I have a 2010 BXE engine here which is using a lot of coolant when driven for long periods of time (2-3 hours), and then sometimes doesn’t use as much but still a clear change in coolant levels. I’ve been told I’m better getting a second hand engine. Is the BKC engine stronger than the BXE or stick to another second hand bxe?

How confident are you that the wiring and ECU for the BXE will work with BKC hardware?

I haven’t little knowledge about this stuff but my mechanic has told me that there is very little difference in the engines and that the bkc would be grand. He’s done all my work before and is reliable, I just don’t know which engine is stronger since the bxe likes to throw rods out 

Has he done this swap before though? It's easy to assume/think it's fine but I'd be slow to spend the money on an engine replacement without being sure that it will work. If your mechanic is sourcing the engine, ask him if he's willing to eat the cost if it doesn't work.

Just asked him and he said the wiring is all the same so it’s just a matter of me finding an engine now... two options but I’m not sure which is the better option

There is a lot of info on google about this swap but even the BKC throws rods

 
Also buying a 2ND hand engine from a breaker is a shot in the dark 

You dont know the service history or how its  been treated could be worse than your own one

Why not price to get head gasket and crank bearings done on your own its the best way forward if you plan to keep the car

Oil is leaking into the coolant so it’s most likely the block that’s cracked?

A damaged head gasket can allow oil and coolant to mix, since the cooling and oil galleries have to pass through the gasket to get to the cylinder head.

I'm fairly sure this engine will have an oil cooler which is another place where oil & coolant can mix if there is a failure in the seal between the two.

 

I'm prety sure this item can be fairly easily isolated from the cooling system by bridging the two water pipes together.

 

I think this would be worth checking before you go to a lot of expense getting a replacement engine, block or head gasket.

Edited 8 April, 20197 yr by PipH

1 minute ago, PipH said:

I'm fairly sure this engine will have an oil cooler which is another place where oil & coolant can mix if there is a failure in the seal between the two.

 

I'm prety sure this item can be fairly easily isolated from the cooling system by bridging the two water pipes together.

 

I think this would be worth checking before you go to a lot of expense getting a replacement engine, block or head gasket.

Or get a compression test done - a competent mechanic should be able to do this. A blown head gasket will result in lower cylinder pressure.

I’ve no loss in power etc , and no visible leaks either although no I haven’t done the pressure test yet.

 

when the engine is run for a good while the coolant seams clear but then when I check it in the morning it’s clear there is a lot of oil and sludge

I use a Snap On combustion leak tester which sniffs the gasses in the coolant expansion bottle 

Cheap kits on eBay for diesels for a tenner 

As above take it to a competent mechanic who will diagnose correctly 

As with the replacement engine scenario it is a minefield of things that can go wrong with the engine if from an unknown source (Breakers)
 

 

Edited 8 April, 20197 yr by DEL80Y

Had exactly this on a 1.9 galaxy. Oil cooler was letting oil into water resulting in the sludge in expansion tank. Get compression test done before changing engines. Another thing worth checking, after a run are your coolant hoses rock hard? If so headgasket is allowing gases into water jacket and pressurising.