event Prince chose the third option and overhauled the engine in its own workshops, leaving it in the chassis, the parts being purchased through Price. This obviously precludes the crank being ground, hut it did fit new big end and mains bearings, which cost £184.80 (the thrust washer added 19.60). Pistons and liners worked out to £1,598.64: Scania's own hightemperature

sealant cost £28.00.

Overhauling the cylinder heads, fitting new exhaust valves and guides, recutting the valve seats, skimming the face and replacing all the valve springs added another £740.32. The injectors were also overhauled, which cost £180. Caskets for the heads and sump totalled £139.98. The total bill for the engine parts and oil came to £2,920.88.

As a matter of course Prince always has the radiator cleaned out and in this case a new core was required, which cost an additional £240 (a Scania exchange unit would set you back £540.67). Two concertina hoses were needed, they cost £50 (these are standard with a Scania exchange engine). This brings Prince's total to £3,210.88, Labour costs must also be Laken into account. With a Scania exchange unit ready and waiting, installation takes 15 hours. At Prince stripping and rebuilding the engine took 40 hours.

Given that all options are open, the main factors govern the optimum method of rejuvenating a worn engine are: 0 Cost: If cost is the paramount consideration then the cheapest option is an inframe overhaul in your own workshop; this also avoids paying the wages of other companies' workforces.

LI Downtime: If downtime is your biggest consideration then a manufacturer exchange unit is the best option. An inframe rebuild is slower, but taking the engine for reconditioning is the slowest and shows only a 20% cost saving over a manufacturer's exchange unit.

0 Warranty: Scania's exchange engine comes with a 12-month, unlimited-distance warranty. This is an important factor with many and explains why major companies including BRS Engineering opt for exchange units rather than rebuilding. In common with all Federation of Engine Rernanufacture members, Price Bros gives a warranty on the engines it rebuilds, but in this case it is 12 months/24,000 miles: if you elect to do the job yourself then the parts are still covered, but obviously not labour.

You may feel that your engine could he overhauled but do not have the necessary tooling to extract the old liners or measure the protrusion on the new ones. In that case remanufacturers like Price handle these specialist tasks on-site. In fact they will take the rebuild to whatever stage the operator chooses at a rate of £24 an hour. Bear in mind that in between removing the old liner and fitting the new ones a lot of time has to be spent on cleaning — four hours in our case.

In the end you pays your money and takes your choice. Wise operators will take the time to research the options carefully to find the method that best suits their needs.


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