On Thu, 27 Jul 1995, Thomas Horton wrote:
> Dear Bill:
>
> I am a recent member of VTR and have recently purchased a well worn, but
> none the less functioning TR6. It will never be a collectors item but I
> enjoy driving it just the same. I had gone through the entire car, and
> was just beginning to drive it (it had been off the road for several
> years), when it began to smoke. My mechanic has reccomended that I try to
> find a "good" used motor, as the car does not really warrant the time and
> expense of a rebuilt unit. e thought I should be able to find on for
> $4-500. Sounds OK, but how do I go about determining if the motor is
> "good", assuming it will not be in a car when I purchase it. Is this
> something you folks at VTR can help me with ?
Tom,
Unless there is something serious with your engine, it can be rebuilt
for a reasonable amount. That'd be (IMHO) a better route to follow than
the risk of a used engine with God only knows what condition.
The TR-6 is your basic inline 6 cyl. The smoking can only come
from several possibilities: Worn valve guides and/or worn rings.
The valve guides can be renewed by any competent shop and while the
engine's cylinder head is off, the pistons/rings could
also be replaced.
Has your mechanic done a compression test on the car?
There's lots that can be learned from just the individual
compression readings of each cylinder.
Anyway, the cost of pulling your old engine and dropping in any
other used engine should be factored into your cost analysis too.
Hope that helps.
Cheers, ---------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Sohl K2UNK (Budd lake, New Jersey) (billsohl@planet.net)
VTR Assistant Magazine Editor, Past VTR President (1983-1990)
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