I bought my boy  this fabia 1.2 as his first car 

just took it down the mechanics and cylinder 1 has not much compression  He says it’s knackered because of the 130000 miles it’s done 

just asking for my best options either put a new engine in  or move it on 

Not sure how much would a reconditioned engine would be fitted or does anyone know of another engine that may fit Cheers 

8 hours ago, Lee5400 said:

Not sure how much would a reconditioned engine would be fitted

 

More than the value of the car, IMO.

 

@Breezy_Pete replaced the engine in his other half's 1.2, by himself. It's more feasible if you do the work yourself, but can be a pig of a job, especially if you don't know what you're doing.

Had a feeling that was the case 

still might take a chance on secondhand engine and see if I could get it fitted by someone 

the rest of the car is mint 

Yes, I got lucky with a secondhand engine from a breakers. Was under £300 delivered too, which is a chunk less than the norm.

 

Fitting isn't too bad, especially if done in professional facilities by experienced people with all the right tools. Took me 2 full days out and in, but I am pretty old and slow and don't have any of those things just mentioned. 

Ideally you'd hear the candidate engine running prior to removal at their end.

 

1 hour ago, Lee5400 said:

the rest of the car is mint 

 

That's better to hear. It's easier to replace an engine than it is structural parts of the shell.

Cheers think I will start looking for an engine and take a chance 👍

You may find that it's just a burnt valve on number one, way easier to repair than replacing the whole engine unnecessarily.

You've never worked on one of these engines, have you sep?

Not way easier at all. Especially if you did a 'heart and lung' transplant by sourcing an engine still bolted up to gearbox.

 

Comparative quotes worth getting though, perhaps.

Edited 22 April, 20233 yr by Breezy_Pete

Wot's complicated about an AZQ? Definitely worth investigating the cause before risking a second hand engine. 130k miles does not necessarily mean  knackered. Mine was going strong at 160k with no oil usage between services, before I sold the car. Good luck.

To get the head off, the timing cover has to come off. To get that off the sump has to come off. Sealant gaskets everywhere except head/block.

Pain to work on. Been there. Far rather swap an engine in.

Edited 22 April, 20233 yr by Breezy_Pete

I’m based midlands /staffordshire area 

Anyone know of a decent mechanic who works on these type of engines Cheers 

If it is just a burnt valve on cylinder 1 the problem which would be my best option 

as you can tell I m still learning  and trying to figure out my best option s to move forward cheers 

 

3 hours ago, Breezy_Pete said:

You've never worked on one of these engines, have you sep?

Not way easier at all. Especially if you did a 'heart and lung' transplant by sourcing an engine still bolted up to gearbox.

 

Comparative quotes worth getting though, perhaps.

 

Most people don't have engine cranes so just removing the cylinder head is much easier by comparison, removing a few more bits and bolts just takes longer but is still just a matter of hand tools and patience.

1 hour ago, Lee5400 said:

If it is just a burnt valve on cylinder 1 the problem which would be my best option 

as you can tell I m still learning  and trying to figure out my best option s to move forward cheers 

 

Best thing to do is diagnose the cause of the low compression accurately.

Cheers I’ll get onto that next week 

thanks for the advice

Squirt oil down the bore before the compression test, if the compression comes back up close to the others you do indeed have piston/bore/ring wear problems and in that case an engine swop would probably be favorable.

 

If compression still low then it will be a valve, cylinder head gasket or a cracked head, it will cost nothing but time to strip down to find which of the above, probably the exhaust valve, only you will know if you are confident and tooled up enough at this stage to do so.

 

Sep and Pete make equally valid points for stripdown or replacing the engine, it will depend on your ability, confidence and available equipment, if you are intendin paying someone to do the job for you neither option is likely to be viable given the age and value of the vehicle.

Thanks for the advice  appreciate it 

I’ll get the compression test done then make a decision Thanks